Congratulations to Saffron Science Competition winners – Presentation Secondary School Thurles
ITS Ireland congratulates the students from Presentation Secondary School Thurles for their winning entry in this year’s Saffron Science Competition. This annual school’s competition is organised by Saffron Travel and is co-sponsored by ITS Ireland and eFlow.
This year, students were asked to create a video outlining their ideas, plans or proposals on the question "What improvements would you like to see in your area which would encourage you to cycle or walk to school regularly and how would you promote active travel in your wider community?". Active travel means travelling using your own energy, and includes methods such as walking and cycling.
The five finalists selected from the numerous entries received were:
- Presentation Thurles (link to video)
- Blackrock College (link to video)
- Sacred Heart School Tullamore (link to video)
- Balla Secondary School (link to video)
- Loreto Balbriggan (link to video)
The winning submission clearly identified barriers to active travel such as carrying an 8kg school bag filled with books, a lack of bicycle parking, and the presence of road potholes. The team from Presentation Secondary School Thurles also identified solutions to promoting active travel, which included writing to the local county council, reducing the weight of school bags, starting a bike maintenance course, investing in smart bike technology, and identifying and promoting popular tourist spots locally that can be reached via active travel methods.
The winning team was also congratulated in a video from Minister for Transport and Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan TD, during the awards ceremony for the competition. [insert video]
Click here to see a message of congratulations from Minister Eamonn Ryan
Donal Hodgins, Chair of ITS Ireland, said: “We are delighted with our sponsorship of the Saffron Science Competition as it is a great initiative to encourage students to think about how ITS can contribute to sustainable transport initiatives. Congratulations to the winning team from Presentation Secondary School Thurles.”
Stephen Keenan, Managing Director of Saffron Travel said: “The competition entries this year were great and the participating schools were very happy with the competition, as it proved to be an excellent remote learning project. Well done to everybody involved in this year’s Saffron Science Competition.”
Darren McGivney, Digital Marketing Officer with eFlow, said: “We are delighted with our sponsorship of the Saffron Science Competition as it is a great initiative to encourage students to think about science, which is evident in the passion and creativity they all illustrated in their ideas. Congratulations again to the winning team from Presentation Secondary School Thurles.”