PUPILS at St John the Baptist Primary School have helped create a new school mural to celebrate the cause of environmentalism.
With help from local muralist Michael Doherty, the kids created a new mural that highlights the environmental efforts and ethos of the school community.
Commenting on the initiative, St John the Baptist Principal, Chris Donnelly, said the school wanted to "underscore" the need to protect "our common home".
"The children as well as their parents are very aware of the social and moral responsibility that we all have around saving the environment," he said.
"It's a theme that Pope Francis has around protecting what he calls 'Our Common Home', and that's what runs across the centre of the mural.
"There's a moral obligation that we have and we have to try to live it out with the children and educate the children that this is a central part of what we should be doing.
"How that manifests itself for children is in different ways. For example, every class has two Energy Monitors appointed who ensure lights, computers and interactive whiteboards are switched off whenever people are out of the classroom. We talk to the children and tell them that it's not just about saving money, but that it's about saving the earth by conserving energy. That's something we talk to the parents about and we say that we want to hear that all of the children are doing this at home.
"Secondly, within the school we also have a great parent gardening project run by Paula Kerr from CRJ, and that team have been working with classes of children out planting around the school and maintaining the plants and flowers and growing different foods, which the children have been eating. It's making children aware of this vision of protecting our common home.
"Lastly, we had Sinn Féin Councillor Matt Garrett who got from Council a lot of litter pickers and gloves for the school because we have a rota for our Student Council team, who go around the school throughout the week to make sure that any litter and rubbish is lifted. There wouldn't be much that emanates from within the school, but where we're positioned on Finaghy Road North there's a lot that gets blown into the school grounds. They would be looking after that and it's all about that same ethos."
