Ms Sarah Cullen’s class in St Joseph’s National School. Pic: Jim Campbell

HISTORY HAS been made in two local national schools after they became mixed schools for the first time.

St. Joseph’s Girls’ School and Michael Street Boys’ School reconvened last week after the summer break.

However, while the schools had been all-girls and all-boys, respectively, up to now they each welcomed pupils of both genders through their doors last week.

The schools are part of the amalgamated group, along with the CBS, whose pupils will enter into the new state-of-the-art primary school complex which is due to open in the town before Christmas.

As part of the amalgamation process the older pupils from the CBS were integrated into St. Joseph’s while the two junior classes are being catered for in Michael Street school.

It’s hoped that by integrating the pupils into the mixed classroom setting now it will make the transition into the new, much larger school complex, easier when it happens.