Rathdown School
| Rathdown School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent day and boarding school |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Church of Ireland |
| Established | 1973 |
| Principal | Mr Brian Moore |
| Years offered | pre-school (age 3)-leaving cert (18 years) |
| Gender | Female |
| Houses | Hillcourt, Innismore |
| Colour(s) | Blue and green |
Rathdown School is an independent day and boarding school for girls in Glenageary, Dublin, Ireland operating under Church of Ireland management. The school provides pre-school, junior and senior level education. Located on a 16-acre site, about 12 kilometres from Dublin City Centre, Rathdown is consistently ranked among the top schools in Ireland. The school's colours are blue and green.
History
Rathdown School was founded in 1973 from an amalgamation of three schools: Park House School, The Hall School and Hillcourt School, and subsequently Glengara Park School in 1988. The School was originally on three sites in Monkstown, Glenageary and Morehampton Road in Dublin 4. In September 1974 the school became a single entity on Hillcourt's site in Glenageary (although an additional branch of the Junior School continued to operate in the Morehampton Road buildings until 1978).[1]
Rathdown Today
Rathdown has pupils from Pre-School age (3 years) to Leaving Certificate level (18 years) and offers a broad range of academic subjects in small class groups. Rathdown provides seven day boarding for girls aged 10 – 18 years old and allows the boarders the option of returning home at weekends or remaining at the school to avail of the weekend activities. The school also runs a dedicated international programme for overseas students and short-term boarding options for day pupils. Rathdown is the only school in Ireland that uses a methodology called Mind Lab to develop thinking abilities and life skills through strategy games.[2] Rathdown was the first school in Ireland where pupils used iPads in class. [3]
Charity
Rathdown students participate in An Gaisce, the National Challenge Award from the President of Ireland to young people. Annually, Rathdown sends a team of students and staff to Romania, to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity Ireland to help build houses for local families.[4]
Students Unite for Children’s Health (SUCH) was created by Rathdown pupils to raise funds for charities.[5]
Extracurricular activities
Model United Nations
For over 20 years, Rathdown School has been involved in Model United Nations (MUN), allowing the girls to build confidence in public speaking and debating as well as a lasting interest in international affairs. Rathdown was the first all-girls’ secondary school in Ireland to host an MUN Conference, RADMUN.
Sport
The school's sports facilities comprise hockey pitches, including a new, world-class, water based hockey pitch, the Merrion Fleet Arena,[6] tennis courts, outdoor basketball & netball courts, an indoor sports hall, athletics track and tartan cricket crease. The major winter sports are hockey and basketball and the major summer sports are tennis, athletics and cricket.
Notable alumni
- Anne Butler Yeats (Hillcourt), painter, costume and designer, daughter of William Butler Yeats and Georgie Hyde-Lees.
- Megan Taylor (The Hall), figure skater and youngest Winter Olympics competitor, representing GB at the age of 11 (1932).
- June Fryer (later Kuhn, Park House), Ireland's first modern dance performer.
- Jennifer Johnston (Park House), novelist.
- Camille Souter RHA (Glengara Park), artist.
- Noelle Middleton (Hillcourt), actress.
- Annette Jocelyn Otway-Ruthven (The Hall), medieval historian and one of the earliest female academics appointed at Trinity College Dublin.
- Dr Stephanie Saville (Hillcourt), anaesthetist and pioneer in palliative pain relief.
- Baroness Hanham (nee Joan Brownlow Spark, Hillcourt), CBE, Mayor of Kensington and Chelsea.
- Ruth Barton (Hillcourt), film historian, biographer and academic, head of the School of Creative Arts at Trinity College Dublin.
- Professor Gwyneth Jane Farrar, geneticist, Trinity College Dublin.
- Ruth Frances Long, (Glengara Park and Rathdown) fantasy and romance novelist.
- Alison Hackett (Glengara Park), writer.
- Rosanna Davison, (Rathdown) Miss World 2003 & daughter of Chris de Burgh.
- Tamsen McGarry, (Rathdown) Alpine skier and first woman to represent Ireland at the Winter Olympics (2002).
- Kirsten (Kirsty) McGarry, (Rathdown) Alpine skier and first woman to represent Ireland at successive Winter Olympics (2006 and 2010).
- Saskia Tidey, (Rathdown) sailor and Olympian (2016).
References
- ^ (www.rtnetworks.net), Andi Topping, RTNetworks. "Dublin and Glendalough - Anniversary Service Marks 40 Years of Rathdown School". dublin.anglican.org.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Sheila Wayman (12 April 2016). "Shrewd move: board games that prepare students for life". Irishtimes.com. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
- ^ "I think, therefore iPad - The Sunday Business Post". Sunday Business Post. 1 March 2015.
- ^ "Schools and Youth Groups - Habitat for Humanity Ireland". Habitat for Humanity.
- ^ "We're playing our part". Irish Times.
- ^ "Merrion Fleet Arena". Dublin People.