St Joseph's Boys' School
Coordinates: 55°00′04″N 7°20′17″W / 55.001°N 7.338°W
St. Joseph's Boys' School is a secondary school in Westway in the Creggan area of Derry, Northern Ireland. It is a voluntary maintained school, supported by the Western Education and Library Board and operated by boards of trustees and governors in collaboration with Northern Ireland's Council for Catholic Maintained Schools and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Derry.
Since the school opened in 1963, St. Joseph's Secondary School (as it was known as then) has gone through tremendous changes. The old school was recently demolished and a new ultra modern school was opened and they changed the name to St. Joseph's Boys' School in March 2003. The principal of the school was Mr P. Hannaway with the Vice Principal being Mrs K. Doherty and Mr. P. Kealey. However, Mr P. Hannaway resigned and Mr P. Kealey temporarily stood in. As of 2008, the principal is Mr. D. Harkin.[1] St. Joseph's Boys' School offers a variety of subjects ranging from English, Maths, Geography and Leisure and Tourism to Technology and Design, Art and Physical Education (P.E).
St. Joseph's is also equipped with a number of modern computer suites, a modern gym and two specialist units. The Suspension Unit serves students who have been internally suspended, and Education plus, a unit which was set up in 2003, serves students with statements of special educational needs.
In 2006 England goalkeeping legend, Gordon Banks paid a visit to the school. He delivered a speech and launched Don Mullan's new book A Hero Who Could Fly.
In January 2007, the school set up a healthy eating programme which banned fizzy drinks and only water would be allowed. Water bottles marked with the initials "STJ" were provided.
Notable former pupils
- Martin McGuinness (born 1950), Sinn Féin politician
- Don Mullan (born 1956), humanitarian and author of Eyewitness Bloody Sunday and Gordon Banks: A Hero Who Could Fly
- Michael Bradley (born 1959), radio producer and bassist with the punk rock band The Undertones
References
- ↑ Principal's welcome, school website. Retrieved on April 5, 2008.
External links
- St. Joseph's Boys School Derry – official website
- Western Education and Library Board: St Joseph's Boys' School
- A visual Guide to Du Pont by St Joseph’s Secondary School