Rift Valley Academy
Encyclopedia
Rift Valley Academy is a Christian
boarding school
located in Kijabe
, Kenya
, founded in 1906 by Charles Hurlburt.
in 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt
visited Kijabe shortly after leaving office four years later. During this visit, in 1909, Roosevelt laid the cornerstone
for Kiambogo, the main school building that remains the centerpiece of RVA's campus. In 2003 it was rated the number two high school in Africa.
For much of the early history of the school it was difficult to find teachers. Most missionaries had come to Africa to preach the gospel, not educate white children. The primary concern of most missionaries was not the academic achievements of the students, but their spiritual life. After Miss Hope, the next teacher who truly felt called to teach at RVA was Miss Muriel Perrott. She introduced RVA to several British sports such as Rounders and Rugby and instituted the two house system. The two houses, Stanleys and Livingstons, were named for the two explorers and served as an organizational tool for the school. The two houses competed against each other academically and on the sports field. For many years the main goal of students was to win the house cup. Miss Perrott went on furlough in 1931 and was unable to return to Africa, but her influence was invaluable to the development of the school.
Just as World War I broke out, Miss Hope, who was by now Mrs. Westervelt, was forced to leave the field due to poor health. The years during World War I were very difficult because it was hard to get staff to come due to the dangers of sea travel during the war. It was during these years that there were a number of epidemics that forced the school to close periodically as well.
In 1933, Herb Downing was called to head RVA. He was uniquely prepared for the job since he was one of the first Americans born in East Africa and an alumnus of the school. He came to the job with several years of experience both as an educator and administrator, which was handy since both he and his wife Muriel needed to teach as they were the only staff at the time. Downing's goal was to establish a lasting and positive culture so that parents would feel comfortable leaving their children at RVA. It was during his time as principal that the school became much more deliberately academic, although it retained a mixed European and American curriculum. Another Downing innovation was the introduction of Rendezvous or Mutton Guz, a party to reward those students who had not misbehaved too badly over the term.
Herb Downing went on furlough in 1938 and was prevented from returning by WWII until 1947. Following his return in 1947, Mr. Downing was convinced that the school was necessary to the future of missions. He made a plea for teachers and funding because he recognized that without the school, many of the parents would not be able to stay on the field, and that the school was in a very real way training the next generation of missionaries. His desire was the school would be able to go all the way to 12th grade since prior to this students had to return to their home countries for their high school education. In 1949 his dream was realized with the graduation of Paul Smith, and the first class was graduated in 1950. The 1950s saw a huge expansion in the school as a whole with many new buildings going up. At one point the school even closed for a term to repair the roof on Kiambogo.
With Kenya's independence in 1963, the population of missionaries grew considerably. It was during the 1960s that many of the programs that RVA is still recognized for today began. By this time the school had expanded enough to begin an interscholastic sports program. The first team fielded was basket ball, followed soon after by rugby coached by the south African, Dave Reynolds. The choir and band programs were nationally recognized, and RVA was producing very good drama. Students began taking college entrance exams, the National Honor Society's chapter of Elimu Bora was founded and a spirit of educational excellence was begun to be seen. The biggest boost to academic excellence was the push for accreditation in the 1960s. In 1967, under Roy Entwistle, the school was the first school in Africa to receive American accreditation.
The 1980s was another time of growth for RVA. New buildings were going up and more staff were arriving. Under the leadership of Roy Entwistle the school was gaining recognition worldwide for its academics and nationwide for its sports. During this time the school reached its full complement of students, and the school board put a cap on enrollment at 550. In 1981, the RVA rugby team won the inaugural Prescott Cup under the coaching of Colin Densham, and in 1994 they won the trophy for the 10th time in 14 years.
In 1998 Roy Entwistle handed over the reins of RVA to Jim Long who served as superintendent for 5 years before turning it over to Tim Cook, in 2003. The current superintendent is Tim Hall. During the 1990s and early 2000s, RVA has continued its march towards academic excellence. In the 80s and 90s the school made great steps towards standardizing of curriculum, prior to this the curriculum left with the teacher and new teachers were forced to start from scratch.
