St Joseph's College, Dumfries
Encyclopedia
St. Joseph's College is situated on the Craigs Road in Dumfries
, South West Scotland. It is a Roman Catholic secondary school but has a number of pupils enrolled from other denominations or faiths. The school began as a Catholic boys' boarding school
run by Marist Brothers
. It is situated near St. Michael's Primary School and is one of four secondary schools in Dumfries.
for the training of Marist Brothers in Great Britain. Brother Walfrid
, the man who founded Celtic Football Club, also helped to found the school. The school became part of the state school system in 1981, but as a state school it still accepts Catholic students as priority. The school was a boys school to begin with, The first female pupils were admitted as day pupils in the early 1970s. In the first year that this occurred only two girls were admitted.
classrooms, and another new building which contains the dining hall and physical education halls. After the school became public the building did not technically go into ownership of the government, in fact it is on lease to the government from the Marist Brothers for £10 a year for a hundred years. The Holywood Trust building also used to be part of the school until sold off and is now a council building.
There is a chapel
on the campus
of the school. It was built after the First World War by past pupils and was originally a war memorial
for past pupils who died in the war but is now used to pay tribute to other notable dead past pupils and is also used for marriages and funerals for alumni. The school also has a large gym hall, canteen, religious education block and various sport areas.
building, the Ewan Duncan Building (named after the famous catholic singer), and the main school building housing the classrooms for all of the other subjects. The grounds contain gardens and lawn at the front and back of the main building, and a playing field area roughly the size of three football fields and concrete hockey and tennis courts are also included.
qualification system, with students studying Standard Grade
s over 3rd and 4th year, Highers
in 5th year with the choice of more Highers in 6th year or taking Advanced Highers, or a mix of both. Subjects at Intermediate 1
and Intermediate 2
are also taught in 5th and 6th year, but currently not in 3rd and 4th as in some other Scottish schools.
St. Joseph's College is the only school in Dumfries which, as of July 2007, teaches 3 foreign languages (French
, Italian
and Spanish
) at an Advanced Higher level. It is also the only school teaching media studies
at Higher level in the region.
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
, South West Scotland. It is a Roman Catholic secondary school but has a number of pupils enrolled from other denominations or faiths. The school began as a Catholic boys' 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...
run by Marist Brothers
Marist Brothers
The Marist Brothers, or Little Brothers of Mary, are a Catholic religious order of brothers and affiliated lay people. The order was founded in France, at La Valla-en-Gier near Lyon in 1817 by Saint Marcellin Champagnat, a young French priest of the Society of Mary...
. It is situated near St. Michael's Primary School and is one of four secondary schools in Dumfries.
History
St. Joseph's College was founded in 1875 as both a boarding school and the first NovitiateNovitiate
Novitiate, alt. noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a novice monastic or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether they are called to the religious life....
for the training of Marist Brothers in Great Britain. Brother Walfrid
Brother Walfrid
Brother Walfrid is the religious name of Andrew Kerins, an Irish Marist Brother and founder of Celtic Football Club....
, the man who founded Celtic Football Club, also helped to found the school. The school became part of the state school system in 1981, but as a state school it still accepts Catholic students as priority. The school was a boys school to begin with, The first female pupils were admitted as day pupils in the early 1970s. In the first year that this occurred only two girls were admitted.
Buildings
The school was originally located elsewhere in Dumfries but was moved to its current location when a local business man bought the land and gifted it to the Marist Brothers. Numerous expansions to the original build have been made: the assembly hall, extensions to the mathematics and French departments, a new separate building for the REReligious Education
Religious Education is the term given to education concerned with religion. It may refer to education provided by a church or religious organization, for instruction in doctrine and faith, or for education in various aspects of religion, but without explicitly religious or moral aims, e.g. in a...
classrooms, and another new building which contains the dining hall and physical education halls. After the school became public the building did not technically go into ownership of the government, in fact it is on lease to the government from the Marist Brothers for £10 a year for a hundred years. The Holywood Trust building also used to be part of the school until sold off and is now a council building.
There is a chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
on the 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...
of the school. It was built after the First World War by past pupils and was originally a war memorial
War memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in war.-Historic usage:...
for past pupils who died in the war but is now used to pay tribute to other notable dead past pupils and is also used for marriages and funerals for alumni. The school also has a large gym hall, canteen, religious education block and various sport areas.
Notable former pupils
- Charles Forte, Baron ForteCharles Forte, Baron ForteCharles Forte, Baron Forte was a British caterer and hotelier. His obituary in The Guardian obituary stated that: He created a worldwide empire of restaurants and hotels from virtually nothing-Early life:...
- Allan McNishAllan McNishAllan McNish is a Scottish racing driver. He is a two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, most recently in 2008, and two-time American Le Mans Series champion.- Early life :...
, a racing driver born in Dumfries and twice winner of Le Mans 24. He returned in recent years to talk at the annual student awards evening. - Sir Frank Williams, Williams F1 Formula OneFormula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
racing team founder and manager - Jim BroganJim Brogan (footballer)Jim Brogan is a Scottish former football player, who played in over 200 league games for Jock Stein's highly successful Celtic sides of the late 1960s and early 1970s...
