By Layla Byrne Murray

Creative Schools are a flagship initiative of the creative Ireland program to enable every student’s creativity. The creative school’s initiative program doesn’t just support schools but also supports centres. They do this work to try and put creativity in the hearts of children. The Creative Schools Initiative is run by the Arts Council who selects prospective schools to design and run their individualised projects over a two-year period.  Woodbrook College has been assigned €5,100 to fund the project. Additionally, we will be assigned a Creative Associate (Ms. Bex Shelford). She is an artist who will help the school in the development and implementation of its Creative Schools plan.

When asked what her ultimate goal was for the programme, Bex Shelford stated  “I think my number one goal would be that the students at Woodbrook really have an opportunity to grow creatively” by seeing this response we can tell that everyone involved with creative schools program has one goal and that one goal is to see us grow creatively.  

Ms. Shiely runs the program in Woodbrook College.  When asked what creative school means to her, she responded with “I would like to harness the creativity that is brimming amongst students in Woodbrook College. The €5,100 can be used in a variety of student-led projects to bring further awareness to the creativity that exists, or push the bounds and extend student engagement with creative projects”. It is clear from this that Ms Shiely is committed to opening our eyes to a world of creativity.  Despite the difficult circumstances of this year, ‘Festival in a Van’ came to the school to perform excerpts from their modern interpretation of Romeo & Juliet. This proved both an entertaining and enlightening experience for the 3rd Year group, some of whom were prompted to write their own sonnets in response.

The Creative Schools programme will continue into the 2021-2022 academic year and we surely are looking forward to the creative and inspiring opportunities it will offer us at Woodbrook College. For more information on this programme see Ms. Shiely or http://www.artscouncil.ie/creative-schools/.