Hermitage Academy
Encyclopedia
Hermitage Academy is a non-denominational
secondary school
located in Helensburgh
, Argyll and Bute
, Scotland
. It is one of two secondary schools within the Helensburgh area (the other being Lomond School
) and is currently the largest secondary school in Argyll and Bute. Uniquely the school catchment area straddles the Highland Boundary Fault Line and can therefore be described as both a Lowland and a Highland school. The school likes to think of itself as the latter, as seen from the numerous signs in gaelic placed throughout the school - even though no one can actually understand them.
before being relocated to the new campus
on the outskirts of the town in February 2008.
The current head teacher is Geoff Urie.
The school's motto
is Nulla Virtus Sine Labore - 'Nothing Achieved Without Hard Work'.
The current school roll is 1400 pupils and approximately 100 teaching staff.
This year (2011), 22 teaching staff retired - the largest number of staff to leave since the establishment of the new Hermitage Academy.
, drawing
, design
, sculpture
, theatre
, music
and dance
.
, football, rugby
, volleyball
, gymnastics
, lacrosse
, badminton
and ping-pong. The school competes in athletics annually with various other secondary schools at the Scotstoun Stadium
in Glasgow
.
Non-denominational Christianity
In Christianity, nondenominational institutions or churches are those not formally aligned with an established denomination, or that remain otherwise officially autonomous. This, however, does not preclude an identifiable standard among such congregations...
secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
located in Helensburgh
Helensburgh
Helensburgh is a town in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Firth of Clyde and the eastern shore of the entrance to the Gareloch....
, Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute is both one of 32 unitary council areas; and a Lieutenancy area in Scotland. The administrative centre for the council area is located in Lochgilphead.Argyll and Bute covers the second largest administrative area of any Scottish council...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is one of two secondary schools within the Helensburgh area (the other being Lomond School
Lomond School
Lomond School is an independent co-educational day and boarding school in Helensburgh, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It was formed from a merger in 1977 between Larchfield Academy and St Bride's School for Girls...
) and is currently the largest secondary school in Argyll and Bute. Uniquely the school catchment area straddles the Highland Boundary Fault Line and can therefore be described as both a Lowland and a Highland school. The school likes to think of itself as the latter, as seen from the numerous signs in gaelic placed throughout the school - even though no one can actually understand them.
History
Hermitage Academy was originally located in East Argyle Street next to the current Hermitage Primary School and later located to Campbell Drive, HelensburghHelensburgh
Helensburgh is a town in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Firth of Clyde and the eastern shore of the entrance to the Gareloch....
before being relocated to the new campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
on the outskirts of the town in February 2008.
The current head teacher is Geoff Urie.
The school's motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
is Nulla Virtus Sine Labore - 'Nothing Achieved Without Hard Work'.
The current school roll is 1400 pupils and approximately 100 teaching staff.
This year (2011), 22 teaching staff retired - the largest number of staff to leave since the establishment of the new Hermitage Academy.
Exchange Programmes
The school has two long established Exchange Programmes: The Georgia Exchange and The German Exchange. There is a possibility of a new exchange programme being introduced in partnership with a school in Tuvalu.Expressive Arts
The expressive arts are an integral part of the curricular content at the school, with choices including paintingPainting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
, design
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
, sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
, theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
and dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
.
Athletics
The school offers a range of sports and athletic activities including hockeyHockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
, football, rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
, lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
and ping-pong. The school competes in athletics annually with various other secondary schools at the Scotstoun Stadium
Scotstoun Stadium
Scotstoun Stadium is an athletics and Rugby union venue located in the West End of Glasgow. It first opened it doors to the public in 1915 and in 2008 underwent a huge renovation before reopening on 14 January 2010 by the Princess Royal. Glasgow Warriors have trained at the stadium since 2009 and...
in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
.
Notable alumni
- Hazel IrvineHazel IrvineHazel Irvine , is a television presenter from the United Kingdom.- Life and career :Educated at Hermitage Academy in Helensburgh, she achieved an M.A. in History of Art at the University of St. Andrews, and competed in golf, netball and athletics at university level. In her final year she was...
- BBC Sports Presenter and Journalist - Ciaron Kelly - British actor, most noted in Stone of Destiny (film)Stone of Destiny (film)Stone of Destiny is a 2008 British-Canadian adventure/comedy film directed by Charles Martin Smith. It stars Charlie Cox, Billy Boyd, Robert Carlyle, Kate Mara and Brenda Fricker....
- Stephen Park OBE - Olympic Sailor
- Christopher PizzeyChristopher PizzeyChristopher Pizzey is a British actor. He is best known for playing Stephen on the Children's BBC series The Basil Brush Show from 2002-2006.- Career :...
- British actor, most noted in Basil Brush Show - Richard Tait - Creator of CraniumCranium (board game)Cranium is a party board game based on Ludo. Whit Alexander and Richard Tait created Cranium in 1998 after Richard spent a weekend playing games with another family and recognized the need for a game involving a variety of skills. He left his job at Microsoft, convincing friend and co-worker Whit...
- Ross KingRoss KingRoss King may refer to:* Ross King , Canadian author* Ross King , Canadian gold medal winning goaltender at the 1948 Winter Olympics* Ross King , British television presenter...
- Seen daily on ITV morning shows "Daybreak" and "Lorraine" as their Los Angeles Correspondent
External links
- http://www.hermitageacademy.argyll-bute.sch.uk