A GREENOCK primary school has gone the extra mile to support Inverclyde’s music festival by making sure every one of its pupils plays a part in the annual event.
Every class at St Mary’s Primary has put in months of hard work to prepare for the fortnight-long gala - and their efforts have earned the school a slew of prizes.
The pupils have put their talents on display in a variety of disciplines such as country dancing, singing and poetry.
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As well as performing well in individual and duet classes, the school has also had pupils competing in larger groups, with its choir winning their category earlier this week for the second year in a row.
Head teacher Mark Deegan told the Telegraph he was proud of his pupils for getting involved in the event.
He said: “It’s been fantastic seeing everyone putting themselves forward. We’ve got every child in the school taking part in something this year, with several pupils in more than one thing.
“We’ve had lots of success so far, but probably the biggest success is actually everybody putting themselves forward. The trophies and awards that are coming back are actually a bonus on top of it.
“It makes us very proud when they come back and are happy with their achievements.
“A big shoutout has to go to the teachers for all the work they’ve put in to get them ready for it, including our singing teachers that come out.
“The music service have been a great help and our class teachers as well.”
Mr Deegan said that the school had decided to encourage as many pupils as possible to take part this year after seeing the boost it gave the youngsters who took part in the 2023 edition.
He added: “Last year we had a few groups who entered and we saw the benefit it had for them.
“Having that opportunity to perform and have a sense of achievement afterwards.
“We thought this year we wanted everyone to have that opportunity.
“These are the things people will remember as they get older, everyone can remember their time in the festival.
“The festival is something we need to support. This is its 97th year and we want to make sure it’ll always be there for everybody to have that chance to take part.
“That’s only going to happen if schools enter it.
“We’re delighted with how things have gone so far and can’t wait for what comes next.”
The festival began on Monday and continues until Saturday, February 3.
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