Fingal's Enterprising Teenagers Reach National Final
Young student entrepreneurs from Fingal are celebrating this week, after winning a place at the Student Enterprise Awards National Final in Croke Park on April 22nd.
The Fingal Local Enterprise Office runs the biggest student enterprise programme in the country and twenty secondary schools and eight primary schools competed at the County Final in the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Blanchardstown this week (March 12th), welcomed by Oisin Geoghegan, Head of Enterprise with Fingal County Council.
The three student enterprises selected to represent Fingal at the National Finals on April 22nd in Croke Park are: Holly's Pet Patisserie from Sutton Park School (senior category winners), Book Snaps from Skerries Community College (intermediate category winners), and LOK from Santa Sabina Dominican College (junior category winners).
The senior category winners, announced by Cllr Mags Murray, Mayor Fingal, also win an educational visit to El Prat near Barcelona, which is twinned with Fingal.
A host of other local schools also won awards at this year’s County Final, including: Traffic Lights from Skerries Community College (senior category runners-up), Unique Hold from Coláiste Pobail Setanta (intermediate category runners-up) and Code Ireland from Skerries Community College (junior category runners-up).
Paul Reid, the Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, presented the ‘Enterprising School Spirit’ award for primary schools, which went to St.Teresa’s Balbriggan. Oisin Geoghegan, the Head of Enterprise, presented the ‘Best Display Award’ to Castaheany Educate Together.
The Fingal Student Enterprise Awards Programme is supported by the Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board and its CEO, Paddy Lavelle, presented two awards at this year’s County Final. The ‘Enterprising School Spirit’ award for secondary schools went to Blakestown Community School, and the ‘DDLRETB’ award for enterprise was won by Luttrellstown Community College. The Innovation Award was announced by Pamela Newenham of the Irish Times and was won by Smart Wire of Luttrellstown Community College.
Oisin Geoghegan from the Fingal Local Enterprise Office praised the work of participating schools saying: “By fostering an enterprising culture in the classrooms of today, the Fingal Local Enterprise Office, in partnership with teachers and schools, are helping to support and encourage the entrepreneurs of tomorrow. As the ‘first stop shop’ for businesses and new start-ups in the region, we will continue supporting entrepreneurship at all levels, from primary school to third level.”
Other Fingal-based businesses supporting this year’s awards ceremony included the Blanchardstown Centre, One4All Gift Cards, Xtreme.ie and Simtech Aviation.
Further information around April’s National Finals is available through www.localenterprise.ie/Fingal and www.studententerprise.ie.
Pictured at the Fingal Student Enterprise Awards 2015 Winners from the Secondary Schools Categories
INTERMEDIATE CATEGORY : "Book Snaps" from Skerries Community College
JUNIOR CATEGORY : "LOK" from Santa Sabina Dominican College
SENIOR CATEGORY : "Hollys Pet Patisserie" from Sutton Park School
Pictured is Paul Reid, Chief Executive Fingal County Council presenting the prize for "Enterprising School Spirit Award for Primary Schools" at the Fingal Student Enterprise Awards 2015 to "The Puppet Show" from St.Teresa's Balbriggan. Also pictured is Cllr. Mags Murray, Mayor of Fingal and Oisin Geoghegan, Head of Enterprise, Local Enterprise Office Fingal.
