Type Private, Day Founder Fr Thomas Perrott SJ Rector Fr Rob Davoren SJ Motto 'Deo gloria' Founded 13 February 1951 Patron saint Ignatius of Loyola | Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic Chairman Mr John Connelly Phone +61 8 8334 9300 Gender Mixed-sex education Affiliation Society of Jesus | |
Established 13 February 1951; 66 years ago (13 February 1951) Address 2 Manresa Ct, Athelstone SA 5076, Australia Similar Pembroke School, Rostrevor College, Loreto College Marryatville, St Peter’s College, Marryatville High School | ||
Saint Ignatius' College, Adelaide, is a co-educational Catholic day school located in Adelaide, South Australia, part of the international network of Jesuit schools which began in Messina, Sicily in 1548. The Patron Saint of the College is the founder of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), Ignatius of Loyola. The College has two campus locations: the Junior Campus in Norwood, containing the Junior School (Reception to Year 6 students) and Early Childhood Centre (3 to 5 years old), and the Senior Campus in Athelstone, located across some 16 hectares of land, home to the Senior School (Year 7 to 12 students).
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Single-gender education beginnings and later developments
Saint Ignatius' College began in Queen Street, Norwood, South Australia, commencing with fifty-two boys and six Jesuit fathers on 13 February 1951. The catalyst was Archbishop Matthew Beovich's increasing interest in commencing more formalised Catholic schooling in Adelaide. Thus the Jesuit boys' day school was established. The initial intake was from Grade 3 onwards. (Students prior to this year level were educated at Loreto College, St Joseph's Memorial School (the local Parish school), or the local state schools.)
The school grew quickly and in 1967 a secondary campus was opened at Athelstone, in the then outer suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia and the Norwood campus became the Junior School. From 1971, the school accepted Kildare College enrolments from girls wanting to complete their secondary studies. At that stage, Kildare offered education up to Year 11. In 1996, the school changed to offer co-educational enrolments from Reception to Year 12, the first Jesuit school in the world to do so.
A co-educational Reception to Year 12 College
Today, over 1500 students are enrolled at the College across both the Junior and Senior Schools.
In 2005, Saint Ignatius' College and Mercedes College hosted their inaugural 'Intercollegiate Sports Carnival' - Intercol. Each year the senior students of both colleges participate in eight sports for seventeen shields in the winter season. The school that wins the majority of the shields is the overall winner of the Carnival and of the 'Mercedes-Ignatius' Shield. Each school alternates the hosting of Intercol each year. Saint Ignatius' College will host the Intercol again in 2015.
A significant celebration and event within the College community is the annual Patronal Feast Day of Saint Ignatius. A whole school mass is held at the Norwood Parish for current students and staff of the school; it is one of only two events in the College calendar where students from both campuses are gathered in one place. Saint Ignatius' feast day is celebrated on 31 July.
Aside from Junior and Senior School swimming and sports carnivals, another major event is the school's annual Distribution of Prizes, known as 'Speech Day', which all students from Years 3 to 12 attend. Students from Years 3 to 12 can be acknowledged for high achievement in various areas of their schooling life. The 'College Blue' prize is also awarded to any past or present student of the College for extraordinary achievement in their life. It is held at the Adelaide Convention Centre at the beginning of Term 4 (October/November). The majority awards are books such as dictionaries and encyclopaedias, as well as a small number of medals and trophies. Future student leaders of the school are announced at this event.
The Ignatius Early Years is an early childhood education centre located next to the Junior School at Norwood. It is for preschoolers aged 3 to 5 and follows the Reggio Emilia approach on educational philosophy for children. It opened in 2009.
Recent
Opening in March 2010, the Campion Library is a new double storey library at the Senior School, developed to replace the previous, smaller library building. The Campion Library contains more classrooms to accommodate the growing number of Senior School students, as well as more modern library facilities. Similarly, opening in early 2011, the new Junior School library building replaced the former Junior Campus administration building, and likewise, includes new classrooms for the increasing student population.
Scheduled for completion towards the middle of 2014 is the Senior School Performing Arts centre, the Music and Drama Building, to replace the existing demountable Performing Arts buildings. The new building will house student classrooms, tutorial and storage rooms, and an auditorium with raked audience seating for over 300 people. It will be located on the northern Bellarmine Lawns area, next to the Bellarmine Building.
Sometime within these years, the Senior College has developed a student-ran show. This show, the Homegroup, is presented to the school on Friday every fortnight.
Manresa Report
The Manresa Report is the school magazine. There are normally two issues every year. Inside it contains news and articles on the happenings of the Junior School and Senior School, as well as future developments, staff section, and also the Old Ignatians section, about past scholars of the college. There is also a section on marriages and child-births related to Old Scholars as well.
Houses
Students of the College are separated into four houses under a College house system. House members are involved in various musical, pastoral, performing and sporting events alongside participants of their own house and opposing teams. The four houses are named after their patron Jesuit Saints: