THE pupils and staff at St. Josephs National School in Ballyheigue were celebrating again last week as they won first prize in the TrendMicro ‘What’s Your Story’ competition.

This is the second time that the school has won the overall prize in this competition after also taking the top prize in 2016.

There was great excitement at the school when representatives from TrendMicro came to the school to announce that 2nd/3rd class  had won the overall award of €2,000 for their film ‘I Got The Power’.

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Children from second and third class in St Joseph’s NS were asked to create a two minute video answering the question: ‘If you had one special power to make life online better, what would it be?’

The pupils at St Joseph’s created ‘I Got The Power’ and said “we all have the power to make life online better. Sometimes it is just a matter of taking a break from the internet and mixing with our friends so we can get a better perspective and not be too influenced by what is online. Just switch off for a break’.

The Judges praised the children’s grasp of the theme and complimented the calibre of acting from all the children. The judges also said that the film was suitable for audiences of all ages and carried a message for all internet users.

The Parents’ Council accepted the cheque from Avril Ronan of TrendMicro in front of a large audience of parents and students. Refreshments were then provided for the large attendance with home baked goods from parents and children .

Principal Terence Dineen thanked the parents for their continued support of the arts and filmmaking in the school and praised the hard work out in by the students in making films in the school over the last decade.

TrendMicro, a multinational cyber security and defence company, run the film competition to promote Internet safety amongst children and teenagers. The competition is open to all primary and secondary schools plus individuals and groups.