Rush, Thursday 8th May 2025 – St. Joseph’s Secondary School came alive with colour, music, and activity on Thursday as students and staff joined together to celebrate Europe Day 2025. With a packed programme of creative events, the school marked both the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day and the upcoming 75th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration – the foundation of today’s European Union.

The day began with the enthusiastic EPAS Ambassadors preparing for the celebration – icing cakes in EU flag colours, putting up posters, setting up a scavenger hunt, and getting ready to share fun facts about the EU. By break time, the school hall was buzzing with activity, featuring a lively EU-themed bake sale and face painting.
Students enjoyed a range of engaging activities throughout the day. First years embarked on a scavenger hunt, learning fun and informative facts about the European Union. Meanwhile, teams of students distributed colourful information leaflets to the local community, sharing the significance of Europe Day.
Lunchtime turned into a mini-festival, with face painting, sweet treats, a raffle, and live music filling the hall with excitement. The "Facts on Backs" ambassadors strolled through the school, sparking conversations about Europe’s history and values in a fun and interactive way.

Later in the day, students from 1st, 2nd, and 5th years joined a spirited EU-themed Kahoot quiz, competing for prizes and showing off their knowledge about European culture, history, and institutions. The day concluded with a symbolic "EU Walking Race" along the beach, led by Ms. Irwin’s EU Studies class and the EPAS Ambassadors.
Europe Day at St. Joseph’s was not only educational, but also a vibrant celebration of unity, peace, and collaboration. Students and staff alike reflected on what it means to be part of a shared European community—and had a lot of fun in the process.
Happy Europe Day from all of us at St. Joseph’s!
Congratulations to the Transition Year students who proudly collected their European Parliament Young Ambassadors (EPAS) awards at the official ceremony in Dublin on Friday, May 9th.

As Junior Ambassadors in the European Parliament Ambassador School Programme (EPAS), these students demonstrated exceptional commitment to promoting European values, democratic participation, and awareness of the European Parliament’s role. Supported by their teachers—Senior Ambassadors Ms Irwin and Ms Moore —they engaged in a variety of enriching activities, including setting up an EU Info Point, organising Europe Day celebrations, and creating content to inform and inspire their school and wider community. They also collaborated with Members of the European Parliament and other partner schools.





. In recognition of their efforts, the school has proudly retained its status as a certified European Parliament Ambassador School. This achievement reflects not only the students’ hard work and creativity but also the school’s ongoing dedication to fostering informed, active European citizens. Well done to all involved!



