Sligo Grammar School
Encyclopedia
"Sligo Grammar School" is a private fee paying co-educational boarding school
located on "The Mall" in Sligo
Town.
The school has approximately 449 students of which approximately 103 are boarders. It offers the traditional Junior Certificate
and Leaving Certificate
courses along with Transition Year
, which is compulsory. It is one of a small few of Secondary Schools in the Republic of Ireland under Church of Ireland
management. This said, approximately 50% of pupils are of other religious persuasions, most notably Roman Catholic, agnostic and atheist. The school also has Presbyterian and Jewish minorities. It describes itself as a liberal
, egalitarian school. The school has a large amount of international pupils, primarily from Spain
, Germany
and South Korea
, though there are also pupils from Russia
and The Ukraine
as well as a number of other nations.
among its pupils, was moved to Charter School buildings in Sligo in 1862. In 1907, the school buildings were conveyed to the Incorporated Society who closed their boarding school at Primrose Grange under Knocknarea and built spacious dormitories and classrooms (the present boy’s dormitories and "Prep Room") on the present site, of Sligo Grammar School. In 1947 Sligo Grammar School was merged with Sligo High School which was founded by Dean Ardill in 1911. The premises of the High School were closed and the residence known as the "Hermitage", adjoining the Grammar School, was purchased from the Campbell family to house the girl boarders. The New Teaching Block was added in 1972. In August 1976, the school was leased by the Incorporated Society to Sligo Grammar School Limited, which runs the school through a local Protestant board. "The Hermitage" was destroyed by fire in November 1976 and was replaced by a new residence in September 1978.
The school is currently building an indoor swimming pool, to be finished in mid-2011. More classrooms will be built along with a new rugby pitch (to replace the old 'Donkey pitch) and slip for kayaking are to be finished by September 2013. A new wall and gate has recently been completed on the entrance to the school
Sports facilities:
The girls uniform consists of:
Prefects are given an oval shaped badge with the school crest on it. Boarding house prefects are given a shield shaped badge with the word "Monitor" on it.
The school rugby kit is made up of the school colours. The rugby jerseys are navy and white hooped, the shorts are navy, and the socks are navy and white hooped for the junior team and the senior team have red and navy hooped socks.
Rugby
Champions in 2010 and have been many times over the years. The school also has a very active athletics association and many hockey
teams for girls. Competitive debating teams in English
, Irish
and German
also exist. The school has an SATB
choir
with approximately 70 members which is quite well known around Sligo and they have released two CD's.
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 on "The Mall" in Sligo
Sligo
Sligo is the county town of County Sligo in Ireland. The town is a borough and has a charter and a town mayor. It is sometimes referred to as a city, and sometimes as a town, and is the second largest urban area in Connacht...
Town.
The school has approximately 449 students of which approximately 103 are boarders. It offers the traditional Junior Certificate
Junior Certificate
The Junior Certificate is an educational qualification awarded in Ireland by the Department of Education to students who have successfully completed the junior cycle of secondary education, and achieved a minimum standard in their Junior Cert. examinations...
and Leaving Certificate
Leaving Certificate
The Leaving Certificate Examinations , commonly referred to as the Leaving Cert is the final examination in the Irish secondary school system. It takes a minimum of two years preparation, but an optional Transition Year means that for those students it takes place three years after the Junior...
courses along with Transition Year
Transition Year
Transition Year is an optional one-year school programme that can be taken in the year after the Junior Certificate in Ireland and is intended to make the senior cycle a three year programme encompassing both Transition Year and Leaving Certificate...
, which is compulsory. It is one of a small few of Secondary Schools in the Republic of Ireland under Church of Ireland
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
management. This said, approximately 50% of pupils are of other religious persuasions, most notably Roman Catholic, agnostic and atheist. The school also has Presbyterian and Jewish minorities. It describes itself as a liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
, egalitarian school. The school has a large amount of international pupils, primarily from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and 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...
, though there are also pupils from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and The Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
as well as a number of other nations.
