There was jubilation at St. Mary’s Secondary School Charleville when first year students, Mary O’Leary, Eva Fitzgibbon and Ciara Litchfield took the top prize in the Junior Category at the national schools enterprise final for their mini-company ‘Bring a Fairy Home’ at this year’s Student Enterprise Awards finals, which are organised by the Local Enterprise Offices nationwide. In doing so the St. Mary’s girls created their own piece of schools enterprise history for they are the first school team representing the Cork North Local Enterprise Office in Mallow to win a national title in the 13 year history of the student enterprise awards.

Co-ordinated by all 31 Local Enterprise Offices across Ireland the 13th annual Student Enterprise Awards National Final in Croke Park saw 300 student entrepreneurs showcase 74 different businesses, across Junior, Intermediate and Senior Categories. Some 17,000 students participate in the programme every year, which also awards for innovation, best display, intellectual property awareness and social media, as part of the €10,000 prize fund.  The awards was presented to the three students by Mr. Damien English, T.D. Minister for Skills, Research and Innovation, who said that it was important to develop the link between the education system the real economy, so that school leavers are equipped with the skills, expertise and practical knowledge of business operations that will enable them to consider self-employment as a career option. Ms Joan Kelleher, Business Adviser of the Cork North Local Enterprise Office in Mallow was also delighted with the success of the Charleville school girls. “This is the first time that the Cork North Enterprise Office had a winning school in the national competition and I and all concerned at the office in Mallow congratulate the St. Mary’s girls on their wonderful victory. They have done their school, the local enterprise office and Charleville proud and I hope they continue to achieve into the future,” she said.

The Bring a Fairy Home concept was developed by the three girls based on the idea of the lore that when a child’s tooth falls out they leave it for the tooth fairy, who in turn leaves money in its place. However they developed this by adding a dental hygiene message for the children and also encouraged them to communicate by writing their letter to the tooth fairy. The team also manufactured the fairy home from the concept, design and manufacture stages as well as sales and marketing. The seven steps involved in producing the fairy homes are explained in a two and a half minute video which the girls have posted on line. In the film each girl has a specific job to do in the production process. Mary O’Leary cuts out the fairy home in the shape of a tooth and door with a jig-saw and she is also in charge of financial matters. Eva Fitzgibbon is responsible for creativity and design and also doubles as secretary manager of the mini-company, while Ciara Litchfield is the researcher who contacted the children aged from 3 to 10 years in their target market and is also the development officer for the product. The girls’ project was overseen at St. Mary’s by teachers Ann Doherty and Gerard O’Donovan, who were delighted at the success of the girls in the nationwide competition. St. Mary’s Secondary School Charleville had ten mini-companies entered in the regional final organised by the Cork North Local Enterprise Office and which was held in Corrin, Fermoy last month.