St Mary's PS in Mullaghabawn may be a small rural school, but has world aspirations.
Nestled under the shadow of Slieve Gullion, the school is going global by working with schools in Europe and China.
It was awarded almost £80,000 under the Erasmus+ scheme, the EU's flagship programme for education, training, youth and sport.
Managed by the British Council and Ecorys UK, it helps the Co Armagh school work with five European countries on two complementing projects. They aim to promote IT skills, environmental awareness, a second language and a happier work environment.
The first, Dissolving European Boundaries, involves using an online platform in which schools focus on environmental, culture and language matters. Pupils have been designing logos, using iPads for digital storytelling and creating eco warrior mascots. This project will cumulate with a virtual learning platform, which will provide a safe environment for staff and pupils.
The school also received funding to allow teachers to visit other educational settings across Europe and attend international training courses. So far the teachers have met in Mullaghbawn, the Basque country, and most recently, in Finland.
School Erasmus+ coordinator Ciara Crawley said the funding would help pupils and teachers in insurmountable ways.
"Through the project we hope to open our pupils' minds so that they are not afraid to travel in later life, while also helping them acquire a second language. Even the younger pupils know what Erasmus+ is, and we can see that they're already making new friends and connections," she said.
St Mary's is also leading a cluster of 10 schools in Northern Ireland who are forming links in China through the British Council's Connecting Classroom's programme.
"This is great for us as a school as we're used to working with schools outside of Northern Ireland but not with ones in our own backyard - it's wonderful to have a chance to collaborate like this. Working with schools in China will also be amazing and it will complement the Mandarin classes that we already have in place here," Ms Crawley added.