History and Future Planning
The school has existed in various forms for over 400 years, its constitutions reflecting the changing outlook and needs for society. The present school incorporates part of the Charter School which was set up in 1752 under the Royal Charter. This school closed in 1843. The Diocesan School In Elphin, which numbered Oliver GoldsmithOliver Goldsmith
Oliver Goldsmith was an Irish writer, poet and physician known for his novel The Vicar of Wakefield , his pastoral poem The Deserted Village , and his plays The Good-Natur'd Man and She Stoops to Conquer...
among its pupils, was moved to Charter School buildings in Sligo in 1862. In 1907, the school buildings were conveyed to the Incorporated Society who closed their boarding school at Primrose Grange under Knocknarea and built spacious dormitories and classrooms (the present boy’s dormitories and "Prep Room") on the present site, of Sligo Grammar School. In 1947 Sligo Grammar School was merged with Sligo High School which was founded by Dean Ardill in 1911. The premises of the High School were closed and the residence known as the "Hermitage", adjoining the Grammar School, was purchased from the Campbell family to house the girl boarders. The New Teaching Block was added in 1972. In August 1976, the school was leased by the Incorporated Society to Sligo Grammar School Limited, which runs the school through a local Protestant board. "The Hermitage" was destroyed by fire in November 1976 and was replaced by a new residence in September 1978.
The school is currently building an indoor swimming pool, to be finished in mid-2011. More classrooms will be built along with a new rugby pitch (to replace the old 'Donkey pitch) and slip for kayaking are to be finished by September 2013. A new wall and gate has recently been completed on the entrance to the school
Facilities
Learning facilities:- Computer suite with high speed internet access
- Learning support rooms
- Music classroom
- Biology laboratory
- Chemistry laboratory
- Physics laboratory
- Art classroom
- Technical drawing classroom, fully equipped for CAD
- Woodwork classroom
- Library
- Cafeteria
- Boarding houses with onsite matron
Sports facilities:
- Rugby pitches
- All weather hockey pitch
- Tennis courts
- Gym
- Weights room
- Indoor basketball court
- Kayaking equipment
- Changing rooms and showers
School Uniform
The boys uniform consists of:- Gray trousers
- White shirt
- Grey jumper with the school crest
- Navy Blazer with the school crest
- Black shoes
- School tie consisting of Maroon, Navy and White. Members of the Senior Cup rugby team have the same tie but the school crest and the acronym S.C.T are embroidered.
The girls uniform consists of:
- Navy Skirt
- White shirt
- Navy jumper with a school crest
- Navy blazer with the school crest
- Black shoes
- School tie consisting of Maroon, Navy and White
Prefects are given an oval shaped badge with the school crest on it. Boarding house prefects are given a shield shaped badge with the word "Monitor" on it.
The school rugby kit is made up of the school colours. The rugby jerseys are navy and white hooped, the shorts are navy, and the socks are navy and white hooped for the junior team and the senior team have red and navy hooped socks.
Extracurricular
Sligo Grammar School were Senior ConnachtConnacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...
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:...
Champions in 2010 and have been many times over the years. The school also has a very active athletics association and many hockey
Hockey
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:...
teams for girls. Competitive debating teams in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
also exist. The school has an SATB
SATB
In music, SATB is an initialism for soprano, alto, tenor, bass, defining the voices required by a chorus or choir to perform a particular musical work...
choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
with approximately 70 members which is quite well known around Sligo and they have released two CD's.
Distinguished Alumni
- R. M. SmyllieR. M. SmyllieRobert Maire "Bertie" Smyllie , was editor of The Irish Times from 1934 until his death in 1954.Short-sighted, massively overweight, given to wearing a poncho and sombrero, and cycling to work with his typewriter slung over the bars of his bicycle and a half bottle of Scotch sticking out of his...
, former editor of The Irish TimesThe Irish TimesThe Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Kevin O'Sullivan who succeeded Geraldine Kennedy in 2011; the deputy editor is Paul O'Neill. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays... - Jack B. Yeats, famous Irish painter
- Howard Yung, Inspired Man of our Times