St Mungo's Academy, Glasgow

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St. Mungo’s Academy
Motto Nile sine Labore
(Nothing without work)
Established 1858
Type Comprehensive,co-educational, secondary
Religious affiliation Catholic
Headteacher Mr. John Reilly
Location Glasgow
Flag of Scotland Scotland
Students 937 (2005)
School colours Blue, yellow, black
Website http://www.st-mungosacademy.glasgow.sch.uk

St Mungo's Academy is a Roman Catholic, co-educational, comprehensive, secondary school located in Bridgeton, Glasgow. The school was founded in 1858 by the Marist Brothers religious order. The school has a reputation for academic achievement and sporting excellence, particular in football.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] The Founding

St. Mungo’s Academy was founded by the Marist Brothers in 1858 at 96 Garngad Hill,[1] Glasgow to educate poor Catholic boys, largely the sons of immigrants from Ireland. The school was named after the patron saint of Glasgow, Saint Mungo, and had ambitions to create a Catholic professional class by educating the boys to secondary level and prepare them for university studies. In this it had a good level of success, as well as providing a steady stream of boys wishing to pursue a career in the priesthood or other religious orders.

Marist Brothers played a large role in shaping the educational and social life of the Catholic residents of Glasgow in the second half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. In addition to founding St.Mungo’s Academy they were active in the running and staffing of the primary schools of St. Mungo’s, St. Alphonsus’, St Patrick’s, St Mary’s and the Sacred Heart as well as the Junior Secondary schools of St. Mark’s and St. Mary’s.[2] A Marist Brother, Brother Walfrid,[3]also founded Celtic F.C. in 1888.[4]

[edit] 1860-1959

After only two and half years the school moved to St. Mungo Street,Townhead, and in 1883 overcrowding led the school to move again, this time to Parson Street also in Townhead where it remained until 1973. In the wake of the Education Act of 1918 the demand for admission to the school surged. In 1919 the school was absorbed into the state system, while retaining its Roman Catholic character under the running of the Marist Brothers. The school roll increased from 350 to 580 and within 10 years stood at 1,147. With access to the school opening up, more lay teachers were recruited. These included the brothers Colm and Willie Brogan. [5]

Until the 1930s many boys who attended the school came from beyond Glasgow. Pupils travelled daily from Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, Stirlingshire, Ayrshire and Dunbartonshire due to the lack of Catholic secondary schools in these parts.[6]

During these years the school population also reflected other migrations into the city from the Highlands[7], Italy and after the Second World War, Poland. During this period former pupils began to return to the school to teach.

In 1923 the school motto 'Nil sine labore' was included in the new badge. The motto came from two lines in one of Horace’s Satires ‘Nil sine magno, Vita labore dedit mortalibus’.[8] The motto means Nothing without work. As a result of the increasing numbers of pupils a new annexe St. Kentigern’s (formerly Alexander’s School) in Duke Street was purchased. [9]

[edit] 1960-1998

Further increases of the school population during the 1960s required the use of additional annexes, including, directly across the road, Barony Street (the former Martyrs' Public School, designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh), Kennedy Street Primary School (built in 1875) which was shared with the City Public School and Rigby Street in Carntyne which was later used by St. Gregory's Secondary Cranhill. [10]

In 1973 the buildings in Parson Street were declared unsafe and work began on the new school in Crownpoint Road. The next year the buildings in Parson Street were demolished.

The school rehoused to new premises in Hanson Street part of the Central College of Commerce for a short period before the move to the newly built school in Crownpoint Road, Bridgeton, in 1976. At this time St Mungo’s Academy was still a boys school run by the Marist Brothers but over the following years the Brothers moved to other work and by 1988 when the first girls arrived from Our Lady and St Francis Secondary School the Brothers had passed control of the school to lay staff.[11] By 1989 the school was a comprehensive, co-educational state Roman Catholic school, still called St Mungo’s Academy with equal numbers of boys and girls.

[edit] 1999-present

Since August 1999 the school has been part of an education pilot project in which it works very closely with its associated primary schools, some nursery schools and other agencies such as Health, Social Work, Careers and Psychological services. It is known as the St Mungo Learning Community and has considerable autonomy with a devolved budget to organise its own affairs. The aim is to reduce administration in individual schools, leaving more time for teaching and learning and work with other agencies in addressing pupil’s needs. [11] In October 2001 staff and pupils transferred to a new purpose built school.[11] In 2005, the school comprised 29 general classrooms, 7 dedicated ICT teaching areas, 10 science labs, 4 technical rooms, 4 art and design rooms, 3 home economics rooms, 3 music rooms, 2 gymnasia, a drama studio, a games hall, and a purpose built oratory.

Physical education facilities include 4 indoor areas and a new all-weather sports pitch, all used extensively by the local community.

