Michaelhouse
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- For the former college of the University of Cambridge, see Michaelhouse, Cambridge.
| Michaelhouse | |
 |
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| Quis ut Deus | |
| Established | 1896 |
|---|---|
| School type | Private, Boarding |
| Locale | Rural |
| Grades | Blocks E - A |
| Rector | Guy Pearson |
| Exam board | IEB |
| Location | Balgowan, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
| Students | 540 boys |
| Colors | Red and white |
| Fees | R 96 000 p.a. |
| Website | www.michaelhouse.org |
Michaelhouse is a private 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 and is part of the Elite Seven.
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[edit] History
St. Michael's Academy for Young Gentlemen 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.
[edit] 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 - 1929)
- Ronald Fairbridge Currey (1930 - 1938)
- Frederick Rowlandson Snell (1939 - 1952)
- Clem Morgan (1953 - 1960)
- 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)
[edit] 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. They are often coupled in reference like Eton and Harrow or Oxford and Cambridge.
A friendly rivalry on the sportsfield has developed since 1896, and the high point of this is the Hilton-Michaelhouse Day, which alternates every year between the two campuses and during which the schools play one another in sport. The day cumlinates in a rugby match between the two 1st XVs.
[edit] Academics
Like 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 specialises in the education of boys and has an academic staff of about sixty with a male teaching quorum of approximately 70% and a master-pupil ratio is 1:10 .[1]
Michaelhouse school-leavers write the Independent Examinations Board exams and consistently achieve top results.
| IEB Results | 2004 | 2005 |
|---|---|---|
| Number of candidates | 106 | 109 |
| Number of failures | 0 | 0 |
| University endorsement (%) | 87.2 | |
| A aggregates (%) | 20 | 22 |
| A-B-C aggregates (%) | 94 | 83 |
| Subject distinctions | 125 | 126 |
| Number in top 50 | 0 | 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.[2]
In recent years, one Michaelhouse graduate was accepted directly to the University of Oxford and four to the University of Pennsylvania, of which three were accepted to Wharton Business School.
[edit] The estate and facilities
The school buildings are made of historical Pietermaritzburg red brick.
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 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. There is also a 550 seat theatre and two 60 seat lecture theatres.
Michaelhouse is set on an estate of 600 hectares. There are 12 playing fields, including an artificial field hockey surface, a heated swimming pool, 8 tennis courts, a 6 court squash complex, a golf driving range, an indoor sports centre and a reservoir for canoeing.
[edit] 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
[edit] Notable alumni (year of matriculation)
- Sir George Albu, 3rd Bt. (1962)
- Dale Benkenstein (1992), Dolphins cricketer
- Sir Rupert Bromley, 10th Bt. (Oxon) (1952), Rhodes scholar and businessman
- Professor David H.M. Brooks, philosopher and author of "The Unity of the Mind"
- Peter Brown (Cantab) (1941), activist and founding member of the Liberal Party
- Michael Cassidy (Cantab), evangelist
- Sir John Craven, director of Reuters and Deutsche Bank
- Robbie Diack, Western Province rugby footballer[3]
- George Ellis (Cantab) (1955), scientist and author (co-written book with Stephen Hawking)
- James Goodman, television horseracing presenter and former polo player
- Chick Henderson (1947), rugby footballer and commentator
- Craig Higginson (1989), author of The Hill
- Robert Holmes à Court, entrepreneur and Australia's first billionaire
- Sir Ian Lloyd (Cantab), British politician and Tory MP
- Tufty Mann, former South African cricketer
- Don MacLeod (Oxon), managing director of Illovo Sugar
- Hal Miller, newspaper baron and former chairman of the Argus Group[4]
- Brian O’Shaughnessy, radio and television personality
- Gary Ralfe (Cantab), Managing Director of De Beers
- Richard Scott, Baron Scott of Foscote (Cantab) (1951), British barrister and judge
- William Thomson (Oxon), author
- Rex Tremlett, gold prospector
- Wilbur Smith (1950), bestselling novelist
- John van de Ruit (1993), playwright and author of Spud
- Nolly Zaloumis, environmentalist
[edit] Michaelhouse today
The relatively high fees of R96,000 p.a. in 2006, 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.
[edit] Development
The school has an endowment of approximately R21.7 million.
[edit] Feeder schools
- Clifton Preparatory School, Nottingham Road, KwaZulu-Natal
- Highbury Preparatory School, KwaZulu-Natal
- Cordwalles Preparatory School, KwaZulu-Natal
- Clifton School, KwaZulu-Natal
- The Ridge School, Gauteng
- Pridwin Preparatory School, Gauteng
