Junior Achievement Ireland, the business and economic education organisation, yesterday rewarded individuals who made contributions to bringing the business world into the classroom. Mr Donal Geaney, the chief executive of Elan and a patron, presented the awards, saying the next generation had to learn about business at an early age if an enterprise culture was to be fostered.
The event was sponsored by The Irish Times and supported by Arthur Andersen. The chairman of Junior Achievement, Mr Tony Ritchie of Smurfit, said that, in the current academic year, 10,000 schoolchildren would take part in programmes taught by 400 business volunteers.
The award winners were: Teachers: Ms Kathy Murphy, St Thomas JNS, Jobstown, Tallaght; Mr Seamus Barry, Mount Sion CBS, Barrack St, Limerick; Mr Pat Fay, St Paul's College, Raheny; Mr Dermot Reynolds, St Paul's College, Raheny; Ms Olibhe Ni Bhranoin, St Mary's GNS, Baldoyle; Ms Mary Marren, St Enda's, Whitefriar St, Dublin.
Link People: Ms Treasa Devine, Hewlett Packard; Ms Louise Murphy, Johnson & Johnson; Ms Aileen Flanagan, Dell; Mr Paul Fox, Bausch & Lomb; Mr Senan Cooke, Waterford; Ms Avril Dwyer, National Irish Bank; Mr John Mooney, Campbell Bewley; Mr Sean Murphy, Symantec; Ms Faith O'Driscoll, Smurfit Europe.
Three-year awards: Mr Ciaran Doyle, Lucent Technologies; Mr David Egan, Aon MacDonagh; Mr John Mooney, Campbell Bewley; Ms Patricia Coleman, Johnson & Johnson; Mr Mark Young, Smurfit Corrugated Cases; Mr Muirgheas Griffin, Smurfit Cartons.
Longest serving business volunteers: Mr Michael Dempsey, Baxter Healthcare; Ms Marie Pierce, 3M; Mr Eamon Burgess, 3M.
