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Michaelhouse

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Coordinates: 29°24′S 30°02′E / 29.400°S 30.033°E / -29.400; 30.033
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For the former college of the University of Cambridge, see Michaelhouse, Cambridge.
Michaelhouse
School badge
Location
Map
Balgowan
,
KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa
Information
TypePrivate, Boarding
MottoQuis ut Deus
Established1896
LocaleRural
RectorGuy Pearson
Exam boardIEB
GradesBlocks E - A
Number of students540 boys
Color(s)Red and white
FeesR 131 800 p.a.
Websitewww.michaelhouse.org

Michaelhouse is a full boarding senior school for boys founded in 1896. It is located in the Balgowan valley in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is widely regarded as one of the top schools in South Africa.

Aerial view of Michaelhouse, June 2009


History

St. Michael's Diocesan College was founded in Pietermaritzburg in 1896 by James Cameron Todd, an Anglican canon. The school was established as a private venture with fifteen boys in two small houses in Loop Street.

James Cameron Todd had a clear idea of what he wanted the school to be. He wrote: "A man's tone, moral and spiritual, as well as intellectual, is largely determined for life by his school."

Within a few years, Michaelhouse became the Diocesan College of Natal, governed by a permanent trust deed and administered by a board of governors.

In 1901 the school relocated to Balgowan, when some 77 boys took up residence in the buildings which remain the core to the school to this day. Its name was later changed to Michaelhouse. The school adopted the 9th century chorale Stars of the Morning as its official school hymn.

Motto

The Latin school motto, Qvis vt Devs? literally translates to 'Who like God?', or, less literally, 'Who is like God?'. This motto is derived from the name of the school whose origin stems from the Hebrew Mikha'el which translates to the same[1]. The school hymn, Stars of the Morning, reflects this with the line "Who like the Lord?" thunders Michael, the Chief.

Rectors

  • Canon James Cameron Todd (1896 - 1903)
  • Canon Edward Bertram Hugh Jones (1903 - 1910)
  • Antony William Scudamore Brown (1910 - 1916)
  • Eldred Pascoe (1917 - 1926)
  • Warin Foster Bushell (1927 - 1930)
  • Ronald Fairbridge Currey (1930 - 1938)
  • Frederick Rowlandson Snell (1939 - 1952)
  • Clem Morgan (1953 - 1960)
  • Mr Robert Thomas Stanley Norwood(1960 - 1968)
  • Rex Frampton Pennington (1969 - 1977)
  • Neil Jardine (1978 - 1986)
  • John Hay Pluke (1987 - 1996)
  • Reginald Dudley Forde (1997 - 2001)
  • Guy Norman Pearson (2002 - present)

Relationship with Hilton College

Besides being the two most expensive schools of their kind in South Africa, Hilton College and Michaelhouse have much in common in that they are the only two full boarding schools left in South Africa and are both located near one another in the somewhat remote KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.

A friendly rivalry on the sports field has developed since 1896, the high point being the biannual Michaelhouse/Hilton Day. This event, held alternately between the two schools, sees them play one another in various sports, primarily rugby and hockey. The culmination of the day is the main rugby match between the two schools' 1st XVs.

Academics

As at Eton College, the years of study are referred to as blocks E to A. "A block" is the equivalent of grade 12 or year 12 and has boys aged 17 or 18 and "E block" is the equivalent of grade 8 or year 8 and has boys aged 13 or 14.

Michaelhouse educates boys and has an academic staff of about sixty with a male teaching quotient of approximately 70%; the master/pupil ratio is 1:10 .[2]

Michaelhouse school-leavers write the Independent Examinations Board exams and consistently achieve top results.

IEB Results 2004 2005 2006 2007
Number of candidates 106 109 90 108
Number of failures 0 0 0 0
University endorsement (%) 87.2 95.5 94.4
A aggregates (%) 20 22 27 21
A-B-C aggregates (%) 94 83 91
Subject distinctions 125 126 137 139
Number in top 50 0 0 1 0

Most leavers go on to attend top South African universities such as the University of Cape Town, Stellenbosch University, Wits University, University of KwaZulu-Natal and Rhodes University.

The school has produced over 30 Rhodes scholars to study at the University of Oxford and 10 Elsie Ballot scholars to study at the University of Cambridge.[3]

In recent years, one Michaelhouse graduate was accepted directly to the University of Oxford and four to the University of Pennsylvania, of whom three were accepted to Wharton Business School.

The school hosted the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships in 2002.

The estate and facilities

The chapel rose window depicts the head of Christ surrounded by the birds of Natal Province.

Pietermaritzburg Foundation (1896 to 1902)

The school was founded in a building in Loop Street, Pietermaritzburg. It had capacity for about 30 boys in total, but it was not long before that became inadequate.

Balgowan Estate (from 1902)

Around the turn of the century, Rector James Cameron Todd was donated approximately 60 acres (0.24 km2) of land in the picturesque Balgowan valley, approximately 45 minutes north of Pietermaritzburg. The buildings were started in 1900 and the school took occupation in 1901.

The first buildings to be completed were the existing administration block, vestry and gallery of the now extended chapel, and Founders House.

