Book to mark 50 years of Sacred Heart School student council

The Sacred Heart School, Tullamore, was the first school in the country to have a Student Council which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

The concept of self determination for students was introduced by the school principal Sr Dolores Walsh who had returned to Tullamore after more than a decade in California where she had seen the format work with great results.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Student Council the school has published a book of reminiscences, anecdotes, social history and a celebration of the council, a unique concept that was not introduced to the rest of the country until the 1990s.

The publication will be launched at an event in the Bridge House Hotel this Thursday, October 19, where some of the book’s contributors will recall their time at the school and their involvement in the Student Council. There will also be musical performances from the many talented musicians in the school.

The book’s coordinator is teacher and past pupil Jacinta Gallagher Carroll who persuaded and cajoled past pupils and teachers to share their recollections of serving on or working with the Student Council and their time at the SHS.

The response was so positive that it has led to a glossy publication full of positive and poignant memories, poems, press cuttings, old photographs along with a bounty of affection for the school. "The response from everyone was amazing, and it was a challenge to get it all into one book," she said. "The Student Council seems to have had a very positive impact on generations of pupils and that is very heartening.

"When the idea of something to mark the 50th anniversary of the Student Council was first mentioned we had no idea it would develop and expand into this book. The support from everyone has been wonderful and it is very much appreciated."

The school’s many extra curricular achievements are also celebrated. There have been national basketball and camogie titles, along with choir and orchestra awards as well as silverware for public speaking, debating, baking, cooking and art.

The main theme of the many contributions to the book is the empowerment felt by the students who served on the Council. For most it was their first experience of democracy, the elections and then once in office, the structure of organising meetings, agreeing policies and then acting on them.

The list of achievements for the Student Councils over the decades ranges from uniform changes, fund raising, interacting with local charities and special needs groups, international exchanges and the introduction of radical changes such as the provision of period products for free in all school bathrooms.

Former members of the Student Council have gone on to an impressive range of careers in academia, business, media, entertainment and all walks of life.

The book launch takes place on 7.30pm in the Bridge House Hotel, Thursday, October 19.