South Eastern Education & Library Board
Title: Celebrations – a half centenary of Donaghadee Primary School
Artform: Visual – Ceramic Panels and Wall Murals, Music and Booklet Production
Organisation: Donaghadee Primary School, Donaghadee Rotary Club, Churches, Donaghadee High School
Creative Partners: CYP Artist Diane McCormick, CYP Artist Deirdre Crowley
Participants: 375 pupils

Synopsis: Donagahadee Primary School is a school which is situated close to the sea front of Donaghadee. It has a rich historical history and the school plays an active role in generating support for the school throughout the local community. The year 2005 was a landmark year for the school because they were scheduled to celebrate their half centenary year. The plans for this celebration were influenced by a strong creative agenda employing many art forms. The Principal sought advice and support from Creative Youth Partnerships SEELB in order to put into place plans for the celebration.

Background: This Action Zone Project with Donaghadee Primary School celebrated the school reaching a half centenary. The school has a strong creative arts agenda but wanted to engage professional artists to work with their pupils on specific art works. The theme for the creation of the art works was citizenship, people and environments and this formed the themes for the generation of ideas with the children.

Residency: The project began with Creative Youth Partnership Artists Diane McCormick and Deirdre Crowley undertaking a residency in the school. Deirdre spent a full week living in Donaghadee. The school has a large gable wall and extensive perimeter fences. Deirdre worked with KS1 and KS2 children to paint murals which depicted life in Donaghadee. The KS1 children also painted murals in an inner courtyard. Diane worked with KS2 children to create beautifully subtle ceramic panels sited on pillars at the entrance foyer of the school. Again, these depicted life in Donaghadee.

Showcasing: A Showcasing event was organised to coincide with the centenary celebrations. Senior Management from the SEELB and Lady Hermon attended this. The school now has an entrance which they are proud of and many wall murals which reflect the close links the school has with the local community.