St. Catherine's College, Westminster

St. Catherine's College
McBride Hall, the main building of the school
Address
24 Victoria St Westminster, Emmington, Septentria SP3400 Insulamia
Information
Former name	St. Catherine's Catholic College for Girls
Type	Semi-independent day school and boarding school
Motto	Latin: Sapientia aurum praeferat (Wisdom over gold)
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic
Established	5 April 1897 (1897-04-05)
Founder	Sister Mary-Anne McBride, RSM
Head	Sarika Luthra
Staff	119 (January 2022)
Grades	1–12
Number of students	1,226 (January 2022)
Colour(s)	Crimson and gold
Publication	Alexandria
Affiliations	Septentrian Catholic Schools Association, Sporting Schools Septentria, Emmington Union of Schools
Website	stcatherinescollege.edu.ia

St. Catherine's College, often simply referred to as St. Catherine's or St. C's, is a semi-independent Catholic day and boarding school in Westminster, a central district of Emmington, Septentria, Insulamia. As of 2022, it caters for 1,226 students from grade 1 to grade 12.

The Sisters of Mercy, a Catholic religious institute, founded the school in 1897 as St. Catherine's Catholic College for Girls. It was initially a girls' boarding school, and its first headmaster was Sister Mary-Anne McBride, a member of Sisters of Mercy. It opened up to day students in 1925. Under the Act Against Educational Discrimination of 1974, the school started accepting males and became a semi-independent school—substantially government-funded and tuition-free.

Although it does not charge tuition, St. Catherine's still has a selective enrolment policy, contributing to its reputation as one of the top-performing schools by academics in Septentria. It offers the International Baccalaureate programme and its accompanying Primary Years Programme. Some of its notable alumni include Elizabeth Cartright, the first and only female primeminister of Insulamia, and Helen-Mary Askey, the head of National Rail between 1998 and 2013. In 2007, the Heritage Registry of Septentria listed McBride Hall and the Emilia Walsh Tower in the school as provincial heritage sites.

History

McBride Hall in 1916

St. Catherine's Catholic College for Girls was founded in 1897 with support from the Sisters of Mercy, a religious congregation of the Catholic Church originating in Dublin, Ireland. It was the first Catholic school for girls in Septentria. Sister Mary-Anne McBride, a member of the Sisters of Mercy, was the main proponent for establishing the school and became its first head. Initially, McBride had planned on constructing the school on an estate in Lambeth, but later settled on the current site in Westminster, across the river Flear. In 1925, the school opened up to day students, adding two new day houses to complement the two existing boarding houses. Two more day houses were established in 1961.

Following the passing of the Act Against Educational Discrimination (AAED) through the Parliament of Septentria in 1974, St. Catherine's was mandated to allow all sexes to attend. Thus, it removed the phrase for Girls in its name, and removed the word Catholic with the name change too (though the school would remain Catholic). The AAED also had St. Catherine's transition into a semi-independent school, becoming heavily funded by the state (while keeping donations as a source of income) and waiving its tuition fees. The school's board, along with the Septentrian Catholic Schools Association, protested the act, even after its passing and codification.

In 1976, St. Catherine's built an off-campus sports facility in Tacuja, an outer suburb of Emmington. The school underwent a major expansion in 1990, gaining four new buildings and new land purchased from neighbouring properties. For its centenary in 1997, the school's chapel was renovated and expanded. Between 2015 and 2017, many school buildings were refurbished alongside facilities at the sporting centre in Tacuja.

In the years of 2009 and 2018, St. Catherine's achieved the highest results in the country on the INEE national standardised academic assessment.

List of heads

Period as head	Name	Image	Notes
1897–1920	Sister Mary-Anne McBride RSM	-	Founder of the school and a Catholic nun in the Sisters of Mercy. Resigned in 1920 due to ill health and died two years later.
1920–1946	Sister Jane O'Neill RSM	-	Also a nun in the Sisters of Mercy. Namesake of the O'Neill building and the O'Neill day house of the school. Longest-serving head in the history of the school.
1946–1950	Mother Elisabeth Heath	-	Died in an accident during tenure.
1950–1951	No head	-	The school had no head between November 1950 and January 1951.
1951–1963	John James Goodson FRISE	-	Jean-Jacques Beaufils in French. First male head and first French-Insulamian head of the school. The Goodson building is named after him.
1963–1974	Quentin Blanchfield	-	Resigned in protest of the Act Against Educational Discrimination in 1974.
1974	No head	-	The school went without a head again between February 1974 and December 1974.
1974–1992	Sister Hilda Murray	-	Also a nun in the Catholic Church.
1992–2005	Laura Jones	-	-
2005–2021	Thomas Darcy	-	Resigned in 2021 due to allegations of sexual abuse. See #Thomas Darcy scandal for further information.
2021–present	Sarika Luthra	-	Second-generation Indian immigrant and first non-White head of the school.

Symbols

Saint Catherine, the patron saint of the school. This painting was created Caravaggio in 1598.

Colours

The colours of St. Catherine's College are crimson and gold. They feature on the school's logo and uniform.

Motto

"Sapientia aurum praeferat" (Latin pronunciation: [sa.pɪˈɛn.tɪ.a ˈaʊ.rʊm prae̯ˈfɛ.rat]) is the Latin-language motto of St. Catherine's College. It roughly translates to "Wisdom over gold" or "Wisdom is better than gold" in English. This references the biblical verse Proverbs 16:16.

Patron saint

Saint Catherine of Alexandria, the patron saint and namesake of the school, was a Christian martyr who lived in the late 3rd century and the early 4th century. She was chosen by Sister Mary-Anne McBride for her associations and patronages with schoolchildren and girls. Saint Catherine's hometown, Alexandria, is the name of the school's yearbook.

Logo

The logo or the coat of arms of St. Catherine's College is a shield featuring a depiction of Saint Catherine holding a sword and a book on a shield. The shield has a crimson background and a golden cross, representing the school's Christian faith. Above the shield is a book with radiating rays, representing education. The motto of the school is inscribed on a scroll below the shield; it is in all capitals with the letter "U" being replaced with "V", and the digraph "AE" is replaced with the ligature "Æ". The whole logo uses a gold and crimson colour scheme, which are the colours of the school. It is officially blazoned:

Sanguine, a cross Sanguine fimbriated Or, a depiction of Saint Catherine Or, holding in her dexter hand a sword Or, and in her sinister hand a book Or; for a Crest, upon a torse Sanguine and Or, an open book Sanguine irradiated Or; for a Motto, "SAPIENTIA AVRVM PRÆFERAT".

The wordmark of the school features the logo besides text reading "ST. CATHERINE'S COLLEGE" and "WESTMINSTER" a line below, in a serif typeface.