O’Dowd opens new £3.9million St Teresa’s Primary School, Lurgan
Date published:
Education Minister John O’Dowd has officially opened St Teresa’s Primary School in Lurgan.
The new build seven class base school cost £3.979million.
Speaking at the official opening ceremony which followed a celebration Mass, the Minister said:
“It is a pleasure to return to St Teresa’s today to join in the celebrations of your new school.
“A school has been a part of this area of Lurgan since 1960 and I am pleased that school life will continue here well into the future.
“A new school brings tangible change to the daily life of pupils, teachers and the wider community. Here at St Teresa’s a new chapter begins with your brand new state of the art school which will enhance the learning for this generation and future generations.
“Many people have contributed to get us to this point today and I want to pay tribute to you all. From planning, through to design and construction and finally today, the official opening, a lot of patience and forbearance was needed. Today represents a successful conclusion and a fitting celebration for all the hard work over the years. I wish you all well for your future learning.”
Mrs Anne Doran Principal of St Teresa’s said:
“This is a wonderful day for the children, staff, parents, and entire school community in St Teresa’s as we see our dream of a new school become a reality. We are delighted to have a spacious, airy, bright, state of the art school building on Tarry Lane worthy of the school’s fundamental goal to help each child grow and reach his/her full potential.
“While our school and its staff have always striven to provide the highest educational standards and a solid foundation for all children in our care, we now have a building worthy of this task. It has taken over twenty years, but when you walk around all the classrooms along a single corridor and talk to children using the latest clever touch educational technology, I can wholeheartedly say it has been worth it!
“On behalf of the pupils, staff, governors and the entire St Teresa’s community I thank the planning and design teams, the architect, the project manager, the contractor and in particular, the Minister of Education, Mr John O’Dowd, the Department of Education and CCMS for their work and support in building our new school.”
Notes to editors:
St Teresa’s has an enrolment of 189 pupils.
Glasgiven Contracts Ltd completed the construction work. The project was managed by Arcadis.
The Department of Education’s ‘Education Works’ campaign promotes the value of education. This year’s campaign aims to ensure that parents have information on schooling and that they are aware of the steps they can take to ‘Get Involved’ and support their teenager in achieving good outcomes at school. Watch out for the ads on television, radio and outdoor locations. The campaign highlights the vital role families can play in helping children do well at school and improve their life chances. Visit nidirect website for more information or watch the TV ad on the Department’s YouTube channel
See photos from the Department of Education in our flickr collection.
5. Media enquiries to the Department of Education Press Office Tel: 028 9127 9207. Out of office hours, contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 076 99 715 440, and your call will be returned.