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Turning over a new leaf after 100 years

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Kate Corrigan conducts the choir during mass at the official opening of the new extension at Barefield National School. Photograph by Declan MonaghanAFTER more than a century of educating local children, Barefield National School ushered in a new era at the weekend with the official opening of its new state-of-the-art school.
Speaking at the official opening on Sunday, Ronan Connolly, chairman of the board of management, described the new school as “a wonderful beacon of hope for the future”.
The extended and refurbished school now has 16 classrooms, and the official opening was a day of celebration for all involved in bringing this project to completion. Attending the opening was Minister of State, Department of Education and Skills Ciarán Cannon, while mass was said by Bishop Keiran O’Reilly and concelebrated by Fr Jerry Carey and Canon Caimín O’Carroll.
The most up-to-date facilities are now in place at the school which has grown rapidly in recent years from being a four-teacher school in 1984 to currently having a staff of 40, seven of whom are engaged in extra-curricular activities.
In addition to the initial eight classroom school, which was completed in 1997 and recently modernised, the extension includes eight new classrooms, six special education teaching rooms, a general purpose/sports hall and multipurpose rooms, offices and a new roadside drop-off zone.
John Burns, principal of Barefield National School said, “Barefield National School is a focal point for our community, educating generations of boys and girls since 1895. Our school’s close link with our community has always been an important feature of our growth and development over the years.”
At the opening he expressed his appreciation to all involved in bringing the project to fruition and made special mention of the pupils.
Mr Connolly, on behalf of the board of management commented, “We are justifiably proud of having played our part as the executive of the school who saw this project through to fruition and I thank all my fellow board members for their countless hours of unselfish and voluntary dedication in achieving this outcome. We could only do so however as a result of the huge level of support and guidance we received from all of the relevant stakeholders who have vested their time and energies in this project,” he said.
He described Mr Burns as a “visionary” and praised the support of the Building for the Future committees, the wider Barefield parish community, parents’ associations, staff, parents and pupils.
He went on, “It is to my mind at any rate a project which exhibits very clearly all the wonderful attributes of the Irish meitheal concept and the force which a voluntary community of parties working together can generate, without which we would have never seen this project become a reality. We were fortunate indeed to receive the necessary government funding to allow this very positive development to proceed at a time when our country is sadly blighted with so much financial pain and negativity and the new school represents a wonderful beacon of hope for the future.”
He thanked local politicians for lobbying on the school’s behalf, adding “We will forever hold a special place in our hearts for Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe.”
Martin Fitzgibbon Builders were praised for completing the project five months ahead of schedule, along with the design team and project management team.
Michael Butler, chairperson of the parents’ association said, “as parents of the children who attend Barefield National School, we know how fortunate we are to have such a dedicated team of people who look after our children’s education and development on a daily basis. Up to now the conditions were not as we would have liked them to be. Now, however, with the opening of the new school we can be truly proud of what is a first class and future proofed environment in which they will receive their education.”
As well the opening of the new school, Barefield National School also celebrated 115 years of education in the parish. An extensive number of class projects detailing the school’s heritage were on display throughout the school.
These included over 500 photographs, a look back on famous visitors to the school, old roll books, an examination of changes in teaching styles and handwriting styles.
There was also a re-enactment of a day in the school 100 years ago, interviews with grandparents, linking generations of pupils, and a look at the origins of education in the village, starting with the Hedge School.
The official mass booklet contained official school photos, as well as social history accounts from past pupils going as far back as the 1920s.
Sean Howard, whose grandfather John Howard was headmaster from 1864 to 1907, shared his memories of the school describing it as “very near and dear to me and my family”.
Recalling the outbreak of World War II he stated, “Rationing of most commodities was the norm. Tea, sugar, tobacco and even bicycle tubes were in very scarce supply and were all rationed. We would look at the world atlas and wonder where Poland and Germany were and think they were such distant lands.
“The world is a much smaller place now with rapid communications and instant information but in the 1930s it often took days or weeks for the information to travel from the front to places like Barefield.”
He went on, “The new facilities that are now in place at the school are indeed a marvel and I often think of what my grandfather would make of such fantastic and world class facilities. My grandfather used to say if you read widely, you can travel the world. He and all that have gone through the school as teachers and students would indeed be proud of the achievements of John Burns and his staff for providing these new facilities and hopefully in a hundred years from now the legacy of Barefield National School will live on.”
There was also an account as gaeilge by the late Frank Burns, former principal of the school and father of its current principal.
As well as past pupils, current teaching staff shared their experiences of the school along with sixth class pupil Mia Hanrahan. Mia expressed how needed the new building was. She told how when leaving for her summer holidays last June the school was “like a building site”. “Before the construction started there were prefabs here, there and everywhere. The prefabs were long, narrow, ugly buildings. Leaks happened so often that buckets were on the tables permanently,” she said. Mia told how coming back from holidays “a wonderful new building had emerged from the rubble that existed in June.” She described her new classroom as “fantastic”.
The day also included traditional music performed throughout the school, as well as performances by the school marching band and choir. Clowns, balloon artists and a magic show kept the children entertained. The Frank Burns Memorial Hurling League final was also held on the day.

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