Page 9 - The Gonzaga Record 1986
P. 9
History of Gonzaga College
Part 11
THE EXPANSION OF THE SCHOOL
For over twenty years after its foundation in 1950 Gonzaga remained a
single stream school. This was a deliberate decision. Within a few short
years of its foundation there was such a long waiting list of prospective
entrants that doubling the size of the school would have been no
problem, at least as regards numbers. It would also have relieved the
immense pressure for places which the Rector and Perfect of Studies had
constantly to bear. The advantages of a small school are obvious. The
teaching staff can really get to know the students and nearly reach the
ideal of individual attention. And for the pupils, there is no danger of
feeling lost and anonymous in a large student body. But, of course, there
are certain disadvantages in the small school: nothing is perfect in life.
to begin with, the large school makes more sense economically. This dif-
ficulty can be met by having very high fees - but then you exclude those
who cannot afford them. With the larger school there is also the possibil-
ity of pass and honours classes. We do not have to enter into the contro-
versy about dividing classes into pass and honours here: the arguments
both for and against are weighty. Anyway, it was decided to keep Gon-
zaga a small school. Theoretically the intake was supposed to be above
average ability in order to profit from the freedom of a much looser syll-
abus. The theory did not always work out in practice, but by and large
Gonzaga was happy to remain a single stream school. Its numbers
between Preparatory and Secondary hovered around the 270 mark.
In 1971, under the headmastership of Fr Hubert Delaney SJ, a radical
change was made. Over a period of a few years the number of pupils was
doubled. There is a preculiarity about school numbers. A school has to
increase in quantum jumps or not at all. You cannot double the numbers
in one class only.
For as that extra class moves up through the school, every class has
to be doubled. For the combined Preparatory and Senior schools this
meant an additional ten classes. In terms of school numbers it meant an
addition of nearly 300 pupils. And in teacher terms it means an addition
of fifteen teachers. And, of course, looming over the whole prospect was
the daunting necessity for a further building programme. If one began
slowly at the lower end of the Preparatory school, and let the 'bulge'
work its way up the school year by year, one had some time to grapple
7
Part 11
THE EXPANSION OF THE SCHOOL
For over twenty years after its foundation in 1950 Gonzaga remained a
single stream school. This was a deliberate decision. Within a few short
years of its foundation there was such a long waiting list of prospective
entrants that doubling the size of the school would have been no
problem, at least as regards numbers. It would also have relieved the
immense pressure for places which the Rector and Perfect of Studies had
constantly to bear. The advantages of a small school are obvious. The
teaching staff can really get to know the students and nearly reach the
ideal of individual attention. And for the pupils, there is no danger of
feeling lost and anonymous in a large student body. But, of course, there
are certain disadvantages in the small school: nothing is perfect in life.
to begin with, the large school makes more sense economically. This dif-
ficulty can be met by having very high fees - but then you exclude those
who cannot afford them. With the larger school there is also the possibil-
ity of pass and honours classes. We do not have to enter into the contro-
versy about dividing classes into pass and honours here: the arguments
both for and against are weighty. Anyway, it was decided to keep Gon-
zaga a small school. Theoretically the intake was supposed to be above
average ability in order to profit from the freedom of a much looser syll-
abus. The theory did not always work out in practice, but by and large
Gonzaga was happy to remain a single stream school. Its numbers
between Preparatory and Secondary hovered around the 270 mark.
In 1971, under the headmastership of Fr Hubert Delaney SJ, a radical
change was made. Over a period of a few years the number of pupils was
doubled. There is a preculiarity about school numbers. A school has to
increase in quantum jumps or not at all. You cannot double the numbers
in one class only.
For as that extra class moves up through the school, every class has
to be doubled. For the combined Preparatory and Senior schools this
meant an additional ten classes. In terms of school numbers it meant an
addition of nearly 300 pupils. And in teacher terms it means an addition
of fifteen teachers. And, of course, looming over the whole prospect was
the daunting necessity for a further building programme. If one began
slowly at the lower end of the Preparatory school, and let the 'bulge'
work its way up the school year by year, one had some time to grapple
7
