Wildlife garden planned for Dundalk Grammar School

Dundalk Grammar School is set to undergo a green transformation with the planned development of a sensory and wildlife garden, spearheaded by the school's Green Schools Committee.

Inspired by the concept of rewilding and biodiversity the committee made up of Feyi Adigun, Leah Brinkmann, Rosie Tyerell, Naomi Pasad and Kaylin Phillips among others hope to create a space to allow the natural wildlife of the area to thrive while also providing a space for students to escape from the hustle and bustle of school life.

"We already have a plans for a sensory room coming along, but not everyone wants to be inside all the time, so having this space will really help give people options," Rosie remarked.

"It could be students, staff members and people to take some time out for whatever reason. It's good to give people an option and you don't just have to have sensory issues to go and really value the place."

The benefits of such a space extend beyond sensory experiences. The garden will serve as a habitat for various wildlife, with plans for birdhouses and feeders to attract birds and promote biodiversity as well as a self-sustaining pond which will hopefully provide a habitat for frogs .

Additionally, the garden will feature a "Bug Hotel" and a memorial bench to a member of the teaching staff Mr Craig who passed away.

Collaboration has been key to the project's development. The committee has been busy devising plans with the school’s buildings manager Gareth Collier as well as partnering with local garden centres to plant the garden with indigenous flowers and shrubbery.

They also plan to contact Louth County Council and the local Tidy Towns to get advice on how to best move forward with the plan and ensure the project's success.

Mr. Brady and Mr. Norton are two staff members deeply involved in student environmental initiatives, and the girls say they have played pivotal roles in driving the project forward.

"This is a project that they’re both definitely very excited about and are helping to bring along" said Rosie, highlighting the enthusiasm among staff members.

The committee already have some funding from the school and hope to receive an allocation from the Parents Association but also hope to top up their coffers with a novel method of raising money as committee member Leah Brinkmann explained:

“We’re going to start collecting the bottles that all the students throw away and recycle them through the Deposit Return Scheme. I’m from Germany and there it’s very normalised and hopefully we’ll be able to get some money from that.”

With an emphasis on sustainability, they also aim to incorporate recycled materials wherever possible, including old birdhouses and feeders and other garden features as well as reusing old garden furniture.

Anyone who has such items lying around is encouraged to get in contact with the committee at: dgsgreenschools@dgs.ie