, ex professional footballer for Celtic F.C.Celtic F.C.Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
and the Scotland national football teamScotland national football teamThe Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872... - Colin McMenaminColin McMenaminColin McMenamin is a Scottish professional Association footballer who usually plays as a striker but has also played in midfield...
, journeyman professional footballer - Emma's ImaginationEmma's ImaginationEmma Gillespie , better known by her stage name Emma's Imagination, is a Scottish singer. She first came to prominence after winning the Sky1 TV talent contest Must Be the Music. She has since been signed to Gary Barlow's music label Future Records...
singer and musician Emma Gillespie - Craig Crosbie, a Guiness World Record holder for the fastest text message sent - SMSSMSSMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
Text MessagingText messagingText messaging, or texting, refers to the exchange of brief written text messages between fixed-line phone or mobile phone and fixed or portable devices over a network...
, winning £50,000 prize from The SunThe Sun (newspaper)The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
in 2005, also was guest judge in Miss Northern IrelandMiss Northern IrelandMiss Northern Ireland is a beauty pageant, the winner of which goes on to compete in the Miss World pageant.Before 1999, the winner of Miss Anton Northern Ireland would have to compete in the Miss United Kingdom competition and win it in order to be applicable to compete in the Miss World competition...
2006, and seen on several television programes including Blue PeterBlue PeterBlue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
, This MorningThis Morning (TV series)This Morning is a British daytime television programme broadcast on ITV. As of September 2011, its main presenters are Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, and Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, with various other presenters standing in for illness or contributing to sections of the programme.The...
and in 2009 DividedDivided (game show)Divided was a British game show, first broadcast on 18 May 2009. The programme was hosted by Andrew Castle with Charlotte Hudson as the Question Master for Series 1, and Rachel Pierman as the Question Master for Series 2....
where he won the show and won £27,000 - RSM Norman MacWhinnie, recipient of the Military cross, the Medaille Militaire and the Distinguished Conduct Medal
Past Pupils Association
The Past Pupils Association has thousands of members all over the world. As of July 2007, the head of the Association is a current teacher at the school who was also a former pupil, and one of the first four female pupils to be admitted after the school was opened to girls. Once pupils reach their 6th year they can join this organization and are allowed to wear the PPA tie instead of the normal school tie. Being a member of this association keeps the person in contact with other former pupils and allows them to attend yearly dinner and various other events.Campus
The school campus is made up of three buildings: the physical education and cafeteriaCafeteria
A cafeteria is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school; a school dining location is also referred to as a dining hall or canteen...
building, the Ewan Duncan Building (named after the famous catholic singer), and the main school building housing the classrooms for all of the other subjects. The grounds contain gardens and lawn at the front and back of the main building, and a playing field area roughly the size of three football fields and concrete hockey and tennis courts are also included.
Curriculum
The school follows the National Scottish Qualifications CertificateScottish Qualifications Certificate
The Scottish Qualifications Certificate is the successor to the Scottish Certificate of Education and the Record of Education and Training in Scotland, and is the main educational qualification awarded to students in secondary, further, and vocational education. The SQC is awarded by the Scottish...
qualification system, with students studying Standard Grade
Standard Grade
Standard Grades are Scotland's educational qualifications for students aged around 14 to 16 years, which are due to be fully replaced in 2014 when Scottish Qualifications Authority's Higher Still system becomes the main qualifications as part of the major shake up of Scotland's education system as...
s over 3rd and 4th year, Highers
Higher (Scottish)
In Scotland the Higher is one of the national school-leaving certificate exams and university entrance qualifications of the Scottish Qualifications Certificate offered by the Scottish Qualifications Authority. It superseded the old Higher Grade on the Scottish Certificate of Education...
in 5th year with the choice of more Highers in 6th year or taking Advanced Highers, or a mix of both. Subjects at Intermediate 1
Intermediate 1
Intermediate 1 is an educational qualification in Scotland on the Scottish Qualifications Authority Scottish Qualifications Certificate achievement ladder similar to General Level at Standard Grades; it is the next step after Access 3...
and Intermediate 2
Intermediate 2
Intermediate 2 level is Level 5 on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework. Though equivalent to the Credit Level Standard Grade, there is an element of debate to this as it is perceived to be more difficult in some subjects, but less in others....
are also taught in 5th and 6th year, but currently not in 3rd and 4th as in some other Scottish schools.
St. Joseph's College is the only school in Dumfries which, as of July 2007, teaches 3 foreign languages (French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
) at an Advanced Higher level. It is also the only school teaching media studies
Media studies
Media studies is an academic discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history and effects of various media; in particular, the 'mass media'. Media studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly from its core disciplines of mass...
at Higher level in the region.
See also
- Education in ScotlandEducation in ScotlandScotland has a long history of universal provision of public education, and the Scottish education system is distinctly different from the other countries of the United Kingdom...
- Scottish Qualifications AuthorityScottish Qualifications AuthorityThe Scottish Qualifications Authority is a non-departmental public body responsible for accreditation and awarding. It is partly funded by the Education and Lifelong Learning Directorate of the Scottish Government, employing 750 staff, based in Glasgow and Dalkeith...
- List of schools in Scotland
- List of Marist Brothers schools