Star former pupils open state of the art new gym in Offaly school
Former Killina pupils have excelled in chosen sport
FORMER pupils who have excelled in various sports provided the star turn as a new state of the art gym was officially opened in an Offaly secondary school on Friday afternoon.
Olympian boxer Grainne Walsh, Tullamore; an international boxer who has since turned professional, Paul Loonam, Pullough and international soccer player, local woman Becky Watkins, Mucklagh, who is playing in the League of Ireland with Shelbourne, performed the official opening of the splendid new facility at Killina Presentation Secondary School.
Another famous past pupil, Charlie Mitchell was unable to attend as he continues to recover after receiving a procedure on his heart following Offaly's recent Leinster Senior Hurling Championship draw with Kilkenny.
It was Mitchell's second heart scare in the year and he was wished all the best by school principal John Cotter.
The Kilcormac-Killoughey club man received his secondary education in Killina along with his siblings.
It was a gala occasion for a school that has grown in popularity in recent years as it has spread its catchment area far outside Rahan parish.
An impressive extension was constructed in recent years and there are further ambitious plans, including the provision of an all-weather playing pitch and additional classrooms and accommodation.
The gym is another great feather in their cap and will be availed of by students studying physical education for their Leaving Certificate, along with those doing workouts. It is an excellent facility with high quality equipment in it and past pupils and interested people were invited to view all school facilities on Friday afternoon.
It was fitting that the school asked former pupils who have achieved high in sport to do the official opening of the gym.
Mr John Cotter spoke with pride about their achievements and thanked all who helped bring the gym to fruition. He spoke of how it emerged as a partnership between the Department of Education and the local community with the department providing the gym equipment and various fundraising ventures and donations funding the building and other facilities.
“The project was delivered at very little cost to the school itself and we are very lucky to have the support of the wider community,” he said, thanking Tullamore Credit Union who provided €25,000 through their community support fund; Tullamore Lions Club and the school's Parents Council.
“This project is a huge benefit to the school and a real example of how our education system works. The Department don't have all the financial resources they would love to have and they do rely on the goodwill and generosity and spirit of communities to provide everything that schools want to provide. Thankfully that was done in a very short space of time,” Mr Cotter smiled.
He revealed that the idea for the gym emerged from a conference he attended at the end of last September. Mr Cotter spoke about their future plans. “We have a fantastic school and facilities but it is not everything we want,” he said, noting that they had purchased four acres of their current site from a local Killina family, the Dunne's.
“It was necessary, not just because we wanted it but we had nowhere to put our next extension, we had run out of site. It is great to see Padraig Moran, the former principal here and as he will testify, every extension this school built was going to be its last. The school became a sprawl of extensions, all on a single floor. It was only with the last extension, which was to be the last extension, that we had to go two storey. Thankfully, there is another phase of development coming.”
Mr Cotter revealed that the next development will see a graphics room, three class rooms and office and storage space while they hope to have planning permission soon for the astro-turf soccer pitch, which they hope to provide soon. They are also planning on providing courts for the new sport of padel (a tennis like sport) out of their own resources.