Forest adds real value to schools

Tallaght Person of the Year 2022, Zak Moradi, visited  the school forest in St Kevin’s Boys school last week, joined by Tallaght Community Council (TCC), AWS and Google representatives.

The visitors were all warmly greeted by Mr Murray, headmaster, Paul Dalton, school caretaker and Marion, school secretary – the school “forest keepers” along with some students.

Zak, TCC, AWS and Google checked up on the native trees and shrubs, a project that is funded by AWS and Google for Tallaght schools, that were planted last Spring to create a school woodland for students to enjoy while increasing the biodiversity on the school campus.

The enthusiastic forest keepers in St Kevin’s have really embraced their school forest. In their first year, they have staked some trees to support them, added a living willow entrance and have outdoor musical instruments on the way.

The forest keepers are determined to maximise the value of the feature for the students.

The school forest information board, designed by TCC with input from the schools and produced by Tallaght business Apt Signs was unveiled by Zak during the visit.

The sign helps the students identify the trees as they build up their knowledge of native tree species.

At the visit last week, Chair of TCC, Liz Kennedy said: “The Tallaght school forest program has been a very enjoyable one for us.

“The schools in Tallaght are a hive of positivity and enthusiasm. They are a dream to collaborate with and have embraced the opportunity to create a small forest for their school.

“Each has had their own vision for the forest and by adopting a flexible approach with them, we have been able to deliver a really value asset for the school and our collective environment.

“We thank Google, AWS, The Maldron Hotel and Tallaght West Credit Union for their support to help make this program a reality in Tallaght.”