St. Michael's College Enniskillen

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St. Michael's College
Image:Crest saintmichaels.gif‎
Motto Orare Studere Agere.
To pray, to study, to act.
Established 1957
School Chaplin Canon McQuaid
President Eugene J McCullough
Vice President Marie McKenna
Studyhall Woman Dr. Kathleen McCarney
Head Boy PJ Rodgers
Location Drumclay Hill, Enniskillen
Students 821
Employees 106
Budget £6,560,000
Asset Value £56,000,000
Type Grammar School
School Ranking 07/08 Number One[citation needed]
Colours Navy Blue and Light blue
Homepage http://www.saintmichaels.org.uk/

St. Michael's College is a Roman Catholic boys grammar school in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland. It is named after Saint Michael the Archangel. The school educates Catholic boys in County Fermanagh and surrounding areas. The school is located within the parish of Enniskillen, one of the largest parishes in the Diocese of Clogher. The school Feast Day is 29 September.

In 2006 the Northern Ireland education board noted the school for producing the best GCSE grades in Northern Ireland.

Contents

[edit] About St. Michael's College

St. Michael's College, also called St. Michael's Grammar School, was founded in 1903 by the Presentation Brothers. It moved to its present site in 1957 and was designated a Diocesan College by the then Bishop of Clogher, Most Rev. Dr. Eugene O'Callaghan. It was established to cater for the educational needs of Catholic boys from the northern half of the Diocese of Clogher. The building opened in 1957 was designed to cater for 160 pupils. Boarding facilities were available for about 60 boys, which expanded to about 100 by the early 1970s. Since its foundation the College has continued to grow and expand. It now has 700 students, a teaching staff of 50 and a support staff of 35.

The West Wing of St. Michaels Grammar School
The West Wing of St. Michaels Grammar School

[edit] Location

The College is situated on Drumclay Hill, about half a mile from Enniskillen town centre. It is sufficiently removed from the town to ensure an undisturbed atmosphere in which to pursue the activities of the school day. The College is built on an elevated site and enjoys a view of the Mill Lake, Cuilceach, Topped Mountain and the surrounding countryside.

[edit] St. Michael's College crest

The aims of the college and its expectations from its pupils are summed up in the symbolism of the college crest.

  • Orare: means to pray. This emphasizes that the first duty of each person in to grow in the knowledge and love of God. Establishing a personal relationship with God is the beginning of all knowledge.
  • Studere: means to study. This concept is more than applying oneself to books; it is the study of life in order to come to a better understanding of ourselves and our vocation. The motto calls all students, past and present, to constant study.
  • Agere: means to act. This word points out that each pupil is expected to contribute by his action to the good of society what he has gained from his prayer and study.

The book depicted on the crest contains no writing. It represents the life of each pupil which will be filled in time by his achievements. The cross and shield emphasize that our faith will be our constant protection in life.

[edit] History of St. Michael's College

From 1903 until 1957, St Michael’s was run by the Presentation Brothers at its Belmore Street site, where the Clinton Centre now stands. It was then taken over by the Diocese under the then Bishop of Clogher, the Most Rev. Eugene O'Callaghan and rebuilt at Drumclay. In 1952, the site was purchased by the parish priest of Enniskillen, Monsignor Gannon.[1] During the summer of 1956, Father Patrick Mulligan was appointed to run the college. Work on the grammar school started in 1958; during that time, classes were held at the original location on East Bridge Street[2].

In September 1963, the buildings were completed and all classes were moved from East Bridge Street to Drumclay. The college has undergone extensive development and expansion since that time. The original site was expanded in the late 1950s to increase the number of students from 200 to 300. The next expansion occurred in 1966 with the addition of four new classrooms, including a modern language laboratory, a bookstore and a teachers recreation room. In more recent years a new technology block has been added, and many of the science labs have been renovated.

A small corridor in the school leading to the year 14 studyhall
A small corridor in the school leading to the year 14 studyhall

[edit] St. Michael's College presidents

Since the college was taken over by the Diocese in 1957, a total of six priests have taken up the president’s role. In 2006, Eugene McCullough was the first lay person appointed to lead the college.

Dr. Patrick Mulligan, a native of County Fermanagh, was the first President of the College and served in the post for nine years. He oversaw the planning and building of the college at Drumclay as well as its first two expansions. Less than three years after his retirement from the post, he was appointed Bishop of Clogher. He resigned that position in 1979 due to ill health and died in 1991. The second principal was Dr. John McElroy, also a native of County Fermanagh, who remained in the post until 1977. One of his students was future president, Fr. Joseph McGuinness. McElroy later became Parish Priest of Aghalurcher, near Lisnaskea and died in 2004.

