This article is from page 6 of the 2006-10-24 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 6 JPG
MORE than 200 pupils of Seamount College in Kinvara will take part in a silent march this morning, October 24, which will see them walk from the school to the Kinvara Post Office to post letters begging for their school to be saved.
The letters, which are individually hand written by each the students, are addressed to the Sisters of Mercy head office in Ballinasloe, who announced the winding down of the school last week. A new board of management for the school was due to be appointed on October 14, but the Sisters of Mercy revealed last week that they intended to introduce a manager to oversee the phased closure of the school instead.
“We have two main objections at the moment,” said Jane Joyce of newly formed organisation Retain Education at Seamount College United (RESCUE).
“We really feel that we need an intake of students in 2007, or we are in real trouble. If we miss one year, people will lose confidence in the school. Our next step is to re-instigate the board of management. They are needed now more than ever.”
Parents have appealed to the Department of Education to intervene in the dispute and RESCUE are hopeful of organising a meeting with the Minister for Education, Mary Hanafin, in the next few weeks.
“The students all wrote personal letters to the sisters,” continued Ms Joyce.
“They wrote them all themselves, not prompted by us. They say how fearful and panicked they are about it. They are begging the sisters to let them stay.”