Pupils are on the move

IT may have been pouring with rain, but on Friday the staff and pupils of Lisnagelvin Primary School were in jubilant mood as they waved goodbye to their old school and made the short trek to their state-of-the-art new school just nextdoor.

In a conga line stretching several hundred yards long, headed by the principal, Colin Torrens and the pupils of P7, the entire school, teachers, management and ancillary staff, watched by parents huddled under a sea of umbrellas, made the short journey on foot to their new school, built on the grounds of the former playing fields. Their arrival was met with up-tempo music played by Foyle College Jazz Band -many of whom are former pupils of Lisnagelvin Primary School.

Faces lit with the brightest of smiles; there were squeals of delight as each of the classes discovered their new homes in a rainbow-coded school.

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Because of the pupil numbers at Lisnagelvin each of the years have three classrooms built around a resource area with a dedicated store, but it is the uninterrupted views of the Waterside and Cityside from both levels of the school, and particularly from the new dining hall, that really are awe-inspiring. There are many commercial restaurants in the city that would love to have the views that the pupils of the new Lisnagelvin Primary School now have.

The dining hall leads onto a near space-age looking kitchen, and the staff room is a spacious blue and white ensemble which may well see teachers reluctant to put their coffee mugs and tea cups down and get back to class after break.

The high ceilinged sports hall is impressive, but it is the way that the school is designed around a cocooned play and games area which augments the playground to the left of the entrance, that reminds the adults that this is a school where the focus is very much on the children, their education, health and safety.

The day of the start of the big move began on Friday morning with a special assembly at which each of the year groups played an important part, reciting poems and singing songs about the 'big move' set to popular music.

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The guest of honour was former principal, Mr Billy McIlwaine, who told the Easter story in three parts using a dozen multi-coloured toy eggs each containing an item related to the story of Jesus' last days on Earth and the Crucifixion story. At the finale of the story the new principal Mr Torrens was invited to 'crack open' the final egg - only he had a choice. One was hard boiled and the other was raw. Cheered on by the pupils Mr Torrens made his choice and there was a hushed silence as Mr McIlwaine cracked the egg over Mr Torrens' head. Fortunately, Mr Torrens had chosen the boiled egg, much to the disappointment of the children, and just to prove it, he cracked the raw egg into a bowl.

The hymns for the final assembly in 'old' Lisnagelvin were 'Thank You Lord for this Fine Day' which opened the proceedings, and 'One More Step Along the World I Go', which brought the final assembly to a close. The choir sang two items: 'Brothers and Sisters'and 'Lord of the Dance' with the solo by Greg Parkhill.

The readings were from Mark, Ch15:21-32 and Luke, Ch 24:1-8, by Victoria Starrett from P 7 and Sara Mackey from P4.

The pianist was Jacqueline Tosh, one of the P6 teachers and a music teacher.

Scattered in between the formal aspects of the service were the children's contributions, excerpts from which are reproduced in this souvenir pullout.