06-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
South Kerry secondary school students win big cash prize for environmental project focused on Kenmare
A team of students from Pobalscoil Inbhear Scéine won the Mixed/Large Group Environmental Prize at the 2025 AIB Future Sparks School Impact Awards, winning €2,000 for their school.
The winning team was recognised for the positive impact it made on the local community through a project focused on the problem of unsustainable pair trawling in Kenmare Bay.
The students were announced as award winners at the 2025 AIB Future Sparks School Impact Awards ceremony at Croke Park on April 29.
Patricia Holbein, teacher at Pobalscoil Inbhear Scéine, said it was great for the students' hard work over the last two years to be recognised.
Pobalscoil Inbhear Scéine teacher John O'Sullivan said the project 'really inspired and empowered students, giving them the self-confidence and belief in their own abilities'.
The AIB Future Sparks School Impact Awards celebrate schools making a positive impact on their community, centred on three key pillars of activity: Environmental, Social, and Financial.
These pillars encompass a wide range of activities that contribute to the betterment of communities, including volunteering, fundraising, awareness campaigns, mentoring, peer education, skills-sharing, and environmental conservation.
Orlaith Ryan, chief customer officer at AIB, congratulated the winning Pobalscoil Inbhear Scéine students and other award winners, selected from 124 submissions.
'We are delighted to celebrate the outstanding contributions made by schools and young people across Ireland through the AIB Future Sparks School Impact programme,' Ms Ryan said,
'These awards not only offer students a chance to engage in a new form of learning outside of the regular syllabus, but also inspire students to continue to make a positive impact on their local communities.'
