By Rebecca Crockett
THE principal of Loreto Secondary School Letterkenny has thanked the “small village” of people responsible for the institution’s success as they marked their historic 170th anniversary last Saturday.
Ms Gerardine Mullen told Donegal News that without the support of the staff, her role would be a lot harder.
“There’s no way any principal could do it on their own. I have three deputy principals who are brilliant, and I have a fantastic staff. I feel very, very lucky to have the team that I have behind me.”
A special mass was held last Saturday at St. Eunan’s Cathedral in celebration of the monumental milestone.
The Loreto Primary School, Scoil Mhuire gan Smál also attended the mass in recognition of the long tradition of Loreto education in Letterkenny.
After the service, refreshments were served at the campus where former staff, representatives of the Board Management, and 10 Loretto sisters from Dublin joined members of the school community in honouring the anniversary.
However, the origins of Loreto Secondary School’s success began long before this generation’s achievements.
Ms Mullen said reaching this significant anniversary is thanks to a long history of hard work.
“I feel that an awful lot of groundwork has been done to prepare the way for people like me, and I’d be very conscious that I’m standing on the shoulders of giants in education.”
Set up in 1854 by a group of Loreto nuns, the order had initially been invited by Dr Partick McGettigan to establish a school for girls in Letterkenny.
Since then, the school has gone from just five students in a tiny school room, to having 950 pupils enrolled today.
A past pupil herself, and the first to hold the principal title, Ms Mullen reflected on the strong relationship the school has with their alumni as generations of young women continue to come to the campus.
She said: “We’ve always had very good numbers in the school. We never have to battle for numbers. It’s a really good thing that parents want to continue sending their daughters here. I suppose an awful lot of our students are daughters of past pupils.
“A lot of our teachers are past pupils. So, it says something about the tradition and about the ethos of the school that all those people want to keep coming back.”
Looking ahead, the principal was confident that the institution would enjoy many more years to come.
“We’re very proud of the long-standing tradition. We certainly have every confidence that that tradition of excellence in education will continue into the future.”
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