Having survived the Mau Mau Rebellion of the 1950s and terrorist
threats in the late 1990s, RVA has continued to grow. Today it enrolls roughly 500 students, from kindergarten
up to grade twelve, and allows both American
and British
curricula
to be followed by its students. Students hail from North America
(roughly 65% of the student body), South Korea
(10%), Kenya
(10%), and other countries (15%). Graduates frequently attend college in their home country. The class of 2007 had graduates go to Harvard, Yale, University of Pennsylvania, M.I.T., Stanford, The U.S. Air Force Academy, and the U.S. Naval Academy.
Most RVA students, whose parents are typically North American, European, or Asian Christians working in East Africa, consider themselves third culture kids, in that their cultural identity
is neither that of their parents' home country nor that of East Africa but rather is a hybrid of the two.
Junior High Boys:
Junior High Girls:
High School Boys:
High School Girls:
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
located in Kijabe
Kijabe
Kijabe is a town in Kenya. Its name is Maasai for "Place of the Wind". It stands on the edge of the Great Rift Valley at an altitude of 2200m, some 50 kilometres north-west of Nairobi. Kijabe is located in the Lari division of Kiambu District. Kijabe has a population 17,334 . Kijabe has a railway...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, founded in 1906 by Charles Hurlburt.
Early years
Having met with Hurlburt in the White HouseWhite House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
in 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
visited Kijabe shortly after leaving office four years later. During this visit, in 1909, Roosevelt laid the cornerstone
Cornerstone
The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.Over time a cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry stone, or...
for Kiambogo, the main school building that remains the centerpiece of RVA's campus. In 2003 it was rated the number two high school in Africa.
For much of the early history of the school it was difficult to find teachers. Most missionaries had come to Africa to preach the gospel, not educate white children. The primary concern of most missionaries was not the academic achievements of the students, but their spiritual life. After Miss Hope, the next teacher who truly felt called to teach at RVA was Miss Muriel Perrott. She introduced RVA to several British sports such as Rounders and Rugby and instituted the two house system. The two houses, Stanleys and Livingstons, were named for the two explorers and served as an organizational tool for the school. The two houses competed against each other academically and on the sports field. For many years the main goal of students was to win the house cup. Miss Perrott went on furlough in 1931 and was unable to return to Africa, but her influence was invaluable to the development of the school.
Just as World War I broke out, Miss Hope, who was by now Mrs. Westervelt, was forced to leave the field due to poor health. The years during World War I were very difficult because it was hard to get staff to come due to the dangers of sea travel during the war. It was during these years that there were a number of epidemics that forced the school to close periodically as well.
In 1933, Herb Downing was called to head RVA. He was uniquely prepared for the job since he was one of the first Americans born in East Africa and an alumnus of the school. He came to the job with several years of experience both as an educator and administrator, which was handy since both he and his wife Muriel needed to teach as they were the only staff at the time. Downing's goal was to establish a lasting and positive culture so that parents would feel comfortable leaving their children at RVA. It was during his time as principal that the school became much more deliberately academic, although it retained a mixed European and American curriculum. Another Downing innovation was the introduction of Rendezvous or Mutton Guz, a party to reward those students who had not misbehaved too badly over the term.
Herb Downing went on furlough in 1938 and was prevented from returning by WWII until 1947. Following his return in 1947, Mr. Downing was convinced that the school was necessary to the future of missions. He made a plea for teachers and funding because he recognized that without the school, many of the parents would not be able to stay on the field, and that the school was in a very real way training the next generation of missionaries. His desire was the school would be able to go all the way to 12th grade since prior to this students had to return to their home countries for their high school education. In 1949 his dream was realized with the graduation of Paul Smith, and the first class was graduated in 1950. The 1950s saw a huge expansion in the school as a whole with many new buildings going up. At one point the school even closed for a term to repair the roof on Kiambogo.
During Kenya's struggle for independence
In 1952, at the beginning of the Mau Mau emergency, a contingency of the African Home Guard under the command of a British officer named "Chipps" were stationed on campus along with a barbed-wire fence. Saturday, March 28, 1953 is one of RVA's greatest stories. It was clear the Mau Mau were raiding in the area, several days before the town of Lari had been burned and RVA was the next target. All went to bed sure they would be awakened by gunfire in the night. The staff prayed for God's protection, and the attack never happened. Months later when several Mau Mau were captured they said they were on their way to attack the mission station but were prevented from doing so by the large number of soldiers that surrounded the campus. Historical record shows that the only British soldier anywhere near Kijabe that night was Chipps.With Kenya's independence in 1963, the population of missionaries grew considerably. It was during the 1960s that many of the programs that RVA is still recognized for today began. By this time the school had expanded enough to begin an interscholastic sports program. The first team fielded was basket ball, followed soon after by rugby coached by the south African, Dave Reynolds. The choir and band programs were nationally recognized, and RVA was producing very good drama. Students began taking college entrance exams, the National Honor Society's chapter of Elimu Bora was founded and a spirit of educational excellence was begun to be seen. The biggest boost to academic excellence was the push for accreditation in the 1960s. In 1967, under Roy Entwistle, the school was the first school in Africa to receive American accreditation.
