St Paul’s Collegiate School takes its name from the greatest apostle of the Mediterranean, Saint Paul; a man who laid the foundations of the church in Greece, Italy and Turkey.
The rise of St Paul’s, from its small beginnings to its present position as a premier school in the Waikato, began on 12 February 1959 when the School opened under headmastership of Mr W. Ford at the current site on Hukanui Road, Chartwell, Hamilton.
At the time of opening there were seven classrooms and an initial enrolment of 60 boys. The boarders lived in School House, which was located where the present tower block and Mathematics classrooms are situated.
From 1963 to 1969 a number of significant events occurred at the School under the stewardship of Headmaster Hornsby. Among these changes were the construction of the dining hall and the opening of the library and gymnasium.
The construction and dedication of the Chapel of Christ the King was also during Mr Hornsby’s time, as was the creation of the Leaver’s Service ritual where graduates are presented with a Bible. After the construction of the chapel the heavy brass cross and candlesticks on the altar were donated to the School by the boys of St Paul’s School, London, and subsidised by one of their former students, also known as an Old Pauline, who was based in New Zealand.
Headmaster Hart, 1970 to 1979, oversaw the establishment of Tihoi Venture School and the construction of Clark House and the music block.
Twenty years later, in 1998, a major building programme was undertaken with direction from former headmaster Cole. The programme resulted in opening the Student Centre, rebuilding the science and technology centres and refurbishing many of the School’s classrooms.
More recently, in 2007, under the leadership of former headmaster Fenton, a water-based astroturf hockey field was completed along with a state-of-the-art sports centre, which includes a gymnasium, indoor cricket nets, basketball courts, squash courts and classrooms.
Mission statement
Turning possibilities into realities.
Arms and motto
The school arms were adopted in their present form in 1960, comprising of a shield in black and white and the crossed swords of Saint Paul. Under the shield is the Latin motto 'State in Fide', which translates to 'Stand Firm in the Faith'. The motto recognises the central role that the Church plays in the life of St Paul’s. The complete saying was taken from the writings of Saint Paul, First Epistle to the Corinthians (13:16), “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit ye like men, be strong.”
Founders and Founders' Day Service
Every year there is a service of thanksgiving for the Founders of the School, Messrs George Ivan Clark, Eric Freeman Clayton-Green, Marcus Rattray Fitchett, Harry Gardner Hall, Neville Irving McKean, Paul Clement Scott Sergel, Henry Augustus Swarbrick and Robert Henry Wynyard.
The service is held on the seventh Sunday of the second term, giving members of the School the opportunity to:
- give thanks to God for the initiatives and foresight of the Founders
- assess and celebrate our progress as a school committed to providing a Christian education and
- simply to state before God our gladness to be the current community of St Paul’s.
The bell
The School’s bell, situated between the music block and the administration block, was originally the bell of the HMS Quantock warship and is now an icon of St Paul’s. The HMS Quantock was a British Royal Navy destroyer which led a colourful and battle scarred history after being launched on 22 April 1940.
In roughly 1960 one of St Paul’s founders, Dr Marcus Fitchett, returned from a trip to England and advised he had persuaded a former student of Christ’s College, Mr FA Gresham, to ask the Admiralty to present the redundant warship bell for use at St Paul’s. The bell was made available and later brought to New Zealand.
The bell was hung in the quad of the school in a shelter made by students under the supervision of the woodwork teacher Mr John Pudney in 1962.
Although the bell had survived the battles of war it couldn’t sustain the vigorous bell ringing to indicate the end of class and it soon began to crack. It was retired after a year or two but is left on display for all to appreciate.