Ratoath students show real 'get up and go'

A Ratoath College team was among the winners of the regional finals of the Mini Company - Get Up & Go programme for transition year students, sponsored by the ESB. Over 32 schools took part in the regional finals of the programme in the Maldron Tower Hotel, Tallaght, Dublin. Ratoath College's 'Ratoath Christmas Village' which saw the students create and manage a Christmas village for primary school students, won first prize in the sustainability category. The Ratoath students also picked up a trophy for their business presentation. The students are now busy preparing for the national finals which take place on 4th May.  Mini-company managing director Conor Hughes said: "It was a great day for us to be recognised as leading the way in enterprise. We worked hard and it is nice to be rewarded in such a big way." This honour is Ratoath College's first ever enterprise award and it is all the more commendable coming as it does at the first time of asking.  Enterprise teacher, David Walsh, said the students worked extremely hard and this award is a great honour for them and the school. "What started as a small idea became, for many, what will be remembered as the highlight of their transition year. Congratulations to all the students who fully deserve the credit for a job well done." The Ratoath students are currently working on their next big project. They have created an online learning resource for exam students. Their free website is www.mystudymate.ie and it is jam-packed with lesson videos presented by students from Ratoath College and beyond. Transition year student and web design team member, Laura Gribben, said: "The great thing about mystudymate.ie is that it is completely free to all students and it is created by students for students."  The website will be launched nationally after the Easter school holidays and it is hoped that schools from all over Ireland will join the initiative and help to build this revision video online library. The project has received widespread acclaim and has been selected to represent Ireland at the upcoming Innovative Teaching Forum, taking place in Berlin during the last week of March and they look forward to representing County Meath VEC and Ratoath College at this event. The Mini Company - Get Up & Go programme is designed to promote an understanding and appreciation among transition year students of how business works. Each class and teacher became involved in setting up a company, including all the roles associated with running a business, selling shares, generating capital, offering a service or producing a product, operating the company, and at the year end each company will be wound up. A category incorporating sustainability, energy efficiency, green issues, recycling was included as part of the programme this year. Students learned through group work, roleplay and teamwork and were introduced to the skills required in business in a modern economy. As part of the mini-company programme, students filled many key roles associated with running a business such as managing director, financial controller and accounts manager. Each projects was adjudicated on marketing, accounts, quality of product, sustainability/ environment, originality and stand presentation.