Queen's College (South Africa)

Queen's College Boys' High School

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  • Queen's College Crest

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Esse Quam Videri ('To Be , rather than to seem to be')
Location
Queenstown, Eastern Cape
South Africa
Information
Type All-Boys Public School
Established 1858
Headmaster Mr. Brendan Grant (1 Jan 2013)
Grades 8 - 12
Enrollment 575 pupils
Colour(s) Old Gold and Black
Yearbook "The Queen's Quire"
Website www.queenscollege.co.za

Queen's College is situated at the foot of the Stormberg Mountains in the Eastern Cape town of Queenstown. Established in 1858, it is the oldest school on the Border.

Brief History

Mr. CE Ham set up a private school for boys, the Prospect House Academy. In 1858 it was taken over by the state as the Queenstown District School. That year is taken as the foundation date for Queen's College. Today, all that remains of Mr. Ham's original school is the lectern on the stage of the Memorial Hall (the present school hall). It was made out of a yellow wood beam salvaged from the old school building when it was demolished in 1949.

In 1867, Frederick Beswick opened a private school in the town and then the principal of a conglomerate of schools called Queenstown Boys' Public School, whose headmaster he remained for 32 years. He really set education on a sound footing in Queenstown. His son, Alan, became the first Old Queenian to play rugby for South Africa. In 1910 the school was officially named Queen's College.

The school continued to grow in size and stature and under Mr. A Parry Davies, who was headmaster from 1930 to 1940, Queen's began to develop a distinctive character and spirit. The school's prowess in the academic, sporting and cultural spheres became known far and wide and it began to attract pupils from all over South Africa and as far afield as Zimbabwe.

The core of the old stone school buildings (dating back to 1897) was retained when a new purpose designed modern school complex was built in 1973. Many valuable reminders of the school's debt to the past are housed in the Queen's College Museum in the "Old School", which was itself declared a historical monument in 1980.

Student Body

Queen's College boasts a diverse student body, having made the transition from segregated schooling as early as 1992.

The college is headed by their recently appointed Headmaster, Mr. Brendan Grant, who hails as the former deputy headmaster of Graeme College in Grahamstown. Forming an important liaison between Staff and Student Body is the Prefect Body, a democratically appointed group of students who help maintain order and discipline in the school. Fourteen Prefects are selected from the Grade 12 year group and have traditionally been nicknamed "College Cops". A second tier of leadership has recently been established and is known as the School Monitors.

Boarding Facilities

Queen's College currently has three boarding houses in operation, namely Connaught House, Whitson House and Athlone House.

Facilities

Queen's College boasts some of the finest sporting facilities in South Africa. These include

Hospitality

In recent years the College has hosted a number of successful sports festivals. Some notable successors include:

Notable alumni

Coordinates: 31°53′21.20″S 26°52′36.71″E / 31.8892222°S 26.8768639°E / -31.8892222; 26.8768639

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, March 12, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.