Since Independence
In the 1970s it was realized that the school was much too crowded. By 1974 the school had nearly 400 students enrolled. Students were sleeping on the floor because there were not enough beds, and the student to staff ratio was much too high, leaving large numbers of students without adequate adult supervision. A building program was begun that continues to this day. In 1976, Roy Entwistle took the job as principal at RVA. He began the process of breaking down the us vs. them barriers between students and staff with programs like Caring Community and building more, smaller dorms.The 1980s was another time of growth for RVA. New buildings were going up and more staff were arriving. Under the leadership of Roy Entwistle the school was gaining recognition worldwide for its academics and nationwide for its sports. During this time the school reached its full complement of students, and the school board put a cap on enrollment at 550. In 1981, the RVA rugby team won the inaugural Prescott Cup under the coaching of Colin Densham, and in 1994 they won the trophy for the 10th time in 14 years.
In 1998 Roy Entwistle handed over the reins of RVA to Jim Long who served as superintendent for 5 years before turning it over to Tim Cook, in 2003. The current superintendent is Tim Hall. During the 1990s and early 2000s, RVA has continued its march towards academic excellence. In the 80s and 90s the school made great steps towards standardizing of curriculum, prior to this the curriculum left with the teacher and new teachers were forced to start from scratch.
Having survived the Mau Mau Rebellion of the 1950s and terrorist
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
threats in the late 1990s, RVA has continued to grow. Today it enrolls roughly 500 students, from kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
up to grade twelve, and allows both American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
curricula
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
to be followed by its students. Students hail from North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
(roughly 65% of the student body), South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
(10%), Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
(10%), and other countries (15%). Graduates frequently attend college in their home country. The class of 2007 had graduates go to Harvard, Yale, University of Pennsylvania, M.I.T., Stanford, The U.S. Air Force Academy, and the U.S. Naval Academy.
Most RVA students, whose parents are typically North American, European, or Asian Christians working in East Africa, consider themselves third culture kids, in that their cultural identity
Cultural identity
Cultural identity is the identity of a group or culture, or of an individual as far as one is influenced by one's belonging to a group or culture. Cultural identity is similar to and has overlaps with, but is not synonymous with, identity politics....
is neither that of their parents' home country nor that of East Africa but rather is a hybrid of the two.
Alma mater
- Hail to thee our Alma Mater, Let our praises all unite; Rift Valley Academy, Hail, all hail the red and white.
- May the blessing of the Father rest upon thee RVA, making all thy sons and daughters pure and true and strong alway.
- Loyal to our school of learning, standing for God’s perfect way, May the love of Christ our Savior guide our footsteps day by day.
- Hail, all hail thee Alma Mater looking for a coming King, Lifting high the Christian standard, Hail, all hail! Thy praises ring.
Sports
The Rugby First XV has won the Prescott Cup multiple times as well as the Black Rock tournament (most recently 2006 and 2007). The sports teams are known as the RVA Buffalos. In 2007 Rift Valley Academy varsity sports swept nearly every championship, including men's and women's soccer, basketball, and volleyball.| Term | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | Soccer, Tennis | Basketball, Tennis |
| Term 2 | Basketball | Soccer, Field Hockey |
| Term 3 | Rugby, Volleyball | Volleyball |
Dormitories
Titchie:- Tembo (mixed grades 2-4)
- Davis (boys grades 5-6)
- Propst (girls grades 5-6)
Junior High Boys:
- Twiga
- Swala
Junior High Girls:
- Simba
- Ndege
High School Boys:
- Nyati
- Chui (Mixed grades 11-12)
- Westervelt (Mixed grades 9-10)
- Mbega
- Bongo
- Duma
High School Girls:
- Suswa
- Kedong (in 5 sections)