Sullivan Upper School
Encyclopedia
 | |
| Address | Belfast Road Holywood BT18 9EP |
| Phone | (028) 9042 8780 (+44 28) from abroad |
| Fax | (028) 9042 7644 |
| Headteacher | Mr C J W Peel, M.A., B.Sc., Dip.A.S.Ed. |
| Vice Principals |
|
| School type | Voluntary Grammar |
| School Board | DENI - Department of Education Northern Ireland |
| Location | Holywood Holywood Holywood is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the shore of Belfast Lough, between Belfast and Bangor. Holywood Exchange and Belfast City Airport are nearby. The town hosts an annual jazz and blues festival.-Name:... , Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west... , UK United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
| Enrollment | 1,100 students |
| School colour(s) | Black and green |
| Motto | Lamh Foisdineach An Uachtar |
Sullivan Upper School is a mixed
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
cross-
Ecumenism
Ecumenism or oecumenism mainly refers to initiatives aimed at greater Christian unity or cooperation. It is used predominantly by and with reference to Christian denominations and Christian Churches separated by doctrine, history, and practice...
denominational
Christian denomination
A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and doctrine within Christianity. In the Orthodox tradition, Churches are divided often along ethnic and linguistic lines, into separate churches and traditions. Technically, divisions between one group and...
voluntary grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
in Holywood
Holywood
Holywood is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the shore of Belfast Lough, between Belfast and Bangor. Holywood Exchange and Belfast City Airport are nearby. The town hosts an annual jazz and blues festival.-Name:...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
and has approximately 1,100 enrolled pupils. The school motto, which is printed on all the school blazers, is Lamh Foisdineach An Uachtar, which is Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
for "with the gentle hand foremost".
History
Sullivan Lower School (equivalent to a primary school in modern terminology) was founded in 1862 by Robert Sullivan. After Sullivan's death in 1868, part of his estateWill (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
was used to establish the upper school. Originally the two schools were based in Holywood's High Street, but the lower school no longer exists and the upper school has moved to a site on the edge of the town. The original building is now occupied by the town's public library
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
.
Costello reforms
The school is opposed to the government's plans for the reform of education based on the Costello Report. These reforms will remove academic selectionEleven plus
In the United Kingdom, the 11-plus or Eleven plus is an examination administered to some students in their last year of primary education, governing admission to various types of secondary school. The name derives from the age group for secondary entry: 11–12 years...
in Northern Ireland, which some observers think will effectively destroy the country's grammar schools. In opinion polls over 60 percent of parents in Northern Ireland are opposed to the changes.
A letter recently went out to Pupils in every year, directly from the headmaster, Mr Stevenson, raising the issue that the ethos and academic achievement of Sullivan would be changed irreparably by the post primary selection changes.
In the 2007–2008 Board of Governors' report it is stated that the school will use Common Entrance Assessments as academic selection for admission to year 8 in 2010.
The future role of academic selection in the educational system is also controversial given that there has been no agreement at Assembly or Executive level about the way forward. In managing this disturbing situation the Board of Governors has decided that Sullivan Upper will use Common Entrance Assessments as developed by the Association for Quality Education for admission to year 8 in 2010.2007-2008 Board of Governors' Report
Sports
Sullivan Upper participates in various sports, including rugbyRugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, 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:...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
.
The school won the rugby 2001 Medallion Shield
Medallion Shield
The Medallion Shield is an annual rugby union competition involving schools affiliated to the Ulster Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union. The competition is open to all schools within Ulster, but only schools from within Northern Ireland currently enter, with no entries from schools situated...
, with current senior Irish
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
International and Ulster
Ulster Rugby
Ulster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Ulster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Belfast, representing the Irish province of Ulster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
player Darren Cave
Darren Cave
Darren Cave is a professional rugby union player who currently plays for Ulster Rugby in the RaboDirect Pro12. Cave attended Sullivan Upper School. His club is Belfast Harlequins who play in AIB League Division 2.Cave plays as a centre, in which position he was selected for the Ireland squad which...
playing in this team. Other notable past players include David Erskine, a former senior Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
International. In 2009 the school won the 2nd XV cup for the first time, beating Royal School, Armagh 14-12. In 2011 the school won the Medallion Shield for the second time.
In hockey, Sullivan won the 1993 Burney Cup
Burney Cup
The Burney Cup is an annual competition involving the strongest schools affiliated to the Ulster Branch of the Irish Hockey Association...
beating Banbridge Academy
Banbridge Academy
Banbridge Academy is a grammar school located in Banbridge, Northern Ireland. The school was founded in 1786.The current Principal is Mr Raymond Pollock OBE, who was previously a Vice Principal at Friends' School, Lisburn. Mr. Pollock was preceded by Mr. Charles Winston Breen , a graduate of...
after sudden death penalty strokes. In 2006 they reached the final again — losing 4–2. Former team members include Irish Senior International player such as Mark Raphael. In 2009 they also reached the McCullough Cup
McCullough Cup
The McCullough Cup is a hockey competition. It is an annual tournament played for by schools affiliated to the Ulster Branch of the Irish Hockey Association...
final for the first time in the schools history. In 2010, the team reached the semi-final of the Burney Cup but lost to Campbell College.
