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Marist College Prospectus
History
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St. Marcellin Champagnat (1788-1840) Founder
of the Marist Order
Classmates from 1890, Count John Mc Cormack
and Archbishop Curley at a reunion in 1927.
Past pupils Brian Lenihan (Taniste '87-'90),
Sean Fallon (cathaoirleach of Senate) and Tom Burke (Past
Pupils Union President) with the principal, Br. Gerard and
Archbishop Cathal Daly at the opening of the new gym in
1984.
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In September 1884, the Marist Order opened the first boys
secondary school in Athlone, at St. Mary's Square/Gleeson
Street. Part of the original building is still retained
as the Brothers residence- St. Marcellin Champagnat House.
The first principal, Br. Mungo, a native of Fermanagh, arrived
directly from France, from the Hermitage of Our Lady at
St. Chamord, the teacher-training centre built by Marcellin
and the first brothers in 1825. This direct link to St.
Marcellin's founding house is symbolic of his intentions
that this benevolent, egalitarian vision of education, revolutionary
for its time, would be the guide and inspiration for Marist
educators everywhere. And the echo of this vision recurs
through the generations: ("I have nothing but praise for
the teachers, they favoured nobody": Denis Seary, Glasson,
class of 1929. "In the 1940s they were way ahead of their
time in having a broad and human approach towards education":
Brian Lenihan, class of 1948, Tanaiste '87-90 and former
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Education. "He treated
all his pupils with respect, respect for their individuality
and respect for their right to be wrong": Anthony Kelly,
class of 1975, Principal, St. Anthony's High School, Clones.
" The genuine interest of all the teachers in the wellbeing
of the students, in curriculur and extra curricular activities
is one of the abiding memories I take with me from Marist
College": Shay Lydon, class of 1994, 1st in Leaving Cert
in Ireland in English, Irish and History, Law graduate,
Trinity and Oxford). Carrying the vision through the generations
involved regular expansion of facilities. In the 1930s,
twenty acres were aquired in Retreat and Our Lady's Hermitage
was built, on the model of the first Hermitage built by
Marcellin, to serve as Novitiate for the Marist Order's
expansion in Ireland and abroad. By the 1970's free education
had pushed numbers beyond the capacity of the old school
in St Mary's Square, and in December 1972, the existing
school in Retreat opened its doors. The grounds in Retreat
have afforded spacious recreation facilities for the students.
These were supplemented in 1984 by one of the largest school
gyms in the country. This project, and many others, like
the Computer room was made possible by the huge fund raising
efforts of our Past Pupil's Union, and, more recently, the
Parents Association. Plans are presently on the table for
building a new extension to the science wing, part of the
schools commitment to maintain its long standing reputation
for excellence in science and maths.
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Vision
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In May 1818 at La Valla, in south eastern France, Marcellin
Champagnat, the Marist founder, opened his first school.
He was very clear from the beginning that Christ's central
teaching, "love one another", must always be given practical
expression in Marist schools: "To teach children well, you
must first love them, and love them all equally...equality
ought to be the hallmark of the Marist school" he told the
first brothers. This child centred approach, based on kindness
and respect, was 150 years ahead of government legislation.
But, from the first it has been a guiding aspiration of
Marist education. The order seeks always to find in its
lay teachers Marcellin's vision: "To educate a child, to
instruct him in the truths of our faith, is a more sublime
occupation than ruling the entire world". Champagnat laid
special emphasis on personal contact and the giving of good
example in developing the character of young people. He
urged his teachers to "lavish every care upon those young
souls...Their whole life will be the echo of what you have
taught them...spare nothing to form their young hearts to
virtue": Champagnat, 1831, Letters.
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Spirit Of Community
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"The spirit of a Marist school ought to be a family spirit.
Now, in a good family, a well run family, sentiments of
respect, love and mutual trust predominate...all pupils
should be treated according to their personal worth...taking
into consideration only their conduct, and loving and treating
them all as your children": Marcellin Champagnat. One hundred
and fifty years ahead of government legislation, Champagnat
rejected corporal punishment: "Such methods...flout the
dignity of human beings; they degrade children and draw
down scorn and hatred on their perpetrators; they introduce
disorder into the school, destroying feelings of love, esteem
and the mutual confidence and respect between teachers and
pupils...The first and most important of a Marist teacher's
duties is to exercise over the children a supervision which
shields them from anything which may endanger their virtue..
it is especially through seeing good done and through good
example that they learn to practice virtue and to live as
Christians".
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 Group discussion in
religion class
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Good Conduct Gold Medal
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Marist education seeks to make each pupil feel part of
a community based on the internalisation of Christian values,
respect, care and tolerance of others. An atmosphere of
shared responsibility is fostered through rotation of class
duties, the election of a prefect and vice prefect in each
class, supervised by the Form Master and a Senior Prefect
(6th Year pupil). A spirit of inclusiveness is promoted
through class activities: lunch time leagues, class retreats,
class outings, discussions of class and individual concerns
with the Form Master and Religion teacher. A feeling of
belonging to the wider school community is fostered through
a full spectrum of sporting and extra curricular activity
(see herein), and the easy and constant availability of
staff, in keeping with Champagnats wish that "we (teachers)
must live in the midst of the children". Looking to the
wider community students are encouraged to put Christian
values into practise through various forms of social work
and fundraising for charity. They are challenged to adapt
a critical (and hopefully imaginative) outlook on social
and political issues through a series of visiting guest
speakers and group discussions. A written code of discipline
is administered through the teachers acting as Form Masters
for each class, Year Heads for each year group and a Discipline
Committee consisting of all Year Heads with Principal and
deputy-Principal. The school's emphasis on good behaviour
is marked by the most prestigious award presented to a Leaving
Cert. Boy, The Good Conduct Gold Medal. A vote of the entire
student body decides the recipient each year. We have never
been disappointed with their choice, an indicator, we feel,
of Marcellin's goal of a community based on shared Christian
values.
