St. Aloysius' College, Glasgow

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St. Aloysius' College is a private Jesuit school in Glasgow, Scotland. It was founded in 1859, and named after the famous Jesuit, St. Aloysius Gonzaga. Its strong Jesuit ethos emphasises practice of Roman Catholic religion both in the church and in the community, with many charitable and community-based groups in the school. It is also renowned for its academic performance and success on the rugby field, most recently embarking upon a successful tour of Australia in the summer of 2006.

St. Aloysius' is a co-educational school with a kindergarten, a junior school and a senior school. The headmaster, John Stoer, is the first lay headmaster - i.e. the first not to be a Jesuit priest. There are four houses: Campion (after St. Edmund Campion), Loyola (after St. Ignatius Loyola), Ogilvie (after St. John Ogilvie) and Xavier (after St. Francis Xavier). The College motto is Ad majora natus sum, which means "I was born for greater things". As in many Jesuit schools, pupils are instructed to inscribe AMDG (Ad majorem Dei gloriam - "to the greater glory of God") on all work.

It was founded in the east of Glasgow, close to the (predominantly Irish) Catholic community it was set up to accommodate. Since the end of the 19th century it has been situated in Garnethill on the north side of Glasgow city centre, adjacent to the Glasgow School of Art; notable buildings include the original Italianate Chandlery Building on this site and more modern additions such as the Clavius Building and Junior School, both of which have won RIBA architectural awards^[1]. It is associated with the Jesuit church of St Aloysius, modelled on the Church of the Gesù in Rome.

School uniform consists of a myrtle green blazer with gold trim. Girls wear a skirt which has to be at least knee length, grey while boys wear grey trousers. Everyone wears a white shirt, house tie, grey jumper and need to wear polished black shoes. Girls are not allowed to have their hair down and you are not allowed any jewelery except small studded earings. The school emblem is an eagle.

The school has an outstanding sports record and the boys recently hosted a group of rugby players from Winsor school London. The boys play rugby from primary four to second year when they are allowed to choose whether to continue or not. The girls play hockey in the same time frame.

St. Aloysius College also have a very istablished charities including Marie Curie, Justice and Peace and Fair Trade.

[edit] Noted alumni

Paul Coia, broadcaster
Armando Iannucci, comedian
James Loughran, conductor
Dr Harry Burns, Chief Medical Officer for Scotland
The Rt Honourable Lord Gill, Justice Clerk
Professor John Haldane, Philosopher
Rt. Hon. Catherine Dunn, Philosopher
John Thomas Wheatley, Baron Wheatley. Scottish Labour Politician and Judge
Michael McFarlane, Paul Kelly and Ronan McLaughlin, members of Glaswegian rock band, The Silent Proect
Lord Gordon of Strathblane (James Stuart Gordon)
Sir William Hamilton Stubbs