In 2005, 937 pupils were enrolled in the Academy, of which 353 had learning difficulties, 19 had special educational needs and 11 spoke English only as a second language.

The 150th anniversary of the founding of St. Mungos' Academy was celebrated in April 2008 at a dinner in a Glasgow hotel. Pride of place at the dinner went to 100 year-old Alasdair McCann, a Govan boy now living in Galway. Also, an icon of Saint Marcellin Champagnat, founder of the Marist Brothers will be unveiled at celebratory mass, at St.Mungo's church Townhead in June 2008. [12]

[edit] Sports

Athletics, rugby union and football were the main sports pursued by the school. The athletics team participated in both track and field and cross country city and national competitions, often with success.

The rugby teams were established in 1934-5 [13] and operated in the years before national schools competitions in Scotland. The teams played a series of matches each season against other rugby playing schools in the Greater Glasgow area. The football teams were the most successful school sports team and were a source of pride to both pupils and teachers. The school first XI won the Scottish Secondary Schools’ Shield in 1915 at the first time of competing. As the school population grew other age group teams were established. Over the years the teams were successful in both Glasgow and District secondary schools’ championships as well as in national championships. The last national title was won in 1990 in the Scottish Secondary Schools’ Shield Under 18 Championship Final.

In total the school football teams have won 16 Scottish Schools Championships at all age grades. The football teams have also won 47 Glasgow School Championships and 18 Glasgow Cups.

Football Championships:

Competition Under 18 Under 16 Under 15 Under 14 Under 13 Total
Scottish Secondary Schools’ Shield [14] 10 3 3 0 0 16
Glasgow Schools League Champions [15] 21 4 10 9 3 47
Glasgow Schools Cups [15] 14 2 6 4 2 18
Total 35 9 19 13 5 81

[edit] Alumni

Arts
Politics
Military
Religious Life
Sports

The following former pupils all went on to play for Celtic. The years in which they played appear after the name.

Ribchester and Arthur McInally played together in the school team's first victory in the Scottish Secondary Schools’ Shield in 1915.

In 1876 the first Former Pupils’ reunion was held and in 1884 the Former Pupils’ Association was formed to encourage pupils to keep a connection with the school after they had left and to create and fund bursaries for the pupils of the school.[32] The association still exists today and meets in the Academy on the first Saturday of each month.

The Former Pupils football team plays in the Caledonian Amateur Football League.

[edit] Sources

  1. ^ (Handley (1958) p.15)
  2. ^ (Handley (1958) p.15)
  3. ^ (Handley (1958) p.18 & 207)
  4. ^ (Handley (1960) p.14)
  5. ^ Archdiocese of Glasgow
  6. ^ (Handley (1958) p.143)
  7. ^ (Handley (1958) p.153)
  8. ^ (Handley (1958) p.153)
  9. ^ (Handley (1958) p.154)
  10. ^ (Williamson et al (1990))
  11. ^ a b c http://www.st-mungosacademy.glasgow.sch.uk/default.aspx
  12. ^ Archdiocese of Glasgow
  13. ^ (Handley (1958) p.173)
  14. ^ Scottish Schools Football Association
  15. ^ a b Glasgow Schools Football Association
  16. ^ Tunn, John Patrick (Jock) (1892 - 1955) Biographical Entry - Australian Dictionary of Biography Online
  17. ^ (McBride et al (1994) p.41)
  18. ^ (McBride et al (1994) p.47)
  19. ^ (McBride et al (1994) p.72)
  20. ^ (McBride et al (1994) p.99)
  21. ^ (McBride et al (1994) p.184)
  22. ^ (McBride et al (1994) p.259)
  23. ^ (McBride et al (1994) p.290)
  24. ^ (McBride et al (1994) p.291)
  25. ^ (McBride et al (1994) p.311)
  26. ^ (McBride et al (1994) p.319)
  27. ^ (McBride et al (1994) p.332)
  28. ^ (McBride et al (1994) p.370)
  29. ^ (McBride et al (1994) p.385)
  30. ^ (McBride et al (1994) p.386)
  31. ^ (McBride et al (1994) p.402)
  32. ^ (Handley (1958) p.49)

[edit] References

  • Darragh, James (1991) St Mungo's Academy: Roll of Honour 1939-45 Tonbridge, The Author
  • The History of St.Mungo's Academy 1858-1958 (1958) John Aitken & Sons, Paisley - Author unacknowledged but attributed to Handley, James E.
  • Handley, James E.(1960) The Celtic Story Stanley Paul
  • McBride E., O’Connor M., Sheridan G., (1994) An Alphabet of the Celts ACL and Polar Publishing ISBN 0-9514862-7-6
  • Williamson, E. Riches, A. Higgs, M (1990) The Buildings of Scotland: Glasgow Penguin Books London ISBN 0-300-09674-7

[edit] External links