Nenagh school strikes gold!
St Mary’s recognised for STEM achievements
On June 13, 2025, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless, announced that St Mary’s Primary School, Nenagh, was one of 12 primary schools across the county of Tipperary to have won a Research Ireland Curious Minds Award for 2025.
Funded by Research Ireland, this prestigious annual initiative seeks to ignite a passion for science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) in primary pupils, their families, and educators throughout Ireland.
The Research Ireland Curious Minds Awards give recognition to schools like St Mary’s Primary School for their dedication to hands-on, curiosity-driven learning in STEM disciplines. Each year, students enthusiastically delve into fascinating topics by conducting a range of practical STEM challenges. These engaging activities include design and make projects, math trails, rocket launches, explorations of school-ground biodiversity, egg drop experiments, pond construction, vegetable cultivation, marble run creations, coding initiatives, and applying STEM principles to solve real-world problems.
Announcing the 2025 Curious Minds Awards, Minister Lawless said: “I’m proud to announce the 2025 Research Ireland Curious Minds Awards, recognising the outstanding efforts of 397 schools across the country. Seeing so many students and schools dedicate themselves to learning and fostering a love for science, technology, engineering, and maths is a testament to the incredible work happening in classrooms across Ireland.
“These awards celebrate the spirit of curiosity, creativity, and discovery that programmes like Curious Minds ignite in young minds.
“Strengthening STEM skills from an early age is essential to empowering our children to shape the world around them as innovators, problem-solvers, and leaders. Initiatives like this help equip the next generation with the tools to thrive in a rapidly changing world. My sincere congratulations to all the students, teachers, and schools involved for your inspiring commitment.”
To mark the school’s Gold Award and to celebrate the awardees, Sixth Class pupils from St Mary’s attended a virtual Research Ireland Curious Minds Awards Ceremony, hosted by TV presenters Gráinne Bleasdale and Phil Smyth.