St George's College is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

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boys high school in

Harare Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...

, Zimbabwe. The school, colloquially referred to as Saints or George's, is located in Borrowdale, a

suburb. The land was donated to the

Jesuits , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

. This led to the relocation of the school site from

Bulawayo Bulawayo (, ; Ndebele: ''Bulawayo'') is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council ...

to Harare, the foundation of St George's College. On the same site, a preparatory primary school was established, called Hartmann House(HH). This site is next to the official Zimbabwe State House, and the official president's house called Zimbabwe House. The school motto is ''Ex Fide Fiducia'', a

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, 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 ...

phrase meaning "From Faith Comes Confidence". In the past, St Michael's Preparatory School (Grades 1–3) in Borrowdale would often start a pupil's journey to St George's. Boys would attend Grades 1-3 before joining Hartmann House, where they would complete their Grades 4–7. However, at the beginning of 2017, with the introduction of Grades 1–3 at Hartmann House following its extension, the case has changed. It is, however, not a prerequisite to have studied at Hartmann House upon entering St George's College. St George's College was ranked 5th out of the top 100 best high schools in Africa by ''Africa Almanac'' in 2003, based upon the calibre of education, student engagement, strength and activities of alumni, school profile, internet and news visibility. St George's College was also ranked as one of the Top 10 High Schools in Zimbabwe in 2014. St George's College is a member of the

Association of Trust Schools The Association of Trust Schools (ATS) is an organisation of independent primary and secondary schools in Zimbabwe that was founded in 1962. Each of these schools are run by their own Board of Governors and are not for profit entities. The Heads ...

(ATS). The current Headmaster, Mr John Farrelly, is a member of the Conference of Heads of Independent Schools in Zimbabwe (CHISZ) and an international member of the

Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) is an association of the head teachers of 361 independent schools (both boarding schools and day schools), some traditionally described as public schools. 298 Members are based in the Un ...

(HMC).

History

St George's College was founded in 1896 by a French Jesuit, Fr. Marc Barthélemy, SJ, who opened the doors of a small corrugated-iron, two-windowed hut to admit the first six pupils to Bulawayo Boys' School in

, the second largest city in Zimbabwe (formerly

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing colony, self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The reg ...

). In 1898, a permanent building was erected, and in December of that year, at the first prize-giving ceremony, the school assumed the title ''St George's Boys' Public School''. In 1899, Fr. Francis Johanny, SJ joined the staff and set up the Cadet Corps. Three years later, Fr. Thomas Gardner, SJ, the first English Jesuit arrived. In the same year, in 1902, the first Rhodes' Scholarships were awarded in Southern Rhodesia, and they went to the St George's scholars: Albert Bisset and Woodford Gilbert. In 1912, the first permanent buildings were completed and opened by Earl Grey. St George's College moved to Salisbury (now Harare) in 1926. The architect of the buildings was Fr. Louis Lebœuf, SJ; the main builder was Br. John Conway, SJ. The ''Beit Hall'' was established in 1935 by Sir Robert Stanley. In 1940, the Fr. Crehan Library was built, then the ''Monastery'', and later, the ''Priory''. In 1955, the new Dormitory Wing and Laboratories were built, and in 1973 the permanent Chapel was erected. In the years before Zimbabwe's independence in 1980, the then

's government schools were segregated; St George's College, being a private school, was allowed a limited black intake and was multiracial. It had admitted its first black pupil in 1963.

Academics

St George's College is a selective school: an entrance examination must be taken to enter Form One, even by students from Hartmann House. 'A' grades at Ordinary (O) level are requisite to enter the Lower Sixth Form, with those already at the College not exempt from this requirement. The study of religious education is obligatory throughout the six years. St George's College follows the Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) syllabus at IGCSE, AS, and A level.

The house system

The school has a family-oriented approach to academic and extracurricular studies; every student belonging to his own house. There are four houses, identified by colour, and named after the prominent Jesuits who were amongst the founding fathers of the school in Bulawayo: * Fr. Marc Barthélemy, SJ: first Rector (French, 1896–1913), ''Dark Green Vests.'' * Fr. Thomas Gardner, SJ: first English Jesuit, an anthropologist and a champion of the Cadets, ''Red Vests'' * Fr. Andrew Hartmann, SJ: chaplain to The Pioneer Column in 1890, ''Dark Blue Vests''. * Fr. Francis Johanny, SJ: second Rector in 1914, ''Yellow Vests''. The house system commenced in 1938 with only three houses: Barthélemy, Gardner, and Hartmann. Johanny was created in 1983, as the number of students gradually increased. Each scholar, referred to as a Saint's boy, inherits the house of his previous relative (predecessor); 'new' boys are allocated their houses on a random basis.

The Grant of Arms

The Grant of Arms was fashioned by the

College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the British Sover ...

on 19 October 1931, and aimed to recognise three outstanding characteristics: * The first denoted the foundation and management of the college by the Jesuits, signified by the inclusion of two black wolves and the cauldron, as taken from the family arms of Saint Ignatius of Loyola the founder of the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

(Jesuit Fathers); in the Basque language "loy-" means wolf and "-olla" means cauldron. * The second characteristic – that of the location of the college in the then

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of So ...

and a play on the Greek word "Rhoden", meaning rose – is symbolised by an attractive flower that exists in various forms, colours, and fragrances. It is hardy and can flourish almost anywhere precisely because it is a hybrid of so many varieties. (These should be the qualities of a St George's boy, in particular: "A Man For and With Others".) * The third characteristic is the dedication to

Saint George Saint George ( Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldie ...

, the college's patron Saint, as depicted by the inclusion of the red cross from his banner, and the hilt of the sword facing upwards. This symbolises the Saint's victorious triumph, and incidentally that of Christianity over the powers of evil (as represented by the dragon's wings) and our redemption through the death of Jesus Christ. The motto on the scroll, ''Ex Fide Fiducia'', means "From Faith Comes Confidence".

Alumni

In 1921, the Old Georgian's Association was formed; its first president was Mr D. Blackbeard. St George's College Alumni, known as Old Georgians (OGs), include Rhodes' Scholars who attended

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, and Ivy League universities. Alumni who "donned the Red Blazer", achieving the arduous task of attending St Michael's, Hartmann House, and St George's College, are known as Old Michaelians or Reds.

Notable alumni

Publications

''The Chronicle'' has been published every year since 1933, with the exception of a few years during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. In 1996, to mark the centenary of St George's College, a book written by Maj Terence McCarthy was published – ''Men For Others''.

Notes

saints genius

References

External links