Creevy and Glenmakee National Schools win Someone Like Me art competition titles

Creevy and Glenmakee National Schools have been named as Donegal’s Junior and Senior County Winners respectively of the prestigious national art competition, Someone Like Me.

Creevy, Ballyshannon, won the Junior award, with their first class group doing a hidden talents poster, while Glenmakee, Carndonagh, below, fifth and sixth class pupils won with a paper mache art piece focusing on disability.

Creevy and Glenmakee National Schools will now go on to compete with 50 other schools from around the country for the overall Someone Like Me junior and senior awards which will be announced at the national awards ceremony to be held at Dublin City Hall on Tuesday, January 28, 2025.

Creevy said: “Our Someone Like Me project started in the classroom. We followed the suggested lesson plan and watched some videos that helped to initiate a discussion and raise awareness amongst the children of the similarities and differences between people’s abilities.

“The children worked in pairs to identify their talents and gifts and helped others who struggled to see their own talents and abilities. Each child created a paper person to look like themselves and while they all look similar on the outside when you lift their uniform you see their hidden talents and gifts inside. They thoroughly enjoyed creating this project, we hope you like it too.”

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Congratulating Creevy and Glenmakee National Schools on being named County Winners, Director of the National Disability Authority, Dr Aideen Hartney said that the number of entries this year is a tribute to the commitment of Ireland’s primary school teachers, who continue to play an important part helping to create an ever-more inclusive Ireland.

“This year’s competition is set against the backdrop of a new Autism Innovation Strategy and work ongoing to develop a new National Disability Strategy. These provide the building blocks for a more inclusive society, where disabled people have equality of opportunity when it comes to participating in cultural, social and economic life and where positive attitudes prevail..

“The Someone Like Me art competition is an important way of building an acceptance and understanding of all disabilities amongst the primary school community and developing an autism-affirming society.

“Selecting the county winners was not an easy task for the judges and choosing an overall senior and junior winner will be an even harder job. And, while I know it will be an anxious wait for the pupils and teachers to hear which of the 52 county winners will be awarded the national titles, every pupil should be congratulated for their entries and for coming up with ways to include all people within society.”

Now in its ninth year, the Someone Like Me art competition, which is organised by the National Disability Authority, attracted 2,783 entries from national schools across the length and breadth of the country.

The competition was created as part of the National Disability Authority’s work to nurture more positive attitudes towards persons with disabilities. To date, it has seen more than 25,000 children take part in lesson plans and pupil activities designed to help them develop an awareness and understanding of visible and non-visible disabilities, drawing on their own personal experiences of disability in a bid to help create a more inclusive society.

The competition, which offers a range of prizes, including €500 each for the senior and junior winning schools, was open to all primary school pupils from junior infants to sixth class and more. Entries ranged from posters and collages to large sculptural installations and videos.