€5,000 has been raised by the Beaumont Boys Primary School in Blackrock for a new outdoor Geo Dome classroom.
The new Geo Dome classroom, which cost approximately €50,000 and accommodates up to 50 students, was funded through a sizable philanthropic donation, however €5,000 was raised internally through a charitable skydive and a local community contribution.
Through the charitable skydive, which was undertaken by parents of students and teachers at the school, €4,500 was raised, with the final €500 raised via a donation from St Michael’s Credit Union.
Sean Coakley, who is a teacher at the school, said that outdoor education has become a “central pillar of teaching” at the facility, with the 7-meter COSMOS dome providing a safe space for students to undertake outdoor learning activities.
“Our outdoor educational curriculum is strengthened further by the school’s current Erasmus+ project, which focuses on outdoor learning and digital literacy,” said Mr Coakley.
The school, situated adjacent to Beaumont Park, utilizes an area of the old Beaumont Quarry to aid in their outdoor learning, with the new Geo Dome classroom now located in the park.
Principal of Beaumont Boys Primary School, Fiona Meehan said the new outdoor classroom will provide “a safe and experimental setting where students can explore, collaborate, and learn in a more holistic way”.
“These contributions, along with a busy fundraising drive, supported by parents and families, [and other fundraising efforts] including cake sales, jumble sales, a bingo night, and a jersey raffle, got us to the target needed.
Ms Cronin said the next stage for the Geo Dome, which is starting “very shortly with support from sustainability funding”, is to make the dome wheelchair accessible and inclusive for all children undertaking outdoor learning activities.
