Sancta Maria College
Encyclopedia
Sancta Maria College is a girls Catholic voluntary secondary school in Ballyroan, Rathfarnham
Rathfarnham
Rathfarnham or Rathfarnam is a Southside suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is south of Terenure, east of Templeogue, and is in the postal districts of Dublin 14 and 16. It is within the administrative areas of both Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown and South Dublin County Councils.The area of Rathfarnham...

, Co. Dublin. The school is governed by a board of management. There are approximately 525 students and 34 permanent teachers. It is run by the Sisters of Mercy
Sisters of Mercy
The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....

.

In 1932 the building which now houses the Sisters of Mercy
Sisters of Mercy
The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....

 was given as a gift to the order by the owners, the McCabe sisters. The order's Mercy Community in Carysfort near Blackrock were gratified but had no plans for this big building. They decided to make it a holiday home for girls called St. Mary's Convent and it was blessed and opened on the 26th July, 1932.

In 1942 Archbishop McQuaid approached the Superior of the Sisters of Mary believing that the convent would be a good place to treat children in the early stages of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...

. The Red Cross Society was looking for a place to treat these children. For 16 years the house served as a Preventorium
Preventorium
A preventorium was an institution or building for patients infected with tuberculosis who did not yet have an active form of the disease. Popular in the early 20th century, preventoria were designed to isolate these patients from uninfected individuals as well as patients who showed outward symptoms...

.

In the 1960s, tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...

 was under control and the Preventorium
Preventorium
A preventorium was an institution or building for patients infected with tuberculosis who did not yet have an active form of the disease. Popular in the early 20th century, preventoria were designed to isolate these patients from uninfected individuals as well as patients who showed outward symptoms...

 was no longer needed. The population of Ballyroan was increasing and a school was needed. On the 8th September 1960, Sancta Maria College was opened.

Around the year 1963 the assembly hall
Assembly Hall
An assembly hall is traditionally a building used for the purposes of holding deliberative assemblies. An example is the Assembly Hall where the general assembly of the state of Mississippi was held. Some Christian denominations call their meeting places or places of worship, assembly halls, such...

was built.

Leaving Certificate

The school offers students three Leaving Certificate courses: Leaving Certificate, LCVP and LCA.

In 2007, 35% of the students who sat the Leaving Certificate enrolled on a University Course.

In 2008, 89 out of 90 Leaving Certificate students enrolled on a University Course. Seven of these students were offered places in the National College of Art and Design, with another two on the waiting list. This latter figure made Sancta Maria the school with the highest number of entrants into NCAD in the Republic of Ireland.

In 2009 so far, seven students have been accepted by NCAD.

Charity work

The transition year students complete a module of community care during the year whereby they spend two hours a week in a local charity shop or hospice.

The school has built a drug rehabilitation centre for children and teenagers in Nairobi, Kenya which they raise funds for every second year. In June 2009 10 students travelled to Kenya to witness the poverty and help in the local schools and centres. They brought €31,000 that the school raised for the project.

The school houses hundreds of unwanted dogs every year.

General information

The Transition Year programme was introduced in 1991.

The School has strong links with Coláiste Eanna and Butterfield Residents Association, who have funded the school's Green School Committee in the past.

External links

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