Francis Douglas Memorial College

Infobox NZ school
name = Francis Douglas
Memorial College
badge =
motto = "Christo Duce"
'With Christ as our leader'
type = State Integrated, Single-Sex Boys, Secondary with boarding facilities (Years 7-13)
established = 1959
address = 201 Tukapa Street,
Westown,
New Plymouth,
New Zealand
principal = Br. Peter Ryan
roll = 760
decile = 8
MOE = 175
homepage = [http://www.fdmc.school.nz www.fdmc.school.nz]

Francis Douglas Memorial College (also known as FDMC) is an all-boys state integrated Catholic school located in Westown, New Plymouth, New Zealand. The college was founded in 1959 under the leadership of the De La Salle Brothers, a religious order of brothers based on the teachings of St. Jean-Baptiste de la Salle. The name of the school is dedicated to the memory of Fr. Francis Vernon Douglas, a missionary priest who was killed while doing missionary work in the Philippines during the Second World War. The school currently educates approximately 760 boys, 130 of whom are boarders. The 50th Jubilee of Francis Douglas Memorial College is to be held at Queen's Birthday Weekend, 2009.

Sporting

Francis Douglas Memorial College is known for its excellent student involvement in a wide range of sports, with 80% of students participating in at least one sporting code. This is one of the highest participation rates per capita in the Taranaki region. The most popular sport at the school is rugby union, with other notable sporting codes including cricket, basketball, soccer, and athletic events. In recent years, Francis Douglas Memorial College has developed into a strong sporting school, especially in rugby and cricket. Annually, the school plays a rugby match against rival school New Plymouth Boys' High School, this being one of the major events on the school calendar.

Colours

*First XV Rugby: red jerseys with gold trim.
*First XI Soccer: blue and red shirts.

The rugby jersey most identifiable as that of Francis Douglas Memorial College is royal blue with a thick red strip and thin gold trim strips across the chest. While this has been popularly adopted as the distinctive rugby strip of the school, it is in fact only used in lower grades of competition.

Houses

*Benildus (Green).
*La Salle (Gold).
*Loreto (Blue).
*Solomon (Red).

Notable alumni

*John Mitchell, former coach of the All Blacks, now coach of Western Force Super 14 team.
*Conrad Smith, current member of All Blacks rugby union squad.
*Patrick Gower, award-winning journalist for New Zealand Herald.

External links

* [http://www.fdmc.school.nz/ FDMC website]