Three students from Deele College are celebrating national success this week after they came first place in the Foroige Youth Entrepreneurship Programme in Dublin on Thursday afternoon.
The three girls, Ellie Barron, Saffron Porter and Stephanie Harper are Transition Year students in the school and their product ‘Clean Guard’ beat off stiff competition from students from across the country to take the top prize.
The girls will now go on to Barcelona to represent Ireland at the European stage of the competition.
They say that simplicity is the trademark of genius and that adage certainly rings true for the girls, who have come up with a simple, yet an ingenious way for athletes to keep their mouth guards or gum shields clean and free from bacteria.
Through their involvement in sport and their participation in the Donegal Enterprise Board Workshop, they identified a niche in the market and a problem that needed a solution.
They created ‘Clean-Guard,’ which consists of a liquid sanitiser, a brush and a container, which doubles as both a cleaning container and a holder for taking to games or fights.
The product works in fifteen minutes and leaves the mouth-guard fresh and ready to use for the next outing.
Ellie Barron, Saffron Porter and Stephanie Harper took the top spot at the Foroige Youth Entrepreneurship Programme.
The feedback that the girls have received has been phenomenal, with boxing sensation, Jason Quigley giving his seal of approval, just days after his last victory.
He came to the school to meet the team behind the product and gave it his seal of approval.
“After my last fight, I fired the mouth-guard into my bag and it was covered in blood. I took it out two days later and had to spend ages cleaning it with boiling water and a toothbrush.
“It would have been great to have a cleaning product for the gum-shield and I will be using ‘Clean-Guard’ from now on so well done to the girls for creating something that we, as athletes, need.”
There were buoyant scenes in the school on Thursday afternoon, when word filtered back that the team had won the overall prize and a trip to Barcelona in September.
The girls were inundated with congratulatory messages, one of which came from the current Minister for Education, Joe McHugh, who congratulated the girls on their creativity, initiative and marketing skills.
He highlighted the benefits of Transition Year, which allows students to take their learning outside the classroom and embrace their creativity. He also noted that the girls have the ability to take this product further.
School principal, Mr Joe Boyle, was understandably delighted with the girls’ achievement and he says that it was a proud day for both the school and for the families of those involved.
“I can’t emphasise the gravity of what the girls have done in winning a national competition which pitted them against the very best in the country.
I’d like to say well done to the girls and indeed their families, who have supported them throughout this competition.
“I would also like to pay a special mention to their teacher, Ms Orla Gallagher, who has worked night and day to help the girls.
“I would also like to show my appreciation to Liam Porter, who is not only a past student of the school but a big supporter of everything we do here at Deele College.
“Liam has been an invaluable asset to the team throughout. I would also like to thank all those was assisted the girls in any way for the competition.
“On Monday, we have one of the highlights of the school calendar, which is our annual prize-giving and the girls will undoubtedly be honoured for their hard work and success on the day.
“We are delighted that Education Minister, Joe McHugh TD will be here to join us for this celebration.”