In Cricket, the school reached the School's Cup final for the first time in their history in 2009, but ended up losing by nine wickets to Foyle and Londonderry College
Foyle and Londonderry College
Foyle College, which is also known by its former name Foyle and Londonderry College or FALC, is a co-educational voluntary grammar school in the city of Derry, Northern Ireland. In 1976, two local schools, Foyle College and Londonderry High School, merged under the Foyle and Londonderry College Act...
.
Sullivan have a golf team competing in various competitions. One notable previous member is Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy is a Northern Irish professional golfer from Holywood in County Down. He has represented Europe, Great Britain & Ireland, and Ireland as both an amateur and a professional. He had a successful amateur career, topping the World Amateur Golf Ranking for one week as a 17-year-old in 2007...
, a young professional golfer on the PGA Tour.
Music
The school involves a wide range of musical talent which is represented in the many musical groups held throughout the week. These include Orchestra, Jazz band, Junior Choir, Traditional group, Brass band and Sullivan Singers. there are also several small groups of musicians playing at many events inside and outside school, these include a jazz quartet "Jazz Inc.", string quartets, wind ensembles and pop bands.The house system
The school is divided into four houses: Praeger (red), Grant (green), McAlester (blue), Speers (yellow). Two of the houses, Grant and Speers, were named after ex-headmasters of the school, whereas Praeger was named after the sculptress Rosamund PraegerRosamund Praeger
Sophia Rosamond Praeger, MBE, HRHA, MA was an Irish artist, sculptor and writer.Born in Holywood, County Down, Ireland, she was educated at Sullivan Upper School, the Belfast School of Art and the Slade School of Art in London. She was the younger sister of the naturalist Robert Lloyd Praeger.She...
and her brother Robert
Robert Lloyd Praeger
-Life:Of a Unitarian background, he was born in Holywood, County Down, and grew up in that town where he was educated, first in the school of the Rev McAlister and then at nearby Sullivan Upper School. He worked in the National Library of Ireland in Dublin from 1893 to 1923. He co-founded and...
. McAlester was named after the Rev. McAlester who sat on the Committee of Sullivan Schools in the 1800s when the school was founded. The school's Preparatory Department, however, only contains three of the four houses - Grant house, which was established in the 1974-75 school year, only exists in the main body of the school.
Regular inter-house competitions are held to cultivate house pride - including the House Music Competition and Sports Day. In recent years Grant has dominated the House music event. McAlester has been successful in house rugby with Praeger dominating house hockey and winning the overall house cup in 2008. Speers has held a good record in badminton and tennis. The house cup has been hotly contested recently, particularly between Praeger and Speers.
In the school year ending June 2008, Praeger won by a considerable margin.
In the school year beginning Sept 08 Grant won House Badminton.
On Tuesday 21 October 2008 was the latest House Music Competition, with Grant taking first place, followed extremely closely by McAlester, Praeger, and finally Speers. There are 7 categories for the House Music Competition; Ensemble, Junior Instrumental Solo, Senior Instrumental Solo, Vocal Solo, Composition, Pop Band and House Choir.
Grant's win at House Music currently places them in the lead this year with Praeger close behind.
Notable alumni
- Darren CaveDarren CaveDarren Cave is a professional rugby union player who currently plays for Ulster Rugby in the RaboDirect Pro12. Cave attended Sullivan Upper School. His club is Belfast Harlequins who play in AIB League Division 2.Cave plays as a centre, in which position he was selected for the Ireland squad which...
- rugby player - Garth EnnisGarth EnnisGarth Ennis is a Northern Irish comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series Preacher with artist Steve Dillon and his successful nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise...
- comics writer - David Erskine - rugby player
- Dan GordonDan Gordon (actor)Dan Gordon is a Northern Irish actor, director and playwright.Gordon was born in Belfast and is best known in Northern Ireland for his portrayal of Red Hand Luke in the BBC Northern Ireland sitcom Give My Head Peace. He starred in the Marie Jones monodrama A Night in November in the tricycle...
- actor (Give My Head PeaceGive My Head PeaceGive My Head Peace was a satirical television comedy series on BBC Northern Ireland that pokes fun at political parties, paramilitary groups and the sectarian divide in Northern Ireland...
) - Colin HarperColin HarperColin Harper is an Irish music journalist. He was born in Belfast and graduated in 1989 from Queen's University, Belfast. As a writer for the Belfast "Irish News" he wrote unsiged features on local bands and famous bands on tour...
