Saint Ignatius Gymnasium (St. Ignatiusgymnasium) is one of the five categorial gymnasia

Gymnasium (school)

A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...

 (a type of school) in Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

, Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

. With the Vossius Gymnasium

Vossius Gymnasium

Vossius Gymnasium is one of the five categorial gymnasia in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, the other being Barlaeus Gymnasium, Ignatius Gymnasium, Cygnus Gymnasium and Het 4e Gymnasium. It is named after Gerardus Joannes Ernie Vossius, and was established in 1926....

 and the Barlaeus Gymnasium

Barlaeus Gymnasium

The Barlaeus Gymnasium is a well-known secondary school in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. It is one of the five categorial gymnasia in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, the other four being Vossius Gymnasium, Ignatius Gymnasium, Het 4e gymnasium and Cygnus Gymnasium...

, it is among the most prestigious schools in Amsterdam. Ignatius is located in the Jan van Eijckstraat in the affluent 'Old South

Amsterdam Oud-Zuid

Oud-Zuid is a neighborhood and a former borough of Amsterdam. It was formed in 1998 by merging the former boroughs of Zuid and De Pijp. In 2010 the borough was merged with Zuideramstel to form the borough Amsterdam-Zuid. On January 1st 2005 the borough had a population of 83,696...

' district of Amsterdam.

It is one of the few Catholic

Catholicism

Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....

 gymnasiums in the Netherlands, founded in 1895. Originally a Jesuit-run school, it is named after the founder of the Jesuit Order Ignatius of Loyola

Ignatius of Loyola

Ignatius of Loyola was a Spanish knight from a Basque noble family, hermit, priest since 1537, and theologian, who founded the Society of Jesus and was its first Superior General. Ignatius emerged as a religious leader during the Counter-Reformation...

. The school is fairly small and has a student population of about 700 with 70 staff.

According to the Dutch Education Inspectorate, the Ignatius Gymnasium is as a very good school across the board. In the first three years, 2% has to repeat a class while 76% of the survivors passes their exams at once with an average grade of 6.9. All this is considered to be better than average. The Dutch magazine Elsevier

Elsevier

Elsevier is a publishing company which publishes medical and scientific literature. It is a part of the Reed Elsevier group. Based in Amsterdam, the company has operations in the United Kingdom, USA and elsewhere....

 chooses se the Ignatius Gymnasium for several years as one of the best schools in the Netherlands. The school was elected as the best school in the province of North Holland

North Holland

North Holland |West Frisian]]: Noard-Holland) is a province situated on the North Sea in the northwest part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is Haarlem and its largest city is Amsterdam.-Geography:...

 in 2004. In 2010, Elsevier placed the school alongside ‘The winners of 2010, least repeaters and best exam results’.

The school newspaper is called De Harpoen.

Notable old-Ignatians include beer magnate Henry Pierre Heineken from the company Heineken

Heineken

Heineken is a Dutch beer which has been brewed by Heineken International since 1873. It is available in a 4.6% alcohol variety in countries such as Ireland. It is the flagship product of the Heineken company and is made of purified water, malted barley, hops, and yeast. In 1886 H...

, television personality Ivo Niehe

Ivo Niehe

Ivo Johannes Ignatius Niehe OON is a Dutch radio and television presenter, television producer and actor.Niehe was born in Amsterdam in 1946 he studied French at the University of Amsterdam and received his MA in French Language and Literature in 1973...

, Paul Josef Crutzen, a Nobel Prize

Nobel Prize

The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...

 winner, André van Stigt, an architect, journalist Haye Thomas, Gerard van Westerloo, editor of De Groene Amsterdammer

De Groene Amsterdammer

De Groene Amsterdammer is an independent Dutch weekly newsmagazine published in Amsterdam and distributed throughout the Netherlands. It is conventionally considered to be one of the four most influential written media in its sector, along with HP/De Tijd, Vrij Nederland and Elsevier.- History and...

, Olympic Rower and Dutch Ambassador in India Eric Niehe, Bernard Delfgaauw

Bernard Delfgaauw

Bernardus Maria Ignatius "Bernard" Delfgaauw was a Dutch philosopher.He studied Dutch language, history, philosophy, and Hebrew language at the University of Amsterdam....

, professor of Philosophy at the University of Groningen

University of Groningen

The University of Groningen , located in the city of Groningen, was founded in 1614. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands as well as one of its largest. Since its inception more than 100,000 students have graduated...

, former Minister of Social Affairs Charles van Rooy

Charles van Rooy

Dr. Charles Joan Marie Adriaan van Rooy had a political career as a mayor of various cities, minister and governor...

, Piet Steenkamp

Piet Steenkamp

Petrus Antonius Josephus Maria Steenkamp is a Dutch politician.He is a member of the CDA. He played an important role in the formation of the party and is therefore referred to as the father of the CDA. He was president of the Dutch Senate from 1983 to 1991. He was succeeded by Herman Tjeenk...

, founder of the CDA

CDA

-Associations:*Club de Deportes Antofagasta, is a Chilean football club based in the city of Antofagasta.*Chinese Daoist Association-Industry Organisations:*Canadian Dental Association, an association of dentists in Canada*Canadian Dinghy Association...

, Rad Kortenhorst, former president of the House of Representatives, Bernard Wientjes, chairman of the employers' organization VNO-NCW

VNO-NCW

VNO-NCW is a Dutch employers' federation.-History:VNO-NCW was founded in 1996 as fusion of the Christian-democratic Nederlands Christelijk Werkgeversverbond , which was founded as fusion of the Protestant PCW and the Catholic NKW, and the liberal Verbond van Nederlandse Ondernemingen...

 and Bertus Aafjes

Bertus Aafjes

' , known as ', was a Dutch poet whose work is marked by his devout Catholicism. was born in Amsterdam. He wrote poems on the resistance to the German occupation during the World War II...

, a writer, as well as Jaap de Hoop Scheffer

Jaap de Hoop Scheffer

Jakob Gijsbert "Jaap" de Hoop Scheffer is a retired Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal . He served as the 11th Secretary General of NATO from January 5, 2004 until August 1, 2009....

 and Joseph Luns

Joseph Luns

Joseph Marie Antoine Hubert Luns was a Dutch politician and diplomat of the defunct Catholic People's Party now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal . He was the longest-serving Minister of Foreign Affairs from September 2, 1952 until July 6, 1971...

, both Secretaries-General of NATO.

External links

Ignatius Gymnasium