Green Hallowe"en fun helps fund school bus

School fundraising seems to be a sight we will see more and more in the months to come, as education spending cuts bite in every area of Athlone. Last Friday Clonbonny NS held a Hallowe"en fundraiser with a difference - students made festive costumes from recycled materials to help raise money for a school bus for pupils. Organiser and teacher Joan Donnelly sporting her very own recycled creation made from bubblewrap, ribbons and material told the Westmeath Independent that the fundraiser was to keep the private bus on the road. The bus runs from Slí an Coiste to Cornamaddy and around the town daily bringing students to Clonbonny school. 'We fundraise twice yearly for the bus, it is usually enough to keep it going. Students pay their weekly cost and then we make up the balance so it"s not a full subsidy, it"s a partial subsidy,' she said. Laughing at her outfit with accompanying bright red wig, Ms Donnelly admitted the teachers had great craic decking her out in her eco-green costume made from waste materials. And, judging from the students fantastic creations on show on the day they certainly enjoyed it too. 11-year-old Keelin Burns from Brawny said her bee costume took over a week to make but she loves art so she enjoyed the whole process. 'It"s made of old yellow sheets painted with black stripes, old black tights with wool pulled through for the hat and the wings were made from metal hangers and cling film,' she explained. Meanwhile, third class pupil Niamh Byrne from Clonbonny was resplendent as the recycling witch for the day with a cape full of rubbish that be recycled and a special banner poem written specially for the occasion. Principal Honor Reid paid tribute to the students and teachers creativity in creating the homemade masks and costumes. 'They showed a lot of invention. They did a great job and really entered in to the spirit of things,' she said, adding that it all ties in to the school having the Green Flag and their bid this year to gain an Energy Flag for energy efficiency this year.