Twists and turns of new labyrinth to benefit St Anne’s pupils

THE children of St Anne’s School were ‘a-mazed’ this week at the launch of their very own garden labyrinth. The garden project has seen the creation of a labyrinth at the school, with principal Caroline Lodge saying that this will be of great benefit to the children.
“At St Anne’s School, we are very lucky to have the outdoor space to develop a project such as the children’s labyrinth. We already have an extensive multi-sensory playground and are seeking to develop the school grounds to meet the needs of our pupils. We like to involve the pupils and parents in gardening projects throughout the year and the labyrinth will provide us with a magical and unique area for the children to benefit from,” she explained.
She added that a labyrinth is an ancient pattern that has been found throughout the world in many forms and sizes. They are different from mazes, as there is only one path that leads to the centre and back out again. “Our children are already enjoying walking and running the labyrinth and we look forward to watching the plants grow and develop,” said the principal.
“We are very grateful to Martina O’Dea, Marisol Callejas and Liz Dunford who brought this concept to us and to Carole Guyett who led our opening ceremony. They have been central to the planning and creation of our labyrinth here at St Anne’s School.”
Martina O’Dea, a member of the East Clare Labyrinth group explained, “This exciting initiative began with a desire to bring the labyrinth to children through a school setting. Research has shown that working with a labyrinth has a very positive effect on children, especially children with special needs. We made suggestions to Beth Hickey, the former principal, who was very enthusiastic about the benefits a labyrinth could offer in a special school setting.
“This spring, the project was brought to fruition through the combined efforts of Beth, builder Liam O’Doherty, Marisol and Liz from our Labyrinth group, and Caroline Lodge, the new principal.”
St Anne’s School provides an education for pupils who have special educational needs within the mild range, from the age of four to 18 and there are also two pre-school classes for pupils with autism.
The pupils cover all subjects in the national curriculum at primary level and we currently have pupils who are preparing for their Junior Certificate Foundation Level, Leaving Certificate Applied, and Fetac Levels 1-3.
Ms Lodge added, “St Anne’s School in Ennis is a special school, which strives to provide a caring, nurturing, happy and secure atmosphere where the intellectual, spiritual, physical, moral and cultural needs of our pupils are identified and addressed.
“St Anne’s welcomes and celebrates diversity and difference and the school motto ‘to be all you can be’ is reflected in the range of activities and educational programmes that are on offer. These include swimming, soccer, basketball, athletics, creative dance, horse-riding, rhythmic gymnastics, art and music therapy and lots more,” she concluded.