Local Carlow School wins 2024 Nature Hero award and wins huge €10,000 prize

Carlow Educate Together National School has won the 2024 Nature Hero Award, proudly sponsored by Glenveagh, the leading Irish homebuilder. On May 13th 2024, the best-in-class school was presented with their Nature Hero Award plaque along with a €10,000 school garden makeover by Minister Of State For Nature, Heritage & Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD.

2024 was the biggest year to date for the Nature Hero Award scheme with over 79,000 children from over 305 schools across 26 counties in Ireland taking part supporting their local biodiversity.

Running since 2022, the Nature Hero Award, sponsored by Glenveagh, is Ireland’s largest outdoor learning award across the education sector. It is a mark of excellence for a school that recognises exceptional work by young people and teachers to help nature. ​The aim of the achievement is to create an educational space that nurtures a love of nature, develops a knowledge of our biodiversity and encourages action to help it locally.

Speaking at the announcement, Clare Keohane, a teacher at Carlow Educate Together National School commented: “We are beyond thrilled to win the Biodiversity in Schools Nature Hero Award. It’s fantastic to see all our work recognised at a national level. It also highlights the importance of the work we are doing to the whole community. The children were very excited to win and have been busy making plans for the prize! Our school garden and the development of outdoor learning has had an extremely positive impact on our school culture. The children love growing, maintaining, harvesting and cooking food in our garden. When we ask students their favourite part of the school year the garden is always top of the list. We find working outdoors beneficial in many ways, it helps anxious children settle into their day and improves well-being and overall engagement in lessons. Bringing lessons outdoors sparks the children’s creativity and curiosity, it creates an active and engaging setting. I find my students more involved and motivated to learn when we go outside.”

Speaking about the importance of the award, Malcom Noonan, Minister Of State For Nature, Heritage & Electoral Reform commented: "It is vital that educators inspire and empower children and young people to better understand the natural world and in doing so foster a new generation of activists and advocates for nature. The Biodiversity in Schools Nature Hero Award does just that and I commend Carlow Educate Together for their amazing whole school approach to learning about biodiversity. This award is richly deserved."

Speaking about the partnership, Annette McGarry, Head of Community Engagement at Glenveagh commented: “It has been truly incredible to see so the number of schools and children take part in this year’s Nature Hero Awards flourish. Glenveagh is delighted to support such a brilliant hands-on initiative, a key part of Glenveagh’s Building Lasting Communities education programme. A huge well done to Carlow Educate Together National School on winning the Nature Hero Award this year. With the Nua Carlow Manufacturing facility so close by, we are staying truly local with materials for the new garden for Carlow Educate Together National School.”

Speaking on the 2024 programme, Mark Nolan, Director of Biodiversity in School commented: "Yet again we were amazed with the quality of applications. We were particularly delighted to welcome both preschools and secondary schools on board for the first time. A massive congratulations to Carlow Educate Together National School and to all winning schools for leading the way on a national level in outdoor learning and helping nature. We are starting to see a map emerge of Ireland's most nature-friendly schools and I hope it's something we continue to see growing year on year”.

The Nature Hero Award is Ireland’s first, standalone outdoor learning award, creating an educational space that nurtures a love of nature, develops a knowledge of local biodiversity and encourages action to help it locally. It covers many topics from nature conservation to school gardening, eco-literacy to responsible citizenship as well as physical and mental wellbeing. The award is delivered by Biodiversity in Schools, Ireland's biodiversity education organisation for young people, and sponsored by Glenveagh.

For more information and to register for the next academic year, visit www.biodiversityinschools.com.