Our School!
As the School Community at Gortroe prepares to celebrate the centenary of the establishing of its Primary School at its preset It location, we may wonder how the present aims, objectives and results would compare with those which prevailed one hundred years ago.

The present Board of Management, Staff, Parents and department officials work harmoniously to enrich all its pupil and give them a solid foundation for their development as Christians. The objective is to create a climate of trust and love, to stress the value of each individual person and to foster loyalty and mutual respect.

The practical gardening of the l920's no longer finds a place in our curriculum; neither does one find the extremely high standards of Bible-Learning and Catechism noted in the 1940's. However the present pupils have a much broader curricular experience and are afforded many opportunities to establish a sound base from which further studies may be done formally or in a voluntary capacity.

The emphasis on oral language and literacy is highlighted - shared reading, circle time, book fairs, library visits, all help to make reading a pleasurable experience. The present pupils become quite computer literate through using our nine P.C's, soon to become a dozen. While the material trimmings attached to the reception of First Communion and Confirmation may have changed a lot since 1902, every effort is made to retain and impress on the pupils the real significance of those occasions.

In the field of the Arts, opportunity is provided for participation in the Annual School Concert, Christmas Pageants, Church Choir, Scor Competitions, Inter School Quizzes, visits to Orchestral Concerts and Live Theatre. This area is supported by the provision, through the cooperation of our Parents Association, of Music, Dance and Speech and Drama classes. Youghal Comhaltas provide a platform for advancing the basic skills of instrumental music commenced at Primary School.
In the practical arena, saving is encouraged and CIonpriest National School has the highest, per capita, record of saving among schools participating in the Youghal Credit union catchment area.

One of the highlights of each year is the School Tour. The present policy is to visit our Capital City once in the school life of each pupil - the other years alternate between Activity Days and historical/travel trips. All this leads to the eventual progression to Post Primary - most of Clonpriest's pupils attend either Youghal, Midleton or Carrigtwohill.