Sensory classroom returned to St Thomas’

A LOCAL carpenter who spearheaded the clean-up and reconstruction of an outdoor classroom in a Jobstown school, after it was burnt down in an alleged arson attack last month, said he wanted to “pull Jobstown back together and give it a good name”.

As previously reported in The Echo, on the evening of Friday, May 5, the structure in the grounds of St Thomas’s Senior National School was set alight, completely destroying it.

The structure was popular among the young pupils, as it was used as an outdoor mainstream classroom, and had a sensory space for children with additional educational needs.

The canopy was valued at between €3k and €5k and was maintained by children and staff over the years, who painted it and made it an uplifting and attractive part of the school environment.

The principal of the school, John Rennick, then appealed to the community to help with the clean-up of the fire-damaged garden and canopy.

People and businesses in the area then banded together to lend their support and assistance in their droves, and even took on the task of replacing the damaged canopy with a new one.

The rebuilding of the canopy over the last fortnight has been led by Stephen Brennan, a carpenter who also runs the mental health walking group Walk and Talk, and whose daughter attends the school.

Aaron Bardon

His brother and father, Mark and Dave Brennan, who are also tradesmen, helped to clean-up and rebuild the canopy, as did Ger O’Reilly and Davey Byrne.

“To be honest, Jobstown is always good for this sort of stuff, for pulling together,” Mr Brennan told The Echo.

“I wanted to blow this out of the park, and it was easy to do with everyone behind us.

“This was a big one to pull Jobstown back together and give it a good name. We all stuck together and got it done.

“I never thought it would get this far, but I went overboard – I could’ve done something simple, but I wanted to make something amazing.”

Mr Brennan’s efforts were supported by donations from the community, Amazon Web Services, Golden Cobra Boxing Club, and AB Fitness by Mike Abz.

Charlie Sharpe

Pupils and staff from St Thomas’s SNS created vibrant posters which they hung up around the school campus this week, thanking Stephen and his team for their work.

John Rennick, principal of St Thomas SNS, told The Echo: “They exceeded all of my expectations about the community getting involved.

“Stephen has been nothing short of phenomenal: him, his father, his brother, and the other fellas that helped.

“They’ve put together a garden that’s exceptional in all aspects, we’re dumbstruck by what they’ve done.

“The sixth class kids are down in the garden laying down bark now, and it just shows the influence of seeing lads from the community who are carpenters and builders.

Aidan Bardon

“The kids are eternally grateful for what they’ve done.”

The school will officially name the garden the Walk and Talk Garden at its 40th anniversary celebration later this month, in tribute to Mr Brennan and the community’s work.

“I sincerely hope it has rippled through the community, that this is what Jobstown’s about – helping people in need,” Mr Rennick added.

“It was a case of I just wanted the community to help with the clean-up of the garden, I never envisioned this.”