Coláiste Mhuire, Mullingar
Coordinates: 53°31′34″N 7°20′48″W / 53.526°N 7.3467°W
| Saint Mary's College Coláiste Mhuire | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
|
Mullingar, County Westmeath Ireland | |
| Information | |
| School type | Secondary school |
| Motto | Learn, grow and refine |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1856 |
| Founder | Christian Brothers |
| Principal | Joe O'Meara |
| Teaching staff | 35 |
| Gender | Male (Leaving certificate repeat is co-educational) |
| Number of students | 735 (as of December 2014) |
| Language | English |
| Colour(s) | |
| Nickname | C.B.S |
| Team name | Saint Mary's CBS |
| Alumni | Niall Horan, Willie Penrose, Niall Breslin, John Joe Nevin |
| Website | http://www.cbsmullingar.ie/ |
Saint Mary's College (Irish: Coláiste Mhuire) is a secondary school located in Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland. As Mullingar's oldest post-primary school, it first opened its doors to students in 1856. It is a voluntary Catholic Secondary School based in the Hevey Institute. It is primarily a boys' school, however, the repeat Leaving Certificate class is co-educational. The school is located directly beside Cathedral of Christ the King, which opened on September 6, 1936.
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History
The foundation of the school in 1856 was largely due to the philanthropy of a local retired brewer and landowner, James Hevey. Hevey’s last will and testament of 1835 contained the following bequest: “all my right and interest in the town and in the lands of Bryanstown for the support, maintenance and education of poor children of the parish of Mullingar”. A site for the school was obtained from Lord Granard at an annual rent of £15 and building was completed, in 1856, at a cost of £5000. The school was popular from its inception: in the 1860s there were already 400 pupils attending and a contemporary document tells us that “Several of the Boys have come from different counties, and some from South America”. In early 2003, work on a €3 million extension began at the rear of the Hevey Institute. This extension included more classrooms, such as woodwork rooms. Unique to Mullingar, students could now study technology in a state of the art technology room which opened in February 2005, as part of the extension.[1]
School committees
The parent's council is a committee set up by the parents of students in the school, and other volunteers. The council debates on issues relevant to the ongoing development of the school, and on issues affecting students and school life. The student's council is a committee set up by students in the school. An election takes place each year, around the end of October. The student's council asks students on changes that they'd like to see changed to the school such as variations of food offered by the canteen and outdoor seating; giving students a voice to cast their opinion.
Enrollment
The school was originally a boys only school since it was established. However, this changed in 1993 when Leaving Certificate repeats became co-educational. Transition Year is offered in the school and is optional. Students can choose to go straight to 5th year otherwise.
| Historical enrollment | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Enrol. | ±% |
| 1983 | 588 | — |
| 1993 | 646 | +9.9% |
| 2000 | 601 | −7.0% |
| 2003 | 568 | −5.5% |
| 2006 | 579 | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 722 | +24.7% |
| 2014 | 735 | +1.8% |
| Note: This record of enrollment is from 1983 until 2014 at random order. There may be evidence of further statistics elsewhere. Source: www.irelandstats.com | ||