Wallace High School (Northern Ireland)

Wallace High School is a co-educational voluntary grammar school situated in Lisburn, Northern Ireland.

It was founded in Lisburn in 1880 by a bequest from the estate of Sir Richard Wallace, local landowner and MP, as the Lisburn Intermediate and University School on a site fronting the Antrim Road. A board of trustees took charge in 1900 to oversee the development of the growing school and, when they renamed it in 1942 in memory of its founder, they adopted the word "Esperance" as the school's motto from the Wallace coat of arms.

The post-war years witnessed rapid growth in pupil numbers and consequent accommodation provision. Land was purchased at Clonevin Park, initially for playing fields, and when the Antrim Road site proved inadequate, the decision was taken to build a new school in these extensive grounds.

Pupils and staff moved to the new building in 1976, and a programme of continuing development has ensured that the school still provides well resourced teaching areas and excellent sports facilities for some 1160 pupils in the grammar school and 200 in the preparatory department.

Consistently among the strongest grammar schools academically, it is noted for men's hockey. It has recently enjoyed strong performances in the Ulster Rugby Schools Cup, reaching the final in 1989, 1994, 2003, and 2007. Also in rugby, they won the second's Cup in 2007, defeating Campbell College 9-5 in the final. and previously the third's cup, beating Methodist College Belfast in the final. Wallace has also had regular sporting success in badminton, cricket and netball.

Only a very small minority of pupils hail from the Catholic or Irish Nationalist traditions. The Union Flag sometimes flies outside the school, and the British National Anthem is played at some school occasions.

The principal, Mrs Anne McBride, is rarely seen outside her office and is a very poor public speaker.

Notable alumni

*Shauna Lowry, TV Personality
*Gordon Burns, TV Quiz host
*The Rt. Hon. Brian Maginess (1901-1967), Government minister in the Stormont Parliament.
*Edwin Poots, Current minister in the Northern Ireland Executive.
*Mark Millar, Entrepreneur for an all-Ireland based engineering firm.

External links

* [http://www.wallacehigh.org School website]

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