Introducing Kilkenny’s newest ‘School of Sanctuary’

Kilkenny City Vocational School (KCVS) received welcome news on Thursday, October 5, when the school was named a School of Sanctuary Champion, a first for a post-primary school in Kilkenny.

Kilkenny City Vocational School now joins schools across Ireland and the UK who are recognised for their highly effective ability to foster a culture of inclusion and diversity for all in their school community.

The mission of School of Sanctuary is to foster a culture of welcome and inclusion in Irish schools, North and South, particularly for children from a refugee, asylum-seeking and other immigrant backgrounds, but also for Irish children who might feel marginalised or excluded.

On Thursday morning, teachers, students, parents and member of the School Board of Management including Kilkenny Mayor Joe Malone were joined by the School of Sanctuary National Coordinator Homayoon Shirzad and nine members of the School of Sanctuary Monitoring Committee.

The committee team included Ashlee Hally, Mark Kelly & Liz Murphy (Champion School of Sanctuary teachers), Bohdanna Harasimenko, Hashem Badran (Sanctuary Ambassadors), Alina Piskaryova (Kilkenny Leader Partnership’s Local Action Group) and Inga Heafey (KCVS Parent Representative).

The monitoring committee were there to evaluate the progress of the school with a view to deciding whether it had done enough to be recognised as a School of Sanctuary.

A spokesperson from the adjudicating panel stated: "All the teachers and students at the school welcomed the team with great care and empathy from the moment they arrived at the school. It was clear there was a real sense of belonging and community associated with the school and this could be instantly seen in how all students and teachers interact so pleasantly with one another."

The scene for this had been set by a portfolio put together by Kilkenny City Vocational School’s School of Sanctuary Committee of students and teachers. 

It was a joyous and inspirational morning which began with heartfelt presentations from a number of KCVS students from diverse backgrounds who spoke eloquently about the welcome, respect and support they have been shown inside and outside of their classrooms everyday by their teachers.

Several KCVS parents from many diverse cultures then spoke, thanking the school for showing them and their families such warm welcomes, respect and acceptance since joining the school community.

The celebrations continued through the morning with a ‘Diversi-tea Party’ in the school library where the students showcased their various cultures and nationalities with school projects, traditional dress and traditional foods.

Linda McCormack, Assistant Principal and School Inclusion Coordinator on behalf of the school expressed a warm welcome to the monitoring committee and gratitude for their visit.

She stated that ‘having led the initiative within the school for the past two years, the morning was a fantastic celebration of the school’s commitment to fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion for all’.

She thanked School of Sanctuary for bestowing this award to the school and its community and stated that the day was a celebration of the richness of what a multi-cultural, multi-denominational student body brings to a school community.

This wonderful school now becomes a model school for over 300 schools in Ireland who hope to make the leap to champion status!