Former pupils return to Geashill national school with award-winning project

Three former pupils of Geashill national school paid a very welcome return visit to their old alma mater last week to give a special presentation on their award-winning papermaking enterprise, Grass Sheets.

Rachel Hackett, Holly Coughlan and Saoirse Garry were part of a five-member team from Tullamore College who represented Ireland at the prestigious SAGE World Cup in Tbilisi, Georgia last year where they scooped the runners-up award. The two other members of the team were Cillian Farrell and Ryan Plunkett, and the five students created their eco-business as part of Young Social Innovators (YSI).

Geashill School teachers and pupils were delighted to welcome their three former pupils back to where their educational journey first began, and expressed their delight at the success achieved by the girls to date.

All three girls, who are now in 5th year at Tullamore College, worked alongside their two male team members, and under the guidance of teachers, Emma Bradley and Ian Feighery, to create their Grass Sheets eco-project. They used discarded grass sourced from Offaly County Council and Tullamore Pitch and Putt Club to create their innovative paper products, which include bookmarks, invitations and envelopes for weddings and events and wildflower seed pouches. Scaled up the team can see their recycled grass products reducing today’s unsustainable levels of deforestation.

Rachel, Holly and Saoirse gave a very detailed and informative presentation to pupils in Geashill National School on their Grass Sheets project and stressed the need for on-going awareness around environmental issues and climate change.

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