Waterford Education Centre celebrates 50th anniversary
Attending were Assumpta O'Neill, Director, WESC with Committee Members Sheila Donegan, Narrell Byrne, Deirdre McSweeney, Anna Marie O'Dwyer, Denise Keating and Susan Brophy. Photo: John Power
Waterford Education Support Centre, formally known as Waterford Teachers’ Centre, celebrated its 50th anniversary recently with a successful in-house event.
Guests from the education community in Waterford and across the country, attended what was a wonderful celebration of 50 years of support to school communities in Waterford and South Tipperary.
The guests assembled in the centre in Newtown, located in a beautifully refurbished building that was formally owned by De la Salle College.
Former directors Niamh Crowley, Harry Knox, Celia Walsh, as well as present Director, Assumpta O’Neill, spoke at the event.
Mount Sion Secondary School Choir, under the direction of Deputy Principal Colette Kearney, provided a beautiful ending to the event.
The guests in attendance were also encouraged to visit the centre’s gardens to see the commemorative mural designed and painted by the pupils of Newtown Junior School with the support of artist Tina Kennedy.
The TY pupils of Mount Sion Secondary School, under the guidance of their woodwork teacher Eoin Egan, also made a commemorative bench. The event was very upbeat and positive and the opening address was given to those in attendance by Anna Marie O'Dwyer, the Chairperson of the Management Committee.
A very informative programme was also created for the event and it contained some insightful statements from both a former Director of the centre and also a seconded teacher.
They both outlined the positive aspects of the support provided by the centre and the opportunity created with the launch of the Revised Primary Curriculum in 1999.
Those present were informed that local Education Centre Directors also identified talented teachers within their catchment areas and provided opportunities for them to get training to present modules to colleagues relating to specific aspects of educational initiatives.
