St Margaret's College, Christchurch

St Margaret's College
View of a large, wooden building
Kilburn House at St Margaret's College
Address
Map
12 Winchester Street, Merivale, Christchurch
Coordinates43°31′04″S 172°37′27″E / 43.5177°S 172.6243°E / -43.5177; 172.6243
Information
TypePrivate: Fully Registered girls' school (Years 1–13) with boarding facilities
MottoLatin: Beati Mundo Corde
(Blessed Are The Pure In Heart)
Established1910
Ministry of Education Institution no.333
ChairpersonDi Humphries
Executive PrincipalDiana Patchett
ChaplainRev'd Stephanie Clay
School roll848[1] (August 2024)
Socio-economic decile10
Websitestmargarets.school.nz

St Margaret's College is an independent girls' school in Christchurch, New Zealand founded on Anglican Christian values. It offers the dual academic pathway of NCEA and International Baccalaureate.

History

The school was established in 1910 on the initiative of Bishop Julius of the Anglican Diocese of Christchurch, who invited the Kilburn, England-based Sisters of the Church Order to set up the school.[2] The school was initially located in the Christchurch Central City south of Armagh Street, where it opened on 8 February 1910.[3] In 1914, the school moved slightly north to Chester Street West off Cranmer Square, and that building is now part of the Cathedral Grammar School.[3][4] St Margaret's opened a prep school on Papanui Road in the early 1920s, just north of the current school grounds. In the 1940s, the current grounds were occupied.[3] On that site, the school had been using an 1880 homestead as a boarding house since 1922. In 1941, this building was renamed Kilburn House.[5] In the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, Kilburn House was damaged. After NZ$2 million repairs, Kilburn House opened again in August 2012.[6] The school received a commendation from the Christchurch Civic Trust for the renovation of this heritage building.[7] This renovation was part of a significant rebuild project following the earthquakes when the school lost close to 90% of its buildings.

St Margaret's College today

St Margaret's College is the only girls' school in the South Island of New Zealand to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma in addition to NCEA.[citation needed]

It is divided into three schools:

  • Junior School (Years 1–6)
  • Middle School (Years 7–10)
  • Senior School (Years 11–13)

Boarding (Years 7–13) St Margaret's College has over 90 years of boarding history. Currently 150 girls are in three boarding houses, arranged in year groups and structured to the specific needs of each developmental stage.

Notable alumnae

Ngaio Marsh, between 1910 and 1914
Main category: People educated at St Margaret's College

See also

References

  1. ^ "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  2. ^ "The Right Rev. Churchill Julius (1847–1938), Bishop of Christchurch". Christchurch City Libraries. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  3. ^ a b c "St Margaret's College History". St Margaret's College. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  4. ^ "St Margaret's College (Former)". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  5. ^ "St Margaret's College History". St Margaret's College. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  6. ^ Law, Tina (22 August 2012). "Kilburn House brought back to life". The Press. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  7. ^ "2012 Awards". Christchurch Civic Trust. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  8. ^ "Arihia Bennett – Chief Executive of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu". St Margaret's College. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  9. ^ Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "Chambers, Eileen Marjorie Fosbery". www.teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  10. ^ "Evergreen Spring 2023". St Margaret's College. 2 October 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  11. ^ a b "SMC Old Girls stand strong at NZ Rowing Nationals". St Margaret's College. 26 February 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  12. ^ "Beach volleyball: Scarlett heads to the beach". www.nzherald.co.nz. 30 December 2004. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  13. ^ "Netball: No bargains in hunt for big prize". www.nzherald.co.nz. 26 June 2003. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  14. ^ Erickson, Dorothy, "Eileen Constance Keys (1903–1992)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 16 December 2023
  15. ^ Stafford, Jane. "Marsh, Edith Ngaio 1895 – 1982". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  16. ^ "Topic: Mary Ruddock Ltd | Collections Online – Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  17. ^ College, St Margaret’s. "Empowering Women — SMC Newsletter – 15 March 2018". St Margaret’s College. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  18. ^ Malcolm, Dianna (25 November 2020). "Where is she now? Julie Seymour". Newsroom. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  19. ^ McCrone, John (11 August 2017). "What drives Nicky Wagner?: After that Tweetstorm, what does MP really think?". Stuff. Retrieved 17 December 2023.