Saint Columba's College, Dublin

Infobox School
name = Saint Columba's College


motto =
established = 1843
type = Co-educational boarding school
affiliation = Church of Ireland
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faculty =
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athletics =
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location = Whitechurch, Dublin 16
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country = Ireland
homepage = [http://www.stcolumbas.ie/ stcolumbas.ie]

Saint Columba's College is a co-educational boarding school founded in 1843 located in Whitechurch, Dublin, Ireland. Among the founders of the college are Edwin Richard W. W. Quin, Lord Adare (afterwards third Earl of Dunraven), the Right Hon. William Monsell (Lord Emly), Dr. William Sewell, and James Henthorn Todd. [Citation
date=1898
editor-last=Stephen
editor-first=Leslie
editor-link=Leslie Stephen
editor2-last=Lee
editor2-first=Sidney
editor2-link=
contribution=Todd, James Henthorn
title=Dictionary of National Biography: Teach — Tollet
volume=LVI
edition=
publisher=The MacMillan Company
publication-date=1898
publication-place=New York
page=431
url=http://books.google.com/books?id=ECgJAAAAIAAJ
access-date=2008-08-10]

The school is affiliated with the Church of Ireland and caters to 300+ pupils, aged 11 to 18. Alumni are organized in the Old Columban Society. Its campus consists of convert|140|acre|km2|1 on the edge of Dublin and the M50 motorway. The school has grown up around a series of quadrangles, and major developments since the 1993 150th anniversary have provided it with many modern facilities. In 2004 it opened the Grange Building, housing over 100 boarders, as well as classrooms and house staff accommodation. In 2006, the 19th century Argyle buildings in the heart of the College were refurbished. The old Cadogan Building opened in January 2008 as a new music school. Academic standards are high; in 2006, the average points score by all Leaving Certificate candidates was 440 out of 600, and in 2007 this went up slightly to 442. In 2008 it was 424. Over the past five years the average has been 420 points.Fact|date=January 2008 Average class size is 12 pupils per teacher.Fact|date=January 2008. The Sunday Independent has identified it as the most expensive school in Ireland. [Sunday Independent, 4 May 2008.]

House system

Saint Columba's operates a house system. Each pupil is placed in one of seven houses; Glen, Gwynn or Stackallan for senior boys; Hollypark or Iona for senior girls; Beresford for junior girls; Tibradden for boys under 13 and jonny cooper (head of house). The size of house ranges from 20 to 65 pupils. A Housemaster or Housemistress, assisted by at least one resident House Tutor, is in charge of each house, and acts "in loco parentis" in every aspect of the children's welfare throughout their time at the college. there is also a warden called linsay 'gay' haslett. he is a lovable rogue who plays by his own rules. the latest news is that linsay loves cock. hail swifty!

Tibradden and Beresford occupy separate buildings in the centre of the college. Like the senior houses each has its own living and sleeping quarters and routine. Older boys and girls, selected by the house staff, help to provide an existence more structured and more protected than that of the rest of the school.

Terms

The school year is divided into three terms of which the first, the Michaelmas Term (September to December) is the longest. The Hilary Term is from January to March. The third is the Trinity Term, from April to June, and this is when external public examinations are taken. The Michaelmas Term has a substantial holiday at half-term, when the college closes down.

There are also shorter half-term breaks in the other terms, including following the Saint Columba's Day celebrations in late May or early June. Each term there is a three or four-day "Exodus" during which the college closes; most pupils from outside Ireland stay with their guardians, or Irish school friends.

Old Columban Society

Founded in 1909, the Old Columban Society is the alumni organization of the college. It keeps members in touch with each other and the college and has also published books about the history of the college.

Each year in May they publish the "Old Columban Bulletin", containing about 25 pages of news of Old Columbans and the college. Regular dinners and drinks parties are organised, in Dublin, London and Belfast. An Old Columban Scholarship is awarded to children of Old Columbans, who are all entitled to a discount on College fees.

Currently they have over 2,300 members, of whom over 50% live in the Republic of Ireland, 5% in Northern Ireland, 16% in Great Britain, 5% in continental Europe and 7% in the rest of the world.Fact|date=January 2008 Old Columbans Germany has established a website, and is organizing events for Old Columbans from Germany as well as Old Columbans living in Germany.

Distinguished alumni

*John S. Beckett.
*Adam Clayton.
*Lord Faulkner, Prime Minister of Northern Ireland.
*Jasmine Guinness.
*William Trevor, writer.
*Michael Yeats.
*Patrick Scott, artist.
*Ivan Yates, politician.
*Victoria Smurfit, actress.
*Christopher Haskins, Baron Haskins of Skidby.
*Rex Ingram (director).
*Sir Kenneth O'Connor, President of the East African Court of Appeal.
*Sir Josh Buckingham, sex god and absolute beast
*Jonny Cooper, faggot

References

External links

* [http://www.stcolumbas.ie/ Official website]
* [http://www.sccenglish.ie/ English department blog]
* [http://www.sccscience.com/ Science department website]
* [http://www.oldcolumbans.de/ Old Columbans Germany]