Saint Julian's School
St. Julian's is a private school in Carcavelos, Portugal. It was opened on November 25, 1932, on the site of an 18th-century palace, built by José Francisco da Cruz, Treasurer to King D. José I. Several national and international famous figures have their children studying at St. Julian's. A few examples of celebrities who have attended the school include actress Daniela Ruah, singer Mia Rose, politician Rodrigo Ferro and Portuguese artist Paula Rego.
House system
The school sponsors a house system promoting competition between students. Currently, the house system is used primarily in athletics and in theatre though there are plans to integrate inter-house academic competitions. The three houses are named after three key figures in the founding of the school, Mrs. Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. Bucknall and Mr. Etherington-Smith. The three houses are:
- Franklin whose members wear red
- Bucknall whose members wear Green
- Etherington Smith whose members wear Blue
Sports and athletics
The school prides itself in winning several sports championships and leagues. St. Julian's School holds various intra-school sports activities and clubs including Football and Basketball training sessions (alternating between boys and girls), an annual Cross-Country, an annual Sports Day, an annual 50 km-Challenge, among others. The school also, thanks to its vast facilities, hosts a number of inter-school championships, such as the March Festival. Every student in school has compulsory Physical Education classes in order to fulfill the school's aim to "achieve a balance between academic, social, cultural and 'physical' activities, and to integrate emotional, spiritual and intellectual development." '
The arts
The Art Department at St. Julian's also promotes art in St. Julian's through a few competitions including a Photography Award in memory of alumni 'Dulgoon'; a competition for the cover of the Wings magazine; among others.
The Drama Department is also active at St Julian's. In the Secondary School, pupils take part in Creative Arts until Year 9, which consists of lessons in art, dance, drama and music. In Years 10 to 11, pupils may choose from drama, music and art as IGCSE subjects. In Years 12 and 13, pupils may take IB Theatre, Music or Visual Arts.
As an extra-curricular activity, drama is also available to any pupil in the Secondary School. There are the annual 'Lawson Houseplays', which is a competition between houses consisting of which house can put up the best 30 minute play. There are several conditions, for example, it must be directed by, produced by and act in exclusively by students. In 2009 the theme was Shakespeare and the plays performed were A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tempest and Much Ado About Nothing.
In addition, every year there is a Secondary School play. In the last two years, these have been musicals; Sweeney Todd and Sweet Charity. Others play performed by St Julian's School also include Spring Awakening by Frank Wedekind, Our Country's Good, by Timberlake Wertenbaker, as well as a Portuguese production of Federico Garcia Lorca's The House of Bernarda Alba.
Ecological issues
The school, recently proved to be sufficiently "ecologically efficient" to enter the Eco-Schools programme. The school also has regular Eco-Council meetings within the school and attends an Eco-Forum conference in Lisbon. [citation needed]
Surroundings
The wilderness that surrounds the school, including historical landmarks from the time of the Peninsular War and the Lines of Torres Vedras and the nearby Carcavelos beach and the Forte de São Julião da Barra (in Portuguese) The Quinta dos Ingleses on which the school is built is also a political hot-spot. For over 20 years, there has been a constant dispute between construction firms and ecological conservation groups over the right to build on the land. This has resulted on an all-ban on new permanent buildings in the area, therefore barring the school from developments such as the planned Sports pavilion and a further block of classrooms. [citation needed]