St Peter's College, Palmerston North
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| St Peter's College | |
| - | |
| Motto | Ubi Petrus, Ibi Ecclesia
As Peter, so the Church [1] |
| Type | State Catholic Co-educational Integrated College (Year 7-13) |
| Year established | 1974, as an amalgamation of St Joseph's Convent School, Palmerston North Marist and St Patrick's Intermediate |
| Address | Holdsworth Avenue, Milson, Palmerston North, New Zealand |
| Principal | C. England |
| School roll | 811 |
| Socio-economic decile (10 is high) | 8 |
| Ministry of Education Institution no. | 204 |
| Website | http://www.stpeterspn.school.nz |
St Peter's College is a Catholic Integrated co-educational College Year 7-13 of approximately 811 students. It is located in the northern Palmerston North suburb of Milson. The school's campus includes the historic St Anskaar's Chapel, which was gifted to the school by the people of Dannevirke.
Contents |
[edit] School Leadership
The current Headmaster is Chris England. Further, the school is divided into a junior school (years 7-10) and a senior school (years 11-13). Currently Michael Delaney and Helen S. Allan head the junior and senior schools respectively. Timothy Bernard Hehir is the chairman of the Board of Trustees.
Like many Catholic schools in New Zealand, St Peter's has put a great deal of emphasis on developing leadership in its students. This is line with the school's desire to provide its students with a holistic education.
[edit] Colours
The traditional colours of St Peters College are green and gold. This can be seen in the colours of the sports teams.
[edit] Houses
Students and teachers alike are divided into four houses, named after famous New Zealand Clergy. The houses compete annually for the House Shield as well as serving an organisational purpose for the students:
Viard (Green)- Named after Bishop Viard. Viard is traditionally the strongest house. Has won the House Shield more times than any other house. Leadership and athleticism have traditionally been considered Viard's strengths, with the house having a virtual mortgage on the Athletics Shield until recent years.
Redwood (Red)- Named after Bishop Redwood. Redwood is traditionally the second strongest house and has won the House Shield more times than any house other than Viard. Performing arts are traditionally considered Redwood's strength.
O'Shea (Blue)- Named after Bishop O'Shea. O'Shea has not traditionally been a strong house but in recent years has won a number of competitions. Academic competitions have traditionally been considered O'Shea's strength.
McKeefry (Yellow)- Named after Cardinal KcKeefry. McKeefry is the least 'winning' of all the houses but in recent years results have been improving. High participation and fair play have traditionally been considered McKeefry's strength.
[edit] Sporting Rivalries
St Peter's Rugby Union 1st XV traditionally plays games against three other Catholic Schools, for which special jerseys are used and caps are awarded to players. The schools are,Francis Douglas Memorial College in Taranaki, Cullinane College (formerly St Augustines) in Wanganui and St Peter Chanel in Masterton. These games are played on an annual basis, with home and away roles alternating. In recent years St Peter's has declined to send a 1st XV to Masterton, sending instead an under 16 team, in order to keep the game competitive.
[edit] 2002 Manawatu Standard controversy
In late 2001, a number of people lodged New Zealand Press Council [2] complaints against the Manawatu Standard, a local daily broadsheet. The school alleged that the newspaper was unfairly running negative stories the school, while not reporting on any neighbouring schools. In Tony Booker against the Manawatu Standard,Tony Booker against the Manawatu Standard the Press Council upheld the complaint, finding that the Standard was guilty of unbalanced reporting and bias. The Standard was forced to print the Council's findings. Anti-Catholicism was considered a possible motive for the Standard, as this is the main distinguishing feature between St Peter's and other Palmerston North schools.
[edit] Former Students of note
- Billy Meehan- Former New Zealand Commonwealth Games Boxing Representative.
- Tim Wilkinson- Professional golfer.
- Simon Power- Prominent National Party MP, once touted as a possible Prime Minister.
- Gerard Hehir- Former Alliance party General Secretary and current director of Outpost Digital Media
- Simon Teahan- International Orienteering representative for New Zealand.
- Carolyn Robinson- Palmerston North and competitive Town Crier
