Everyone at St Mary’s NS is delighted to announce that we have been awarded the prestigious Research Ireland Curious Minds Gold Award in recognition of our outstanding commitment to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.

The Curious Minds Awards celebrate schools that foster curiosity, creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving through high-quality STEM learning experiences. Achieving Gold Award status is a testament to the incredible enthusiasm, hard work and dedication of our pupils and staff throughout the year.

Our application showcased the wide variety of STEM activities taking place across the school, from hands-on science investigations and engineering challenges to coding, technology projects and mathematical problem-solving. We were particularly proud to highlight the active participation of our pupils through video presentations and demonstrations of their learning.

In the feedback received from the Curious Minds team, the assessor praised the school’s extensive STEM programme, stating:

“Heartfelt congratulations and well done to St Mary’s National School, Limerick for successful application to the Curious Minds Gold Award. I was truly impressed with the amount of work in STEM your school has completed, great use of video materials showcasing your learners in action. The variety of STEM activities was also impressive. I most enjoyed the Show and Tell portion of your application as it clearly showed students explaining different STEM activities to their peers and adults. The school’s engagement with other STEM outreach programmes is also admirable. It is nice to see so many young people truly enjoying a variety of STEM activities. Well done and keep up the great work!”

This recognition reflects our commitment to providing engaging and innovative learning opportunities for all children. It also highlights the confidence of our pupils in sharing their knowledge, explaining their thinking and inspiring others through STEM.

A huge thank you to our dedicated staff, in particular Mrs Riordan, our enthusiastic pupils and our many partners who support STEM learning in St Mary’s NS. We look forward to continuing our STEM journey and building on this fantastic achievement in the years ahead.

Well done to everyone involved on this wonderful accomplishment!