The Buildings

The original school buildings are made of traditional Pietermaritzburg red brick. The entire school is built in a lattice of quadrangles. It is in fact possible to move from one end of the school buildings to the other without ever having to get wet on a rainy day!

The Boarding Houses

There are eight boarding houses at Michaelhouse. The house system was put in place by Rector Warin Bushell in 1928. Initially 4 houses were established but as the school grew the number of houses increased. These are, in order of age:

  • Founders (founded in 1928, formerly called "Rector's" and "Foundation North")
  • East (founded in 1928, formerly called "Foundation East")
  • West (founded in 1928, formerly called "Foundation West")
  • Farfield (founded in 1928)
  • Tatham (founded 1935, formerly called "Tathams")
  • Pascoe (founded 1940)
  • Baines (founded 1956)
  • Mackenzie (founded 1995)

Each boarding house has the facilities to house about 65 boys in dormitories of 4 to 6 for the younger boys and in double and single rooms for the senior boys.

The boys share two dining halls (one for senior boys and one for juniors) for their meals and are supplied by a fully equipped kitchen, with an on-site bakery and butchery.

The Chapel

The chapel is an important a focal point in the school's architecture and ethos. The original chapel was built running from North to South with the apse at the North end.

In the 1940s, however, it became apparent that the chapel was no longer big enough to fit the entire school in for a service. Thus a large architectural work was undertaken to extend the chapel from its existing site towards the East. Because of World War II, the chapel was only finished in the 1950s. A memorial to those who died in World War II is outside the entrance to the chapel.

The original chapel now forms the gallery and vestry. The apse of the old chapel is used as a baptism font. The extended chapel has seated nearly 600 people at its fullest, but is built for a more moderate 530. Beneath the new chapel is a crypt which is used for smaller prayer meetings and services. The crypt can seat 30 people.

The stained glass windows featured in the Sir Herbert Baker designed chapel, include: the Michaelhouse rose window, depicting the head of Christ surrounded by the birds of Natal Province at the rear of the chapel, and windows depicting Christ, St Michael and other angels in the sanctuary. The windows were created by Ervin Bossanyi. The pews are made of solid teak.

The chapel has a bell-tower, installed in the 1950s with a carillon of 8 bells. It has been a tradition (with unknown origins) that only boys from Tatham House may ring the bells. The bells are rung before each chapel service (there are three services a week, although not all are compulsory).

The Schlesinger Theatre

A 550-seat theatre was built and completed in 1976. The theatre hosts a wide variety of performances, mainly aimed at the resident population of pupils. However, the theatre is open to the local community. There are a wide variety of high-calibre shows and many performers give a one night performance on their way between runs in Johannesburg and Durban.

The Schlesinger theatre is one of a number of facilities at the school that was funded by an old boy.

The Inglis Indoor Centre

The construction of the Inglis Indoor Centre was completed in August 2006. It is named after James Inglis, a past chairman of the Board of Governors. The centre can house many spectators and in summer it is used for basketball, and has three courts that can be used simultaneously, whilst during winter it is used for indoor hockey.

The centre also features a cafeteria/restaurant which is available to the pupils as well as the public, and accommodation for visiting teams to stay overnight.

Other Features

The library is stocked with over 16,000 books and has an adjoining 50 seat lecture theatre. There are four Science laboratories and three Biology laboratories and three computer centres. The school also has a dedicated sanatorium and laundry services. The staff reside on the estate.

Sporting Facilities

There are 11 playing fields:

  • Willows - named after the Willow trees that stand along its length.
  • Vlei - an Afrikaans name meaning marsh or bog. This is because of the fields affinity for flooding during heavy rains.
  • Meadows - Currently used as the main rugby field.
  • Far Meadows - Adjacent to Meadows
  • Holleys
  • Tarpeys - use to grow millet during WW2 to feed the school.
  • Baileys - The former main rugby field. Moved to Meadows when seating the hundreds of fans on its small banks became a problem
  • Aitkens Astroturf - formerly a grass pitch, the astroturf was completed in 2001
  • Punchbowl - a junior cricket oval.
  • Hannahs - a senior cricket oval.
  • Roy Gaythorn oval - The first team cricket oval.


These include 6 turf cricket pitches, an artificial astro-turf hockey surface, a heated swimming pool (12 lanes by 25 metres), 8 tennis courts, a fully equipped weight training facility, a 6 court squash complex, a golf driving range, an indoor sports centre (used primarily for basketball and indoor hockey - the facility also houses four artificial surface indoor cricket practice nets) and a dam for canoeing.

Map of the Michaelhouse Campus

Notable Old Boys (year of matriculation)

Michaelhouse today

The relatively high fees of R131,800 p.a. in 2009, makes Michaelhouse the second most expensive boarding school in South Africa, after Hilton College.

Michaelhouse is a member of the Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa and the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.

The Deputy President of South Africa, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka was the guest speaker at the speech and prizegiving day in 2006.

Development

The school has an endowment of approximately R21.7 million.

Feeder schools

See also

References

  1. ^ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Michael
  2. ^ < "ISASA School Directory".
  3. ^ < "Genealogy World".
  4. ^ Cape Argus - 14 September 2006
  5. ^ SA writer wins top UK award
  6. ^ Cape Times - 19 May 2006

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29°24′S 30°02′E / 29.400°S 30.033°E / -29.400; 30.033

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