Educate Together is delighted to announce Mary McDowell as newly-appointed Principal of Leixlip Educate Together National School, opening in August.
Mary is a graduate of Hibernia College and Trinity College Dublin. She has an extensive background in education which includes ten years experience as principal of Staplestown NS in Donadea. Mary had previously been teaching in that school since 2006 and has also taught in Scoil Uí Riada in Kilcock.
Prior to teaching she worked with The Irish Times in the Education Section collaborating with schools and colleges in the coordination of educational conferences and events.
Since graduating from Trinity College Dublin in 2015 with a Master’s in Education, Mary has worked as a part-time lecturer and supervisor on their M.Ed programme – supervising, lecturing and facilitating workshops for primary and secondary teachers in areas of conflict management and resolution, mediation skills and cooperative learning.
Mary’s specialist area is Cooperative Learning in which she is a skilled and experienced practitioner. This child-centred pedagogical approach promotes positive outcomes in terms of learning achievement, social and prosocial skills. It creates a learning community that values diversity and the unique contribution of every learner and places the child at the centre of the learning process.
Mary is a trained mentor with the Centre of School Leadership of Ireland, and as a Cara supports fellow school leaders in their mentoring of newly appointed principals. She has also written a textbook for primary school and has a keen interest in environmental and ethical issues.
Says Mary:
‘I am very excited at the prospect of leading and developing Leixlip Educate Together National School. I am an ardent advocate of the Educate Together philosophy and look forward to working with the parents and community of Leixlip to help foster an equality-based child-centred learning environment where each and every child is enabled to reach their full potential.’
Says Jennifer Buttner, school manager, Leixlip ETNS:
‘Mary’s expertise in child-centred approaches to learning and her experience on the Executive Committee of North Kildare Educate Together School in its early days make her a fantastic fit as the founding Principal of Leixlip ETNS. On behalf of Educate Together and the Leixlip ETNS school community I would like to warmly welcome her.’
Leixlip ETNS opens as a result of an online survey run by the Department of Education and Skills that established Educate Together as the preferred patron of families in the town. The school will open in temporary accommodation at the Leixlip Amenities Centre.