Years Name
1957 - 1966[3] Fr. Patrick Mulligan
1966 - 1977 Rev. Dr. John Canon McElroy
1977 Fr. Peadar Livingstone
1978 - 1994 Fr. Macartan McQuaid
1994 - 2002 Fr. Patrick MacEntee
2003 - 2006 Fr. Joseph McGuiness
2006 - Dr. Eugene McCullough

In 1977, Fr. Peadar Livingstone, from Castleblayney, County Monaghan briefly held the position of President before assuming parish duties in Broomfield, Co. Monaghan. By the time he took up the post, he was already known for his great local historical work, The Fermanagh Story[4]; he completed The Monaghan Story[5] in 1980. He was succeeded at the end of the year by Fr. Macartan McQuaid, also a native of County Monaghan. Fr. McQuaid assumed the post of President in January 1978 and was the longest serving President of St Michael's College.

Canon McQuaid oversaw major extension work at the College; during his tenure, the number of students attending the school gradually grew from 500 to over 700. Canon McQuaid retired in 1993, and was appointed Parish Priest of Irvinestown. He returned to the college as chaplain in 2007.

In 1994, Rev. Patrick MacEntee, a native of Monaghan, assumed the position of president. Fr. MacEntee joined the staff of the college in 1977 with his appointment as dean. Fr. MacEntee resigned as president in 2000 and is now Parish Priest of Dromore. He was succeed in September of 2000 by Fr. Joseph McGuinness, originally from Lisnaskea in County Fermanagh, and the only past pupil of the college to become president; Fr. McGuinness retired as president in August 2006. In September 2007, Fr. McGuinness was appointed to the position of Parish Priest of Enniskillen.

The school's first lay Principal, Eugene J. McCullough, took up his post on 1 September 2006. Eugene McCullogh (born 6 October 1948), educated in County Antrim, is the former President of St. Marys Secondary school, Irvinestown, County Fermanagh.

[edit] Senior Prefects' Role in College

  • To act as a role model for students and promote the ethos of the school
  • To be an approachable member of year fourteen to whom students can come to for assistance or support
  • To maintain the standards duties and responsibilities of a prefect as detailed below
  • To organise school events for your community
  • To perform one duty per week
  • To attend school events when required
  • To attend all meetings with the Senior Leadership Team and other prefects as required
  • To ensure all school rules are adhered to at all times by all pupils
  • To help lead a team of prefects
  • To oversee the mentors of the form group in your team
  • To monitor the performance of the prefects in your team and deal with any problems that may arise from this monitoring.
  • To report any issues to the Head Boy
  • To wander the corridors aimlessly before dinner, most notably found in music department
  • To attend a meeting in the Ennis Suite at least every fortnight. Alternative meeting places include the "Atrium" function room which is popular among the students

[edit] The Senior Prefect Team 2007/2008

  • PJ Rodgers Head Boy
  • Oisin McCann Deputy/Vice Head Boy
  • Aidrian McGurn
  • Michael Curran
  • Keith McPartland
  • Patrick Corrigan
  • Brian Cox
  • Stephen McKenzie
  • Manus Maguire
  • Finbarr Maguire
  • Cian McGovern
The 50th senior prefect team of 2006 and 2007
The 50th senior prefect team of 2006 and 2007

[edit] Academics

St. Michaels offers a diverse range of subjects including: Art, Biology, Business Studies, Clanien Arts, Chemistry, English and Drama, Geography, History, Home Economics, Citizenship, Politics, Construction, IT, Languages (Irish, French and German), Maths, Religion, Technology and Design, Music, Physics, and European Studies.

[edit] Sports

St. Michael's College has a strong sporting tradition. Teams have excelled in many sports most notably Gaelic football[6]. The College recently played Omagh CBS in the Bank of Ireland MacRory Cup.[7] In 2006, St. Michael's won the Rannafast Cup.

St Michael's qualified for the (2008) MacRory Cup final, with a winning score of 1-17 to 0-7 win over St. Eunan's of Letterkenny, in Friday night's floodlit MacRory Cup semi-final at Healy Park, Omagh.

St Michael's were defeated by St Patrick's of Dungannon in the Final on Monday 17th March Unlucky my son!!

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Fermanagh Herald, 11 October 1952
  2. ^ The Fermanagh Herald, 18 January 1958
  3. ^ The Fermanagh Story, Fr. Peadar Livingstone, Fourth Impression, L.W.N Hall, Booksellers, Enniskillen, 1990.
  4. ^ Clogher Historical Society.[1]
  5. ^ Monaghan County Council: [2]
  6. ^ GAA: Ulster Colleges.[3]
  7. ^ BBC news article.[4]

[edit] See also

[edit] External links