Manager of Coláiste Gleann Lí, Clash, Mr Richard Lawlor, with students Luke Stack, Melanie Smith and Michael Lynch at the school looking forward to the Open Day this Saturday. Photo by Dermot Crean
COLÁISTE Gleann Lí is gearing up for its inaugural Open Day this Saturday, October 18 from 10am to 1pm.
The post primary school will display the new developments which have taken place to date on the campus in Clash.
The former Tralee Community College now no longer exists and instead two separate entities- Coláiste Gleann Lí, Post Primary School and Kerry College of Further Education- have replaced it.
This has resulted in a two phased upgrade of facilities and structures in Coláiste Gleann Lí. The first phase to physically separate the two colleges, refurbish specialist rooms and develop an astro turf pitch to the rear of the building, took place over the summer months and phase two is scheduled to occur next summer.
Phase two promises that the entire post primary school will be refurbished and upgraded. In addition to these physical changes, Kerry Education and Training Board has selected Coláiste Gleann Lí to become an ICT school of the future and infrastructure to support this selection will be installed this summer also.
The massive financial investment in the facilities on the campus is only one reason why enrolments and interest in the school has increased.
“The school is the only post primary school in Tralee that can offer the highest level of individual and personalised attention to students, ensuring that each student realises their full potential,” said Coláiste Gleann Lí Manager Richard Lawlor.
Mr Gerard Heaslip, member of the Parents’ Council, explained that he and his wife had chosen Coláiste Gleann Lí for their child as he had been attending a relatively small rural based primary school and they believed that he would be just a number in the larger post primary schools in Tralee.
“We are delighted we chose Coláiste a Gleann Lí,” said Mr Heaslip. “Our son is doing the same subjects as his older sisters did in another secondary school, a few years ago. At Coláiste Gleann Lí the teachers know and care about him as a person and can give him more attention due to the smaller class sizes. In short, our son is performing very well academically and he is happy there because it’s like a small close knit family, where everybody knows him”.
Richard Lawlor, Manager of Coláiste Gleann Lí, highlighted the school’s successes in recent Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate examinations.
“Statistical data indicates that our students continue to perform to their full ability and potential at every level,” he said.
This point was supported by a number of past pupils who volunteered their support for the launch of the Open Day.
One such student was Brian Nammock, who took time out of his busy work schedule as RTÉ’s Regional Production Engineer for Munster, to offer his support for his old school.
Brian praised the staff and unique atmosphere. “The staff always had a way of making us feel at ease by treating students with care and respect and exploring what we were best at in order to ensure we followed our dreams in third level and beyond,” he said.
The message from the parents, students, former students, staff and management of Coláiste Gleann Lí is to call in on Saturday, October 18 between 10am and 1pm and experience the school for yourself.
