Local students in national enterprise finals
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In the Senior Category – Lauren Wrafter, Chloe Daly, Lucy Caulfield, ‘Paper4Nature’, Mercy School Kilbeggan.Image 2 of 5
Best Display Winners pictured with their teacher Eddie Casserly and Pat Gallagher, Chief Executive of Westmeath Country Council Christine Charlton, Head of Enterprise of Westmeath. William QuainImage 3 of 5
Innovation Award Winners, St Joseph’s Rochfortbridge – Olivia Coyle, Alanna Greene, Rosalyn Keddy and Fodhla Hoye, with their teacher Niall O’Brien, Pat Gallagher, Westmeath Country Council, and Christine Charlton, head of Enterprise of Westmeath. William QuainImage 4 of 5
In the Junior Category – Niamh Noone, Doireann Keena and Lucy Keane from ‘You Rock’ at Moate Community School, wit, Pat Gallagher, chief executive of Westmeath Country Council and Catriona Duffy of LEO Westmeath William QuainImage 5 of 5
Most Enterprising School: Castlepollard Community School with teacher Patrick Gilsenan, Pat Gallagher, Westmeath Country Council and Catriona Duffy, LEO Westmeath. William QuainTwo “fantastic enterprises” are representing Westmeath at national finals of the Student Enterprise Programme this year – Paper4Nature, Mercy Secondary School, Kilbeggan; and You Rock, Moate Community School.
Paper4Nature, a finalist in the senior category recycle waste paper by turning it into beautiful products like cards and bookmarks. You Rock make handmade frames using rocks for gifts and home décor.
The two businesses won their respective categories at the Westmeath county final on March 9, at the Golden Island Shopping Centre Athlone.
In the Junior Category, the students representing Westmeath at the national finals are Niamh Noone, Doireann Keena and Lucy Keane from ‘You Rock’ at Moate Community School. In second place in Westmeath were Laura Fox, James Seery and Sophia Dilworth from ‘A Little Birdie Told Me’ at Moate Community School and third place went to Mark Lambert and Pádraig Reagan from ‘Buns and Bits’ at Coláiste Mhuire, Mullingar.
In the Senior Category, Westmeath will be represented on May 5 by Aoife Mangan, Lauren Wrafter, Chloe Daly, Lucy Caulfield from Mercy School, Kilbeggan. In second place in Westmeath were Robert Brennan and Hugh Murtagh from ‘A-Ok’ at Coláiste Mhuire, Mullingar and third place went to Michael Henehan, Mikey Molloy, Cian Norris and Donnchadh O’Reilly from ‘Keep ‘er Lit’ at Marist College, Athlone.
Guests at the Westmeath final included the chief executive of Westmeath County Council Pat Gallagher and head of enterprise Christine Charlton.
Recent awards won by local secondary schools include third place in the Junior Category at the 2021 national final, for Lucy Champ and Aoife Bolger from ‘Wreaths by Occasion’ at Moate Community School, and the winning student for Best Commercial Product in the Senior Category at the 2020 National Final was Jack O’Regan Kenny from Coláiste Mhuire, Mullingar. His enterprise was called: ‘MIRR’, which is the invention, design and manufacture of a unique, first to market voice and touch activated smart mirror.
Speaking at the county final, Ms Charlton congratulated the students: “We have a successful student enterprise programme here in Westmeath, and more than 60 students from nine local schools took part this year.
“Our national finalists are excellent ambassadors for the programme, and we wish them the very best of luck on Friday May 5, and we will all hope to be there to support them. In what has been a particularly challenging couple of years for students, the programme has offered them an outlet outside of the usual school demands.
“What our students are learning from the programme is that with the right supports and encouragement, they can take an idea from the classroom and develop it into a real-life business. The skills they learn along the way, such as business planning, market research, selling and team-work, will help them become more entrepreneurial throughout their future careers”.
The local students will be competing against hundreds of other student entrepreneurs from all over Ireland at the Student Enterprise Programme national finals, at Croke Park in Dublin on May 5.
Information on the Student Enterprise Programme is available at studententerprise.ie and on social media.