St. Alban's College
St. Alban's College is a private, boarding, English medium and day high school for boys situated in the suburb of Lynnwood Glen in Pretoria in the Gauteng province of South Africa. It is one of top and most expensive schools in South Africa and it was founded in 1963 by Anton Murray. The sister school is called St. Mary's Diocesan School for Girls.
| St. Alban's College | |
|---|---|
 St Alban's College school crest | |
| Address | |
110 Clearwater Road , | |
| Coordinates | 25°46′25″S 28°17′03″E |
| Information | |
| Type | All-boys private school |
| Motto | Custos Veritatis meaning "Guardians Of The Truth" |
| Patron saint(s) | St. Alban |
| Established | 1963 |
| Founder | Anton Murray |
| Locale | Lynnwood Glen (Suburban) |
| Sister school | St. Mary's Diocesan School for Girls |
| School district | District 9 |
| Headmaster | Mr Shane Kidwell |
| Exam board | IEB |
| Grades | Form I – V / Grade 8 – 12 |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 14 to 18 |
| Enrollment | 569 boys |
| Language | English |
| Schedule | 07:30 - 14:00 |
| Campus | Urban Campus |
| Houses |
|
| Colour(s) | Blue Navy White |
| Song | Laud the grace of God victorious |
| Rival | St Benedict's College St John's College St Stithians College |
| Feeder schools | Waterkloof House Preparatory School Woodhill College |
| Fees R247,900 (boarding), R181,200 (day boy) p.a. | R247,900 (boarding), R181,200 (day boy) p.a. |
| Website | www |
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History
The school was founded on 1 February 1963 with a student body of 37 boys and 3 masters. It now has 580 boys and 43 teachers plus support staff.
The founder-Headmaster, Anton Murray, was a South African cricketer, who worked for twenty years at the school. Paul Marsh was headmaster during a transitional phase lasting for four years. 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 Grant Nupen, who was one of the 37 Foundation Scholars in 1963 and went on to become the first Head Boy, a position he held for three years.
Under the direction of the fifth headmaster, Tom Hamilton, the school celebrated its 50th birthday in 2013.
School hymn
The school hymn is Laud the grace of God victorious, the office hymn for the feast of St. Alban. Normally, the school only sings verses 1, 4 and 5. Verses 2 and 3 are only sung at certain events.
Headmasters
| Started | Finished | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 1981 | Anton Murray |
| 1982 | 1986 | Paul Marsh |
| 1987 | 1997 | Ronnie Todd |
| 1997 | 2001 | Grant Nupen |
| 2001 | 2016 | Thomas Hamilton |
| 2017 | Incumbent | Shane Kidwell |
Academics
St Alban's College ranks their 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 undertake 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, rowing, basketball and water polo (in summer). Other sports are golf, soccer, tennis, squash, athletics and cross-country running (also known as bounds).
The sports that is played at the school are:
Music
The St Alban's College chapel choir attended the World Choir Games for the first time in the school's history in 2008. In 2010, the choir completed a tour of the United States, where it toured the East Coast and performed at places including the Washington National Cathedral in Washington D.C..
The school has a singing group, the Barbershop Boys, comprising singers selected from the chapel choir, usually around 15-20 boys, who sing a cappella and often arrange their own pieces. The Barbershop Boys began the school's "Music Tours" with their tour to Argentina in 2004 under the leadership of the then Master-in-Charge of music, Mark Stenhouse.
Notable Old Boys
- David Rattray - historian, fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (1958 – 2007)
- John Smith - Olympic Gold Medalist for rowing, light weight coxless four, 2012 London Olympics
- Richard Sterne - professional golfer
- Jabulani Tsambo AKA Hip Hop Pantsula (1980–2018) - rapper
- Roger Goode - Radio DJ
- Bongi Mbonambi - Springbok and Stormers rugby player
- Kurt Haupt - German international rugby player
- Jean-Philip Grobler - AKA St. Lucia, front-man for the band St. Lucia (musician)
- Mlungisi Bali (1990–2018) - rugby player
- Abongile Nonkontwana - Blue Bulls rugby player
- Michael Kumbirai - Stormers rugby player
- Dan van Zyl - National cricket and rugby player
- Jason Jenkins - Springbok and Blue Bulls rugby player
- Steven Preston - Entrepreneur, Businessman, Philanthropist, MBA (Henley), Ironman (1982 - 2020)
External links
- Official website
