Main pic: (l-r) Dr. Aideen Hartney, National Disability Authority with students Kellie Harron and Graìinne McPolin from Kilkenny National School, Glenties.
The children of Kilkenny National School, near Glenties, finally got their hands on their prestigious ‘Someone Like Me’ award this week.
Before Christmas, both Gartan and Kilkenny National Schools were named Donegal Junior and Senior County Winners respectively of the National Disability Authority’s prestigious art competition.
Pupils, Kellie Harron and Graìinne McPolin, were at the national awards ceremony at Dublin City Hall on Wednesday where they picked up the award on behalf of the Glenties school.
Now in its eighth year, the competition attracted more than 2,200 entries from national schools across the length and breadth of the country.
The competition was created as part of the authority’s work to nurture more positive attitudes towards persons with disabilities. To date, it has seen more than 17,500 children take part in lesson plans and pupil activities designed to challenge our young people to appreciate and respect similarities and differences in people.
The three-person judging panel was particularly impressed with the entries from Gartan National School and Kilkenny National School, selecting them as County Winners based on their insightful and inspirational responses to the theme of ‘Someone Like Me’.