St. Alban's College
Encyclopedia
St Alban's College is a private boarding school/day school for boys situated in Pretoria
, Gauteng
, South Africa
. It was founded in 1963 by Anton Murray
.
The founder-Headmaster, Anton Murray, was a South African cricket
er who sought to maintain the best traditions of liberal education. So an emphasis on well-rounded development prevails, and games such as cricket, rugby
and hockey
have always figured prominently in its history.
St Alban's has pioneered the way in important areas: opening its doors to boys of colour before it was legal to do so, and providing educational upliftment programmes for disadvantaged members of the community.
Mr Murray devoted twenty years of his life to the school. Mr Paul Marsh was headmaster during a transitional phase lasting for four years. Mr Ronnie Todd introduced many radical changes during his ten years as headmaster, and following his position as headmaster went on to open St Peter's College. The fourth headmaster was Mr Grant Nupen, who was one of those 37 pioneering Foundation Scholars in 1963 and went on to become the first Head Boy, a distinction he held for three years.
Under the direction of the current headmaster, Tom Hamilton, the school has become well-established, steadily heading towards its 50th birthday in 2013.
> Adams (Drama)
> Afrikaans Club
> Audio-Visual
> Barbershop (Musical Group)
> Big Band (Musical Group)
> Bridge Club
> Canoe Club
> Chapel Notes (Musical Group)
> Chess Club
> Chinese Culture
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
, Gauteng
Gauteng
Gauteng is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. It was formed from part of the old Transvaal Province after South Africa's first all-race elections on 27 April 1994...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It was founded in 1963 by Anton Murray
Anton Murray
Anton Ronald Andrew Murray was a South African cricketer who played in 10 Tests in a little over a year from December 1952 to February 1954, appearing four times against Australia and then six times against New Zealand...
.
About
St Alban's College is a young Anglican boys' school. It came into existence on 1 February 1963 with a total strength of 37 boys and 3 masters. It now has 510 boys and 43 teachers plus an array of support staff.The founder-Headmaster, Anton Murray, was a South African cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who sought to maintain the best traditions of liberal education. So an emphasis on well-rounded development prevails, and games such as cricket, rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
and hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
have always figured prominently in its history.
St Alban's has pioneered the way in important areas: opening its doors to boys of colour before it was legal to do so, and providing educational upliftment programmes for disadvantaged members of the community.
Mr Murray devoted twenty years of his life to the school. Mr Paul Marsh was headmaster during a transitional phase lasting for four years. Mr Ronnie Todd introduced many radical changes during his ten years as headmaster, and following his position as headmaster went on to open St Peter's College. The fourth headmaster was Mr Grant Nupen, who was one of those 37 pioneering Foundation Scholars in 1963 and went on to become the first Head Boy, a distinction he held for three years.
Under the direction of the current headmaster, Tom Hamilton, the school has become well-established, steadily heading towards its 50th birthday in 2013.
Headmasters
| Started | Finished | Name |
| 1963 | 1981 | Anton Murray |
| 1982 | 1986 | Paul Marsh |
| 1987 | 1997 | Ronnie Todd |
| 1997 | 2001 | Grant Nupen |
| 2001 | current | Tom Hamilton |
Academics
St Alban's College ranks top ten students of each grade every term; in addition, House Positive is equal to an average of 65% or above and School Positive is from 75%. Since 2008 students at St Alban's College undertakes examinations set by the Independent Examination Board of South Africa.Sport
Sports offered include Rugby and Hockey (the main sports in the winter time), Cricket, Swimming, Basketball and Water Polo (in summer). Other sports are soccer, tennis, squash, athletics and cross-country running.Culture
A wide variety of cultural activities are offered, the full list which can be found on the school website.Clubs and Societies
Clubs and societies are an important part of school life, and there is a diverse offering:> Adams (Drama)
> Afrikaans Club
> Audio-Visual
> Barbershop (Musical Group)
> Big Band (Musical Group)
> Bridge Club
> Canoe Club
> Chapel Notes (Musical Group)
> Chess Club
> Chinese Culture
Music
The school has a vibrant music faculty. The choir has attained several international awards.Notable alumni
- Jabulani TsamboHip Hop PantsulaHip Hop Pantsula, born Jabulani Tsambo, is a popular South African Motswako hip-hop MC who frequently performs in ethnic languages, though mostly in Setswana.- Career :...
a/k/a Hip Hop Pantsula, rapper - David GoldblattDavid GoldblattDavid Goldblatt is a South African photographer noted for his portrayal of South Africa during the period of apartheid and more recently that country's landscapes.-Life and work:...
, photographer (1930 -)