Saint Mary's School, commonly known as Saints, is a private

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

primary and secondary day school for boys located in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

. Administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi, the school offers

KCPE The Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) is a certificate awarded to students after completing the approved eight-year course in primary education in Kenya. The examination is supervised by the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC), ...

, KCSE,

IGCSE The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) is an English language based examination similar to GCSE and is recognised in the United Kingdom as being equivalent to the GCSE for the purposes of recognising prior attain ...

and

IBDP The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into ...

certification. The school admits female students for the IB Diploma Programme. The school's motto is ''"Bonitas, Disciplina, Scientia"'', which is

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for "Goodness, Discipline, Knowledge".

History

St. Mary's School was founded in 1939 in the Parklands area of Nairobi, from

Blackrock College Blackrock College ( ga, Coláiste na Carraige Duibhe) is a voluntary day and boarding Catholic secondary school for boys aged 13–18, in Williamstown, Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland. It was founded by French missionary Jules Leman in 186 ...

in Dublin, Ireland. In September 1945, the school was moved to a temporary structure on an site on the land belonging to the St. Austin's Mission in the Muthangari area of

Westlands Westlands is an affluent, mixed-use commercial and residential neighbourhood in Nairobi. Location Westlands is located approximately , by road, northwest of the central business district of Nairobi. The geographical coordinates of the neighb ...

. The present-day school buildings were completed in 1954, including the twin towers that stand at the school's quadrangle and the older St. Austin's Catholic Church, which sits beside the school's parking area. In between the towers is the staff room where teachers convene for meetings and take their breaks, which used to be the school's library.

Present day

From the outset, Saints has always had a combined primary and secondary school. Although only boys are admitted to the primary and secondary schools, girls (along with boys) are admitted to the

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB D ...

diploma course which is a post-

O-level The O-Level (Ordinary Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education. It was introduced in place of the School Certificate in 1951 as part of an educational reform alongside the more in-dept ...

programme offered by the school since 1982. Entrants are chosen on the basis of their KCSE and IGCSE results. The school year runs from January to November. The school is near its neighbouring

sister school A sister school is usually a pair of schools, usually single-sex school, one with female students and the other with male students. This relationship is seen to benefit both schools. For instance, when Harvard University was a male-only school, Rad ...

, Loreto Convent Msongari, separated only by a fence and a gate, and is situated approximately away from its rival, Strathmore School. Students are encouraged to participate in extra-curricular activities, which include sports, clubs, music and drama. All the school's sports teams are nicknamed "Saints", also the school's nickname.

Theatre

Since 1971, the school has been staging a musical every year, open to the general public. The musical week runs on specific dates from Tuesday to Saturday. The school has staged its own productions of famous plays such as ''

The Mikado ''The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen Gilbert and Sullivan, operatic collaborations. It opened on 14 March 1885, in London, whe ...

'', ''

The Yeomen of the Guard ''The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid'', is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888 and ran for 423 performances. This was the eleventh ...

'', ''

The King and I ''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the chil ...

'', '' Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, ''The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. S ...

'', '' Sarafina!'', ''

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

'', ''

Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of Claremore, Indian Territory, in 1906, it tell ...

'', ''

The Music Man ''The Music Man'' is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments ...

'', '' Ipi N'tombi'', ''

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 Decemb ...

'', ''

Zambezi Express The Zambezi River (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than hal ...

'', '' Amazing Grace (the musical)''. Notable guests who have attended the school's shows in the past include former

Prime Minister of Kenya The Prime Minister of Kenya was a post in the Kenyan government. The first Prime Minister of Kenya was Jomo Kenyatta, who became Prime Minister in 1963. In 1964, Kenya became a republic, the post of Prime Minister was abolished and Jomo Kenyat ...

Raila Odinga Raila Amolo Odinga (born 7 January 1945) is a Kenyan politician, former Member of Parliament (MP) for Langata and businessman who served as the Prime Minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. He is assumed to be the Leader of Opposition in Kenya sin ...

.@RailaOdinga on Twitter: "Arriving at St. Mary's School to watch the musical play "Aida" performed by the students."
(6 March 2014). Retrieved 21 April 2014.

Principals

* Fr. Laurence Murren (1939) * Fr. Kevin Devenish (1939–1941) * Fr. Thomas O'Sullivan (1941–1948) * Fr. James Kavanagh (1949–1950) * Fr. James Barrett (1951–1953) * Fr. John Horgan (1954–1956) * Fr. Paul Cunningham (1956–1968) * Fr. Thomas Farrelly (1968–1970) * Fr. Oliver Ellis (1971–1977) * Fr. Michael Malone (1977–1980) * Fr. Sean O'Connell (1980–1982) * Fr. Cormac O'Brolchain (1982–1984) * Fr. Eddie O'Farrell (1984-1990) * Fr. Thomas Hogan (1990–1995) * Fr. John McMahon (1996–2002) * Mr. Simon Otieno (2003–2005) * Fr. Boniface Kariuki (2006–2010) * Fr. Francis Mburu (2011–2014) * Br. Moses Wafula (2015–2016) * Mr. Benedict Otieno (2016–2018) * Mr. Peter M. Macharia (2019–present)

Notable alumni

* Ian Duncan, rally driverDaily Nation, 26 December 2009
Duncan's mustang ride to victory
/ref> *

John Githongo John Githongo (born 1965) is a former Kenyan journalist who investigated bribery and fraud in his home country (Kenya) and later, under the presidency of Mwai Kibaki, took on an official governmental position to fight corruption. In 2005 he lef ...

, anti-corruption journalistThe EastAfrican, 14 February 2009
'Traitor' who stayed true to Kenya
/ref> *

Muhoho Kenyatta Muhoho Kenyatta is a Kenyan national and a member of the Kenyatta family. He is a son of Kenya's first President Jomo Kenyatta. His older brother Uhuru Kenyatta is the former president and 4th President of Kenya. He was educated at St. Mary's ...

, Kenyan businessman *

Uhuru Kenyatta Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta (born 26 October 1961) is a Kenyan politician who served as the fourth president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022. Kenyatta was chosen by Daniel Arap Moi as his preferred successor, but Kenyatta was defeated by opposition le ...

, 4th President of Kenya * Jeff Koinange, journalist and news anchor *

Gideon Moi Gideon Kipsielei Towett Moi (born 22 October 1963) is a Kenyan politician and former senator of Baringo County, from 2013 to 2022. He was elected with a landslide win of over 80%, trouncing his opponent Jackson Kosgei. He is also the party leade ...

, senator for

Baringo County Baringo County is one of the 47 counties in Kenya. It is located in the former Rift Valley Province. Its headquarters and largest town is Kabarnet. The county is home to Lake Baringo. Geographical location Baringo bounded by Turkana County an ...

Lupita Nyong'o Lupita Amondi Nyong'o (, ; ; born 1 March 1983) is a Kenyan-Mexican actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, and nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Tony Award. The daughter of Kenyan politi ...

, award-winning actress and film director * Mohammad Sheikh, former Kenyan international cricketer * Eric Wainaina, Kenyan singer-songwriter * Jimmy Wanjigi, Kenyan businessman

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary's School, Nairobi Schools in Nairobi International Baccalaureate schools in Kenya Educational institutions established in 1939 Catholic primary schools in Kenya Catholic secondary schools in Kenya Spiritan schools 1939 establishments in Kenya