- music journalist, writer and charity entrepreneur - Maurice JayMaurice JayMaurice Jay is a radio and television personality in Northern Ireland. He is currently the Programme Controller for a Belfast radio station that is part of the UTV Media group. Jay played lead roles in over 100 UK-wide performances of West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein...
- DJDisc jockeyA disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
on radio station U105U105U105 is a Belfast based radio station, providing a mix of music and speech as well as hourly news bulletins. It is owned by UTV Radio and was launched at 6am on Monday 14 November 2005....
, composer, actor and broadcaster - David Jeffrey - Linfield F.C.Linfield F.C.Linfield F.C. , is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club, whose home ground is Windsor Park in Belfast, which is also the home of the Northern Ireland international team....
manager - Prof David E. Logan - Coulson Professor of Theoretical ChemistryTheoretical chemistryTheoretical chemistry seeks to provide theories that explain chemical observations. Often, it uses mathematical and computational methods that, at times, require advanced knowledge. Quantum chemistry, the application of quantum mechanics to the understanding of valency, is a major component of...
, University of OxfordUniversity of OxfordThe University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096... - Dr Des Johnson - Lecturer at Heriot Watt University, EdinburghEdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
- Bobby KildeaBobby KildeaBobby Kildea is a musician from Northern Ireland. He currently plays bass and guitar in the Scottish indie pop band Belle & Sebastian, after joining in 2001 to replace departing bassist Stuart David, and had previously been in V-Twin...
- guitarist (Belle & SebastianBelle & SebastianBelle and Sebastian are an indie pop band formed in Glasgow in January 1996. Belle and Sebastian are often compared with influential indie bands such as The Smiths, as well as classic acts such as Love, Bob Dylan and Nick Drake. The name Belle & Sebastian comes from Belle et Sébastien, a 1965...
) - Derek LawtherDerek LawtherDerek Lawther is a soccer coach and businessman. He began his career in professional soccer as a player in Northern Ireland. After immigrating to the United States, he developed his coaching talents and went on to coach the US Olympic team as well as several professional American soccer teams...
- footballer, coach (American Olympic, etc.) - George LowdenGeorge LowdenGeorge Lowden is a guitar maker, luthier, based in Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland. He constructs acoustic guitars, steel and nylon strung.-Company:...
- guitar-maker - Mark McClellandMark McClellandMark Peter McClelland is a musician from Northern Ireland, known best as the former bass guitarist with the band Snow Patrol. McClelland is a recipient of the Ivor Novello Award for his work on the album, Final Straw...
- bass guitarist (Little DosesLittle DosesLittle Doses are an alternative rock band from Scotland, formed in Edinburgh in 2006. The band comprises lead vocalist Kirsten Ross, Mark McClelland on bass guitar and backing vocals and Michael Branagh on drums and backing vocals...
, formerly for alternative rock band Snow PatrolSnow PatrolSnow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...
) - John McCreaJohn McCreaJohn McCrea is a comic book artist best known for his collaborations with writer Garth Ennis.-Career:...
- comic artist - Rory McIlroyRory McIlroyRory McIlroy is a Northern Irish professional golfer from Holywood in County Down. He has represented Europe, Great Britain & Ireland, and Ireland as both an amateur and a professional. He had a successful amateur career, topping the World Amateur Golf Ranking for one week as a 17-year-old in 2007...
- golfer - Dermot MurnaghanDermot MurnaghanDermot Murnaghan is a British journalist and television presenter.He is well known for his work as a presenter of ITV and BBC News as well as the shows Eggheads and Treasure Hunt . He co-presented BBC Breakfast from Monday to Thursday as well as regularly fronting national BBC news bulletins...
- Sky NewsSky NewsSky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...
news reader and television personality - Mark SimpsonMark Simpson (Ireland correspondent)Mark Simpson is a journalist who has been the BBC's Ireland Correspondent since summer 2008.-Career:Simpson originally began his journalistic career for a series of Northern Irish newspapers — The News Letter, The Irish News, and The Belfast Telegraph — after graduating in 1988 from Queens...
- BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
Ireland reporter - Alan Smith - UNESCOUNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
academic - Peter Wilson - musician (Duke SpecialDuke SpecialDuke Special, real name Peter Wilson, is a songwriter and performer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A piano-based songwriter with a romantic style and a warm, distinctly accented voice, he has a distinctive look, with his long dreadlocks, eyeliner and outfits he describes as "hobo chic"...
) - Gareth McLearnonGareth McLearnonGareth McLearnon began his flute playing career in his native Belfast, making his way through the ranks of the 39th Old Boys Flute Band, before moving to London in 1999 to attend the Guildhall School of Music and Drama...
- musician