Coole National School

Coole National School is a prominent Roman Catholic-run school for boys and girls in the parish of Summerhill. The school is governed by a board of management. In recent years the school has attracted children from even as far as Kilcock.
History
Coole National school was built in 1956 to replace Gallow National School. The present hall in the church yard was where Gallow National School was located. Gallow National school had two rooms, initially one for boys and one for girls. In 1885 the classes were mixed. From April 1923 onwards the names were entered in the roll book in irish. At recreation times, the children played in the woods which then covered the area of the present graveyard and also in the site where the present school sits. There was a fireplace in each of the two rooms of Gallow N.S. and latrines at the back of the school served as toilet facilities.
Records in the National Archives suggest that Gallow N.S. was established about 1852 and that the school was taken under control of the National Education Board on 29 December 1854. Prior to the establishment of the school in the Church yard, a school was located in Garadice but precisely where nobody knows. Possibly it was in the house called “The Hall”, opposite O’Connor’s house at Garadice cross. The basis fot this speculation is the fact that this building was the teacher’s residence in 1908 when Mrs Murrin came to teach in Gallow school.
Coole National School was first a held in a house in 1824. In 1854 Father Colgan applied to have the school at Garadice taken under the Board. He stated that it was his intention to build a more commodious house, but he could not get a site. The Landlords of that time valued their land very much and could not spare any for a school.
Father Colgan two years later in 1856, to say he had built a school in the chapel yard as Mr. Pratt Winter, Landlord, could not spare any land for it. The school was a two roomed slated building. It served the children of the parish for over 100 years. It became a mixed school in 1885.
In 1956 the Board of Works built a three roomed school, with a third of the bill paid by the parishioners. It was officially opened by The Reverend, Father Michael Moore P.P.
The school got an extension in 2007 of 3 new rooms, a sports hall and the renovation of the older building, with most of the bill paid by parishioners with fundraising. The extension was opened by The Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey, T.D. and was blessed by The Revered, Father T.P. Gavin P.P. of Summerhill.
Notable People
* Mick Lyons
* Barry Dardis
* Conor Gillespie
Green Schools
Coole National School has recently got there first green flag. There are 7 steps every school need to complete in order to apply for Green Schools status. They are:
* 1)Green Schools Committee
* 2)Environmental Review
* 3)Action Plan
* 4)Monitoring and Evaluation
* 5)Curriculum Work
* 6)Informing and Involving
* 7)Green Code

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