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St Aloysius' College, Glasgow

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St. Aloysius' College
File:St.alsEagle.gif
Location
Map
Glasgow

Scotland
Information
TypeIndependent school
MottoAd majora natus sum - Latin
(I was born for greater things)
Established1859
Head teacherJohn Stoer
FacultyMathematics, Science and Technology
Languages and Arts
Humanities
GradesScottish Qualifications Certificate
Intermediate 2
Higher
Advanced Higher
Number of students567 (Junior School)
1,276 (Senior School)
CampusGarnethill
Colour(s)Myrtle and Gold
NewspaperThe Eagle Eye
The Goldfish Bowl
WebsiteOfficial Website

St. Aloysius' College is a selective fee-paying independent Jesuit school in Glasgow, Scotland. It was founded in 1859, and named after the famous Jesuit, St. Aloysius Gonzaga. Its strong Jesuit ethos emphasises practice of the Roman Catholic faith both in the church and in the community, with many charitable and community-based groups in the school.

St. Aloysius' College is a co-educational school with a kindergarten, junior school and senior school. There are four houses: Campion, Loyola, Ogilvie and Xavier, named after Jesuit saints.

The College motto is Ad majora natus sum, which means "I was born for greater things". As in many Jesuit schools, pupils are instructed to inscribe AMDG (Ad majorem Dei gloriam - "to the greater glory of God") on all work. The school emblem is an eagle, and the school song is Eia Deo Accinamus.

History

The school was originally established at Charlotte Street, near Glasgow Green, in the East End of Glasgow. Here lived the city's largely migrant Catholic community from Ireland and the Highlands, which the school was intended to accommodate. Since 1866 the College's main campus has been situated in Garnethill on the north side of Glasgow city centre, adjacent to the Glasgow School of Art. Notable buildings include the original grade-B listed Italianate Chandlery Building, including the administration block, library and refectory. Its 1908 and 1926 extentions are known collectively as The Hanson Building and accommodate classrooms for languages and the humanities as well as the school chapel and gymnasium. The Mount Building, which originally housed the city's first Royal Hospital for Sick Children from 1882, and until recently housed the junior school, today houses music, art and drama and the kindergarten. More modern additions include the Clavius Building housing the Mathematics, Science and Technology faculty and the Junior School Building, both of which have won RIBA architectural awards[1], and have been identified as amongst the best modern Scottish buildings. The school is associated with the nearby Jesuit church of St Aloysius, which was opened in 1910 and modelled on the Church of the Gesù in Rome.

  • The current Headmaster is Mr John Stoer, the first lay headmaster ever.
  • The current Depute Headmaster is Mr Ronald Renton, who is due to retire at the end of the current academic year. His successor is yet to be decided.
  • The current Assistant Headmaster is Mr Philip Crampsey.

Social activity

The school usually takes part in the annual Doors Open Day. This takes place in September, and on 15th September 2007, its doors were open to the public from 10am - 4pm.

St. Aloysius' College also has various established charities including supporting Marie Curie, SCIAF, Justice and Peace, Children's Fund and Fairtrade, as well as being affiliated with a sister school in Kibeira, Kenya.

The pupil magazine "The Goldfish Bowl" recently restarted after a hiatus of several years.

Uniform

The School uniform consists of a myrtle green woolen blazer with gold trim and emblazoned with the school emblem. Girls wear a grey knee-length skirt and stockings or black tights while boys wear grey trousers. Both genders wear a white shirt, house tie, grey pullover in the case of sixth year a myrtle colored pullover and polished black shoes.

Houses

A house system was established by headmaster Fr Adrian Porter in 1997. The four houses, named after notable Jesuit saints, compete against each other in events including rugby, hockey, athletics, inter-house debating and a quiz. Each house also has a housemaster and a colour:

  • John Ogilvie- Housemaster: Mr Michael O'Duffin - Colour: Green

Chaplaincy

  • Junior School Chaplain- Fr Peter Granger-Banyard SJ
  • Senoir School Chaplain- Fr Gerry Gallen SJ
  • Fr Simon Bishop SJ (to leave in June 2008)

Sport

Boys play rugby from primary four to second year when they are allowed to choose whether to continue or not. The girls play hockey in the same time frame. The College's playing fields are located at Millerston.

In 2005, the school produced its first competitive football side in 50 years. This was larely due to growing pressure from pupils and many members of staff. Coached by Paul Kinnaird, the team enjoyed a reasonably successful first year, reaching the semi-final of the Scottish Independent Schools Cup.

There has also been a football team made out of Primary 7 boys to represent the college at St.Joseph's Football Festival which was hosted at Williamwood High School on 23rd June 2007 which they went on to win, winning all their games and beating St.Cadoc's Primary School 5-2 in the final.

The school has intended to sell the Millerston grounds for several years and subsequently intends to build a sports centre on the current Junior School playground or to buy a former public park for rugby and hockey use.

Retreats

Three residential retreats take place in the senior school:[citation needed]

  • "Finding God in the Desert"- which takes place in S3
  • "Finding God in the City"- which takes place in S4
  • "Kairos"- which takes place in S5

Music, Art and Drama

The college takes pride in considering the arts key to the development of its pupils. It has a reputable music programme, consisting of the college choir, orchestra and band, and has contributed to the West of Scotland Independent Schools orchestra and wind band since their inception in 1994. Both individual music tuition and music as an academic subject are available. The school has performed many plays, recently including The Canterbury Tales and A Midsummer Night's Dream. The Winter play of 2007 was Godspell. The art department regularly organises field trips to other countries to examine locations of architectural and cultural significance. The most recent trip was to New York City. The art department organised a trip to the Andy Warhol exhibition in Edinburgh in October 2007.

Noted alumni

Media


Arts and music


Academia and medicine


Clergy


Politics and Law


Sport

References

  1. ^ "st aloysius maths building, glasgow, elder & cannon architects", glasgowarchitecture.co.uk, URL retrieved 27 September 2006

McCabe, John V. (2000). A History of St Aloysius' College 1859-1999. St Aloysius' College. p. 215. ISBN 0 9538287 0 0.

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