PRIMARY SCHOOL SAILS HOME WITH TITANIC WIN
Moat Primary School in Lisnaskea has sailed ahead of the opposition to win a Titanic-themed junk modelling competition organised by Belfast Harbour and Titanic Foundation Ltd. Using everyday household items the Fermanagh Year Seven pupils created a stunning five foot cardboard and polystyrene replica of the Titanic, complete with decking made from matchsticks and ships’ cranes from bottle tops. Their Titanic junk effort was judged to be top entry in the Northern Ireland-wide competition with attracted almost 500 entries from 100 schools.
Moat Primary School in Lisnaskea has sailed ahead of the opposition to win a Titanic-themed junk modelling competition organised by Belfast Harbour and Titanic Foundation Ltd.
Using everyday household items the Fermanagh Year Seven pupils created a stunning five foot cardboard and polystyrene replica of the Titanic, complete with decking made from matchsticks and ships’ cranes from bottle tops. Their Titanic junk effort was judged to be top entry in the Northern Ireland-wide competition with attracted almost 500 entries from 100 schools.
Five other finalist schools joined Moat PS at an awards ceremony at Belfast Harbour Office, with entries including a sea of shipyard workers, Harland & Wolff cranes and lifeboat recreations. The Moat pupils won a VIP trip for the entire class to Titanic Belfast, the world’s largest Titanic visitor experience which opens on 31st March.
Roy Adair, CEO of Belfast Harbour, said:
“Congratulations to every pupil, teacher and school who participated in this creative competition. We have been overwhelmed by the imagination and effort that each school has put into their Titanic-themed models. The variety of the final entries is impressive, with models including Titanic Belfast, the Arrol Gantry and first class cabins amongst the recreations.
“We are delighted to support this inaugural schools competition as it allows pupils to not only learn about the environment and eco issues such as recycling and reusing material, but also to explore Northern Ireland’s industrial and maritime heritage in an exciting and creative way. Webster, our very own Port ‘Monster’ has lots of pictures of the models and interesting facts about Titanic at www.webstersay.com.”
Jonathan Hegan, Chairman of Titanic Foundation, the independent charitable Trust which owns Titanic Belfast, said:
“The originality of entries demonstrates just how much the Titanic story can be used to fire-up children’s imaginations. Titanic was the greatest engineering achievement of its era and together with the story of the people who built her and sailed on her, it’s an opportunity to challenge a new generation to be inspired by their heritage.”
Teacher Roy Wilson from Moat Primary School added:
“We are incredibly proud of our pupils for not only having the creativity to produce such a fantastic model, but also for their eagerness to learn about Titanic and its history. Winning this prize is the culmination of three months of research and hard work from the pupils, and they are so excited at the prospect of their VIP trip to Titanic Belfast.”
The other five finalist schools from across Northern Ireland were The Diamond Primary School, Cullybackey, St. Colmcille’s Primary School, Ballymena, Bridge Integrated Primary, Banbridge, St. Columba’s Primary, Draperstown and St. Joseph’s Primary, Strabane. Each finalist pupil also received a ticket to Titanic Belfast.
The new Titanic Belfast attraction explores the sights, sounds and smells of Titanic’s story from her conception in Belfast in the early 1900s, to her maiden voyage and subsequent place in history. Housed in an iconic six-floor building, nine interactive galleries use 3D technology, artefacts and rare archive footage to tell the story of the famous liner.
Titanic Belfast will also include a Learning Zone which will allow children to take part in structured educational programmes plus an Ocean Exploration Centre linked to ongoing marine research at local universities and live feeds from current explorations being carried out by Dr. Ballard who discovered Titanic in 1985.
The finalist entries can be viewed online at www.webstersays.com.
