Athy school celebrates retiring staff

A SCHOOL in Athy celebrated more than two-thirds of a century of combined service at a retirement event last week before the closure for the summer on 26 June.

At Scoil Mhichíl Naofa in Mount Hawkins caretaker John Moylan hung up his keys after 19 years of service, while school secretary Trena Bolger cradled her last phone an astonishing 48 years after picking up her first one.

“In fact, the day we had the tribute last Thursday (25 June) it was 48 years to the day when Trena started,” said teacher Caoimhe O’Rourke.

“We had the celebration in the Halla Mór, everyone came together, all the kids and everything,” said Ms O’Rourke.

“We put on a little show where all the classes did their own pieces in tribute.

“Junior infants sang See You Later, Alligator, while senior infants sang We Will Rock You, but with the words changed to ‘we will miss you’.

“First and second classes did two personal poems about John and Trena, while third class and the Bruno Mars song Count on Me.

“Fourth class sang Dolly Parton’s Nine to Five, and fifth class did You Got Friend in Me from the movie Toy Story.”

Both were presented with a county jersey, Trena a Kildare one with her name and tenure on the back, and John got a Kilkenny jersey with the same.

Both retirees were then presented with a photo album each of their time in the school, with the poems from the kids inserted into these.

Scoil Mhichíl Naofa was originally set up in 1960 by the Mercy Sisters, and enrols about 500 pupils, with three classes to each year.

The school employs 58 teachers and 20 SNAs.