Lackamore art pupils are tops
Creating positive attitudes towards persons with disabilities
The artistic talent of pupils at Lackamore National School has earned them a coveted county title and a place in the final of a national competition.
The work of the pupils of Junior and Senior Infants, and first and second classes at the school has been chosen as the County Junior Category winner of the prestigious national art competition, Someone Like Me.
Their achievement has qualified them to compete for the much sought-after national title at the national awards ceremony to be held at Dublin City Hall on Wednesday, January 17.
The pupils are overjoyed at their achievement under the guidance of their teacher, Karen O'Brien, and naturally looking forward to the final.
Now in its eighth year, the Someone Like Me art competition, which is organised by the National Disability Authority, attracted more than 2,200 entries from national schools across the length and breadth of the country.
The competition was created as part of the National Disability Authority’s work to nurture more positive attitudes towards persons with disabilities and, to date, it has seen more than 17,500 children take part in lesson plans and pupil activities designed to challenge our young people to appreciate and respect similarities and differences in people.
The three-person judging panel comprising Ann Higgins, principal of Hospital School Children’s Health Ireland; Dr Carly Cheevers, senior research officer at the National Disability Authority; and Laura McGrath, an autism class teacher was particularly impressed with the entry from Lackamore National School and selecting them as county winners based on their insightful and inspirational responses to the theme of ‘Someone Like Me’.
Their entry comprised of a collage which acknowledged the different disabilities that are present in their school. The names of the disabilities were written throughout the art piece to represent the fact that some disabilities are invisible but they are all around us, even if they are not immediately obvious.
Summing up their objective the message from the pupil was: “We need to be aware of all types of disabilities, not just those that can be seen. As a school community we strive to be as inclusive as possible and wanted to create a piece of art to celebrate the uniqueness of every child in our class.”
The competition, which offers a range of prizes up to the value of €1,250, was open to all primary school pupils from Junior Infants to Sixth Class and more than 2,200 entries were received from individual pupils, class groups and whole schools right across Ireland. Entries ranged from posters and collages to large sculptural installations and multi-media pieces.
Congratulating Lackamore National School on being named County Winners, Minister of State with responsibility for disability, Anne Rabbitte, said that the number of entries this year is a tribute to the commitment not just of the National Disability Authority, but also to Ireland’s primary school teachers, who continue to play an important part helping to create an ever-more inclusive Ireland.
“Every year, more and more of our young people take part in the Someone Like Me Art Competition, working their way through cross-curricular lesson plans and learning resources which have been specially designed to challenge and inspire.
“The number and standard of entries shows a real commitment on the part of teachers and pupils to helping to develop a shared understanding of how we should treat others in a caring, sensitive and inclusive way, promoting a sense of belonging and connectedness.
“This year we placed a special emphasis on nurturing a greater understanding of non-visible and intellectual disabilities. Many people with a non-visible disability face the everyday prospect of having to explain to others that they have a disability; something they may not always want to do.”