A North Belfast school principal has been recognised on The Sunday Times' list honouring the unsung heroes across the UK for 2022.
Kevin McArevey, headmaster of Holy Cross Boys Primary School in Ardoyne, is the only person from Northern Ireland to be named in The Sunday Times' Alternative Honour list this year.
The list contains "remarkable stories of heroism, bravery and selflessness" that The Times and its readers think are worthy of recognition but unfortunately may not be found on the New Year's Honours List.
Read more: Documentary film on Belfast primary school gaining BAFTA interest
Kevin McArevey has been praised for his alternative philosophy lessons and for changing the narrative of what is taught in his school. His teachings have been the focus of a documentary film called Young Plato.
The documentary sees students replace physical conflict with intellectual debate and apply the influence of philosophers to playground fistfights, illness, and parental disharmony.
The Times said: "In a neighbourhood that has one of the highest suicide rates for boys and young men in Europe, Kevin McArevey, the head teacher of Holy Cross Boys Primary School in Belfast, is deterring his pupils from drugs and violence with philosophy lessons on Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.
"McArevey, 53, who has had to deal with two bombs near the school in recent years, has boosted pupils’ exam scores, changed their attitudes to playground fights and challenged the prejudices that still linger in the city.
"He is the subject of Young Plato , a fly-on-the-wall documentary about McArevey’s work filmed inside Holy Cross boys school, which has been entered for the Baftas and Oscars."
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