Teachers, pupils and parents at a Gaelscoil in the constituency of the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, are campaigning to have a seven-year-old Nigerian asylum-seeker stay in Ireland.
Bolu Onasanwu, who is a fluent Irish speaker as well as a "great" Irish dancer and tin-whistle player, has been attending Lios na nÓg primary school in Ranelagh for two of the 3½ years she has been in Ireland.
Bolu is the youngest child of a lone-parent family and has lived for part of her time in Ireland with a foster family as her mother has suffered from recurring health problems in the last year. She is currently living with her mother.
Bolu's mother moved the family to Ireland 3½ years ago, fearing that her daughters would have to endure female circumcision, a practice that is still common in parts of Nigeria.
However, the family's application for asylum has been rejected, and the move has now been directly appealed to Mr McDowell.
Children at the multi-denominational Irish-language school which Bolu attends are planning to send more than 40 individual letters to Mr McDowell. They have also circulated a petition among parents pleading that the seven-year-old be allowed to stay and continue her education.
The girl's teacher, Ms Triona Ní Mhuirheartaigh, describes Bolu as a "smart, outgoing, and very popular child".
Her life had been disrupted so much already, and she had the chance to have a proper childhood in Ireland.
Ms Ní Mhuirheartaigh said a truly intercultural model of integration in society started very early. "And it's working here." she added.
The teacher said that, with Bolu, the other children did not see the difference any more, and it was sending out a bad message that she was being sent home for no reason "except that she's different".
"There is a major increase in the numbers of foreign nationals living in the country. One negative assumption people make is that this will dilute our culture," said Ms Ní Mhuirheartaigh. "What Bolu has achieved here, I believe, demonstrates the opposite."
For Bolu to be moved now would undo so much effort and hard work that had already been put in, she added.
The school headmistress, Ms Áine Ní Shithigh Breen, said Bolu was a "wonderful addition to the school" and appealed to the Minister to reconsider the case.
She said Bolu deserved a chance to get an education "where she is known and cared for and secure".