A SCHOOL-run business that encourages people to put away their mobile phones and talk to each other has won a top award.
St Mary's PS, Lisbuoy, Carland was named Community Champions in the 2019 Junior Entrepreneur Programme (JEP).
Pupils developed the Chatterboxes product - a box of 31 cards, printed with 62 conversation starters.
JEP has given more than 67,000 primary school pupils across Ireland the opportunity to experience practical, real-life business learning as part of their formative education.
Running over a 12 to 16 week period during the school year, JEP nurtures creativity, independence and problem-solving among pupils of all abilities, with every aspect of the programme blending into the curriculum.
Under their teacher's guidance, pupils choose, invest in and produce their own product or service from scratch, all the way to making it available for sale at a school-hosted JEP showcase day.
The Co Tyrone school was praised for showing "passion, drive and commitment to bring a business to fruition".
Chatterboxes was seen as a clear winner, owing to its relevance and appeal to all ages.
One of the P7s behind it said: "We saw an increasing problem of phones and tablets being overused in our homes and when we were out and about. People can no longer talk to each other. We decided to design conversation cards - to bring the art of conversation back.
"The conversation cards were a lot of fun to make, we had a great time testing them out and deciding on our favourites. I think they will be great fun around the dinner table or if you were out in a restaurant, instead of sitting on a phone or device. They will definitely bring a smile to your face."
Principal Martina Martin said winning a national prize was a huge achievement.
"Great credit is due to the P7 class and their teacher Cathryn Girvan for all their hard work with the Junior Entrepreneur Programme. The whole process was a wonderful experience for the children in how to develop a business empowering young people to turn ideas into reality."
