12/10/2023

The Marine Institute’s Explorers Education Programme is delighted to announce that your school has been selected as the Category Winner of the Explorers Ocean Champion School Awards 2022-2023: SDGs and the Ocean.

 Congratulations on achieving this award, which is the only ocean-themed award for primary school children and their schools in Ireland. The award recognises the effort, commitment and collaboration of the school management, teachers and children, as well as the Explorers outreach officers that have engaged in the all-school marine themed project.

 Twenty-eight coastal county schools took part in this year's healthy ocean school projects, and we thank you very much for being part of this journey. With Scoil Chiárin Special School being so keen to learn more about the ocean, we are delighted that you and the children have embraced becoming an ocean literate school and creating ocean champions now and the future!

 We would like to let you know that the judges were impressed at how your schools marine project of looking after our marine environment – starting within the classroom and school was achieved. Although you had covered many of the categories the judges felt that the content was well suited to a number of the SDG’s – particularly with reducing plastics in the classroom to the ocean.

 Including marine themes on the curriculum and supporting the Curriculum Framework with developing the children’s competencies and skills is key to sharing an understanding of the impact the ocean has on our lives, as well as the impact we have on the ocean. The enthusiasm of the children and showing off their work was lovely to see.  They were particularly impressed by the initiatives to reduce single-use plastic such as the reduction of drink bottles, the beach clean-up with Flossie, as well as the class trip to the Rediscovery Centre and learning about the circular economy.  The judges also loved the Plastic in the World’s Ocean model, squid dissection and all of the artwork, which was wonderful to so many students taking part. This type of enthusiasm from the teachers and children learning about their local community and the wider oceans sets a wonderful example for other schools to follow.

To celebrate your great achievement, the Explorers Education team would welcome the opportunity to visit your school to present your Ocean Champion Plaque and Certificate to the school.  We would be delighted to meet the students and teachers who took part in the project so we can all share our stories about what we all love about the ocean.


 Cushla Dromgool-Regan
 Strategic Education and Communications Manager,
 Explorers Education Program