A NEW era in Fermanagh as St Kevin’s college prepares to open it’s doors to over 600 students tomorrow (Thursday).
The new post-primary school is an amalgamation of St Comhghall’s College, Lisnaskea and St Eugene’s College, Roslea and will operate from the Lisnaskea site.
The new school motto is Believe, Achieve, Succeed, while the uniforms are St Comhghall’s blue, with a silver reflective strip and the maroon from the St Eugene’s uniform.
Principal of St Kevin’s Gary Kelly, is looking forward to the year ahead and welcoming students to the new school.
“We are busy getting ready, but it’s all very positive. We have massive numbers coming into the school this year with over 600 pupils enrolled. We have a bumper number of first years with 92 pupils coming into the school tomorrow and we are getting around 85% of the kids from south-east Fermanagh so that is very positive for us,” said Gary Kelly.
The school currently offers 26 A levels and 28 GCSEs to their students and the amalgamation aims to secure long term provision in the area. There are currently five classrooms being built onsite, and the school has an application in for a £4 million extension to cope with the expanding numbers of the school.
St Eugene’s College, Roslea closed it’s doors in June, and the students will now have the task of adapting to attending a bigger school.
“We have had a phase in programme last year where the students from St Eugene’s came down on different days, doing different activities. We had ten different days of that, and we have had multiple parent’s evening where we kept parents involved in what was happening. We ran joint school trips and also joint student council meetings too.
“The students have integrated very well already and the feedback from both sets of pupils indicates that they are very happy to be coming onto one site together. Thursday will be the test of everyone coming in and starting at St Kevin’s.”
The two secondary schools merged together following a decision by former Education Minister John O’Dowd, due to ‘ongoing sustainability issues being experienced by the schools.’
“The new uniform, the PE kit, new teachers and the classrooms are all here – we are just waiting on pupils to come through the door now,” said Gary Kelly.
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