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Marist students launch public campaign for riverbank walks in
Athlone
Academics
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Maths class with national panalists for World Mathematics
Olympics
Small group with native speaker: German
Irish representatives in European Youth Parliament debate-3rd
time for Marist in present decade
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Education in a Marist school, in the spirit of the founder,
begins and ends with respect for the individual child. Giving
practical expression to this principle means providing a
wide subject choice so that each pupil can build on his
strengths, career guidance and counselling so that he/she
is aware of those strengths, classes as small as possible,
and the special help required to offset weakness, and intellectual
challenges needed to realise exceptional ability. text for
opposite side of double page (page 6or 7) In the competitive
intensity of today's points system, the challenge for the
school is to enable each student to reach his highest academic
standard without stifling his development as a whole person.
We face this challenge in the light of St. Marcellins vision
that a Marist school give its pupils a realistic and pragmatic
education in the context of " a Christian spirit and Christian
attitudes". We encourage our pupils to aim high. But, to
help make academic achievement and personal development
part of the same process opportunities to apply abilities
and enthusiasms outside of class are provided. (See Exploring
and Creating). The school's reputation for outstanding performances
in science and maths is well known and supported by the
high percentage of graduates entering engineering and related
fields. But a careful look at the record indicates a good
balance between the sciences and humanities. For example,
in the past decades, we have had pupils with the highest
Leaving Cert. mark in the country in Maths and Economics,
yes, but also in English, Irish and History. This, we are
happy to note, has been balanced by achievements on the
personal development side such as enterprise projects and
public speaking, including representing Ireland on three
occasions at European Youth Parliament debates, etc. In
subjects like English, Irish and History students are encouraged
to express and develop, in essays, their own responses to
literature and events. The school emphasises the importance
of effort in the context of a pupil's clear view of his
ability and goals. Reward for effort as well as achievement,
is reflected in our prizegiving at the close of each school
year. To measure the effectiveness of our teaching efforts,
we carefully monitor, analyse and make publicly available
each year the exam results and career placement of our students.
A few examples will give a snapshot of the school's academic
life: a quarter of our pupils get 9 honours or more in their
Junior Cert.; over half get 5 or more honours; 100% of each
class sits the Leaving Cert., and, on average, 80% go on
to third level education.
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Education in a Marist school, in the spirit of the founder, begins
and ends with respect for the individual child. Giving practical
expression to this principle means providing a wide subject choice
so that each pupil can build on his strengths, career guidance
and counselling so that he/she is aware of those strengths, classes
as small as possible, and tthe special help required to offset
weakness, and itellectual challenges needed to realise exceptional
ability
Sport
"To form young people one must establish a claim to their respect...the
claims which young people recognise and understand best are virtue,
good example, competence and the brotherly feelings displayed
towards them", Marcellin Champagnat told his first brothers. Sport
is an activity where so much of this attitude can find expression.
It is on the sports field that a spirit of camaraderie and co-operation
develops, where friendships are made, where first years can suddenly
feel part of it all, where respect between children and adults
is enriched by rapport. In the high pressure and unhealthy distractions
of young lives today the importance of sport for relaxation, stress
release, healthy exercise cannot be exaggerated. It is too important
to be reserved only for the best. We are fortunate to have 20
acres of open space, a full size gym and a staff that, over the
years, has given generously of its time to make our students five
years healthier, more inclusive, and a bit more relaxed.
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Marist players from Westmeath all-Ireland minor champions.
Basketball: a long history in the school
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The school competes regularly in at least five sports,
Gaelic football, rugby, soccer, basketball, golf and swimming,
with periodic participation in others. As in academics,
a commitment to excellence has brought, over the years,
provincial or all-Ireland titles in all of these. More important
is the opportunities for participation the fifteen school
teams provide. Beyond these, the P.E. programme, class leagues,
and adventure sport outings extend the benefits of sports
participation to the entire student body.
Lunchtime class league action
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Exploring and Creating
"To bring up children involves more than initiating them into
the subjects which normally make up instruction..."- Life of Marcellin
Champagnat, 1856. The Marist College seeks to provide wide opportunities
for students to discover and express the unique spirit inside
themselves, to make them aware that external measurements, including
exam results, must not be the basis of their identity, their self
image, that the spirit of God's creation is expressed in the uniqueness
of all things, not least themselves, that it is through creativity
and imagination, the spirit of initiative, awareness of and interaction
with others that the self which is uniquely them can be realised.
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Video making in Transition
Magazine production using desktop publishing
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In an otherwise exam driven educational system Transition
Year is the unique chance for many young people to experience
the fulfilment and joy of conceiving, developing and completing
their own projects. They may be artistic, literary, scientific,
business or humanitarian. In the artistic and literary areas
Marist Transition have written, edited, published and marketed
their own magazines; they have scripted, directed, acted,
produced and filmed their own videos, successfully produced
and marketed a variety of products. All of these have the
further benefit of learning to plan and co-operate with
others. Direct experience of other cultures is facilitated
through programs like the Copernicus Project, involving
each year, exchanges with continental schools. Both Religion
and Transition classes encourage direct contact and care
for others through practical co-operation with, for example,
St. Hilda's special school, St.Vincent de Paul and fund
raising for various charities.
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