Drumlins

INTEGRATED PRIMARY SCHOOL

Integrated Education Month - The Big Picture theme this year represents how we are all individual parts of the patchwork; whilst we are beautiful individually, we are powerful as a collective! We created a mural using self portraits of each pupil, staff member and governor as together we create the whole picture. Roisin Marshall, NICIE CEO, came to visit us to see our school, meet the pupils and to hold a question and answer session with the Students' Council.

Pictured below is School Principal Janice Marshall, CEO of NICIE Roisin Marshall, Chair of the Board of Governors David Cole-Baker with the Students' Council.

To mark Northern Ireland’s Centenary year, the UK Government developed a number of events which included the Trees for Schools Programme. Every school was offered a native tree to plant in their own grounds between October and December and Drumlins Integrated Primary School, Ballynahinch was delighted to receive a flowering cherry tree. Planting additional trees is part of a wider UK Government project to tackle climate change which was featured in the UN’s COP26 Climate Change Conference in November 2021.

Dr Terry Cross, the owner and CEO of The Hinch Distillery, Ballynahinch, was invited to visit the school to plant the tree with the members of the school’s Eco Club. Dr Cross is a patron of the Integrated Education Fund and a great friend of the school. The school looks forward to enjoying seeing the tree flourish and bloom in the school grounds in 2022 and beyond.

 

David Cole-Baker, Chairman of the Board of Governors; Kara Kirkpatrick, Eco Club leader & P5 Teacher; Dr Terry Cross; Janice Marshall, Principal; Brian Small, Integrated Education Fund and members of the school's Eco Club
David Cole-Baker, Chairman of the Board of Governors; Kara Kirkpatrick, Eco Club leader & P5 Teacher; Dr Terry Cross; Janice Marshall, Principal; Brian Small, Integrated Education Fund and members of the school's Eco Club
Kara Kirkpatrick with members of the Eco Club and Dr Terry Cross
Kara Kirkpatrick with members of the Eco Club and Dr Terry Cross

2021 is an exciting year for Integrated Education as it marks the 40th Anniversary of the All Children Together movement which led to the opening of the Province’s first integrated school, Lagan College in Belfast. Many other integrated schools have opened since then including Drumlins Integrated Primary School in Ballynahinch which opened with 12 Primary 1 pupils in September 2004.

The thriving school now has more than 200 pupils in attendance and choose to mark the 40th Anniversary by inviting the whole school community to nominate 40 local heroes; people who went the extra mile to help support others by shopping for them, helping with childcare and home-schooling, delivering medication, befriending others, organising community social events, providing financial support and noticing others needed help and finding the time to give it. The nominations included local individuals, chemists, care home staff, library staff and many others. Those nominated received a special ‘Goody Bag’ care package full of sweets, hand knit hat, snood and snowman, biscuits, vouchers and a range of other delights, many of which were sponsored by the generosity of local businesses. The school is hugely grateful to the local businesses for their support and hope the recipients enjoy their well-deserved early Christmas treats.

Thank you to the following businesses for supporting this initiative:

The Hinch Distillery, Montalto Estate, Subway (Ballynahinch), Coulter’s Restaurant, Stewart and Gibson’s and Colours.

 

Recipients of Care Packages to mark 40 years of Integrated Education

(In no particular order)

  1. Doreen and Alan Perry
  2. Carol Orr
  3. Clive Anderson
  4. Jessica Burns
  5. Ballynahinch Library
  6. Tracey McCleery
  7. Jackie Codd
  8. Christ the King, Drumaness
  9. Audrey, St.McCartan’s Primary School
  10. Ballynahinch Foodbank
  11. Ali Brown, Grace Fellowship
  12. Oakridge Nursing Home
  13. The Beeches
  14. Grove House
  15. Gordon’s Pharmacy, Ballynahinch
  16. Well’s Pharmacy, Ballynahinch
  17. Hannowins Pharmacy, Ballynahinch
  18. Saneen Farrelly
  19. Hugh McHale
  20. Mairead Baker
  21. Karen Baker
  22. Mr and Mrs Russell
  23. Vivien Bell
  24. Michelle and Gareth Kearney
  25. Donall Burns
  26. Hilary Morgan
  27. Carl and Lorraine Tate
  28. Alice Smiley
  29. Gill Tubman
  30. Stephanie Brashaw
  31. Debbie McKinney
  32. Natalie Gibson
  33. Christine Doyle
  34. Murtagh Family
  35. Claire Farqhuar
  36. Nicola Wilcox
  37. Jackie Pentland
  38. Hilary Kerr
  39. Rachael McConnell
  40. Kathleen Russell
  41. Leanna Theodorus
  42. All Classroom Assistants
  43. All teaching staff
  44. Office staff
  45. Lunch Supervisors
  46. Philip Kelly