The pupils and staff CBS Ennistymon were due to hold second annual Arts Week this week. However, while they believe you should never cancel creativity, they are having a Virtual Arts Week instead running across all our social media and school website.
A spokesperson said: “We have art work, music video’s, poetry, cooking demo’s, and short stories. We believe it’s great for the lads to have something to invest in during this difficult time.
About a week ago the Arts Week Committee of Eimear Griffey, Emma-Jane Brown and Neville Fitzpatrick realised that we didn’t need to cancel our planned second annual Arts Week here in the CBS, which was planned for this week in school. So much of our teaching has now moved on-line, why not arts week? Creativity should never be cancelled, just expanded in a different way.
So we decided to move Arts Week to the virtual realm, where students work will be displayed virtually across our various social media platforms (Facebook @cbsennistymon, Instagram @artsatcbsennistymon and Twitter @MonCBS) alongside our school website (cbsennistymon.com).
Messages were sent to students via Microsoft Teams, where a lot of our virtual teaching is happening.
We have been delighted with the response and engagement from the students. We have received artwork from various students, including Conor Farrell, Micháel McInerny, Jack Kennedy, Michael Conneely. Music videos have been submitted by many students, including the Rouine Family (three brothers), Sam Toft on guitar, Jack Kennedy on piano, Eoin Dalton singing with guitar, Shane O Loughlin singing, Evan Flanagan, Luke Neylon, Niall Hegarty on banjo, Seanie MacMahon singing with his banjo.
Poetry has been submitted alongside short stories.
Other students such as Cillian McGroary sent in a video of very impressive keepy-uppies. Creativity is inclusive for all students,
Also Neville Fitzpatrick, our Life Skills tutor, produced a cooking demo of French Toast which students were challenged to re-produce and send in photo evidence. This proved very popular.
We have been so delighted with the level of engagement from our students and staff during this innovative week in our school community. School spirit is so important to our students and staff, we are just happy that Arts Week in the CBS could provide a diversion for people during this difficult time in our history.
As part of the initiative we have also been using the RTÉ hashtag of ‘create don’t contaminate’ to spread awareness.”
Check them out on Instagram.