Health conscious kids help win awards

Pupils from Belmont House School, Cumber Claudy Primary School, Glendermott Primary School, Longtower Primary School, Lumen Christi College, Model Primary School, Mullabuoy Primary School, Newbuildings Primary School, Oakgrove Integrated College, St Anne's Primary School, St Brigid's College, St Cecilia's College, St Columba's Primary School, St Eugene's Primary School, St John's Primary School, St Oliver Plunkett Primary School and St Peter's High School were all rewarded at the ceremony.

Schools from Strabane including Bready Jubilee Primary School, Castlederg High School, Drumlegagh Primary School, Newtownstewart Model Primary School, St Francis of Assisi Primary School and St Mary's Girls' Primary School were also rewarded.

Limavady High School, St Canice's Primary School and St Peter's and St Paul's Primary School were the Roe Valley prize winners.

Lesley Finlay, Health Improvement Officer with the Western Trust explains: “The aim of the Award is to encourage schools to become Health Promoting settings in which the whole school community is encouraged to lead a healthier lifestyle.”

Kieran McGuire, Chairman of Strabane District Council, welcomed over 200 delegates to the event, including pupils and teachers from the 45 participating schools plus guests who support the health promoting work of these schools.

The audience was entertained by performances from St Mary’s Girls’ Primary School, Strabane, St Peter’s High School, Derry and Drumragh Integrated College, Omagh.

Local environmentalist Teresa O’Hare delivered an inspiring address to the audience about the importance of looking after our natural environment and the benefits of this in respect to our physical and mental health, before presenting the schools with their awards.

Each school received a plaque and a certificate in recognition of their commitment to becoming a health promoting school.

Bridie Mullin, Adviser with the Western Education & Library Board, congratulated all schools on their efforts to improve the quality of health and well being in their school and the targets they had set for themselves through the self-evaluation process.

Barny Heywood, Western Group Chief Environmental Health Officer, noted the importance of the Award as a means of helping young people understand the many factors that influence health and their own ability to influence these factors as individuals or within their community.

He also stressed: “The Health Promoting School Award Ceremony is a celebration of how all aspects of health and well-being can be addressed within the school setting in an enjoyable, innovative way.

“Credit should be given to the successful schools which have health promotion firmly entrenched within both the curricular and extra curricular life of the school.”

The aim of the Health Promoting School Award is to challenge schools to develop their full potential as health promoting settings. Participating schools must demonstrate how they undertake a whole school approach to health improvement, ensure all statutory health related policies are in place and develop and deliver Action Plans on three key health improvement themes over the academic year. Schools are visited by representatives of the Health Promoting School Award Team to determine whether they have successfully implemented their Action Plans before being awarded Health Promoting School Award status at the prestigious celebration event.