Alexandra College


Alexandra College is an independent boarding and day school for girls located in Milltown, Dublin, Ireland. The school operates under a Church of Ireland ethos.

History

The school was founded in 1866 and takes its name from Princess Alexandra of Denmark, the school's patron. The school colours, red and white, were adopted from the Danish flag in her honour. Alexandra College was founded by Ann Jellicoe, a Quaker educationist, in the name of furthering women's education. Under Anne Jellicoe, and then later Henrietta White, the school grew from a small establishment focused on providing a governess-style education to Irish Protestant ladies into a pioneering force for women's rights and education, providing an education to women equivalent to that available in boys' schools, with a grounding in mathematics, history, classics and philosophy. As Alexandra settled into its role, Anne Jellicoe was convinced that a major obstacle to the liberal education of women was their exclusion from the university campus. She passionately believed that until women were admitted to Trinity College Dublin, the voice of women would not commonly be heard in politics, literature or in academic debate.
The Royal University of Ireland Act 1879 allowed females to take university degrees on the same basis as males. Students were prepared for the examinations of the Royal University. Susan Parkes, co-author of Gladly Learn and Gladly Teach, a history of Alexandra College, is quoted as saying: "In the late 1800s, lecturers from Trinity College Dublin provided tuition for ladies on the Alexandra campus. And the first women to receive degrees in Ireland or Britain were Alex pupils — six of them successfully studied at Dublin's Royal University from 1891 and at Trinity College Dublin, once it opened its doors to women in 1903."
The school was originally situated in the historic Earlsfort Terrace, across from what is now the National Concert Hall. By 1879, a new hall and theatre were constructed alongside. Over time, the school acquired several more houses and by 1889 a new building by William Kaye-Parry was constructed next door to the college as Alexandra School. The school moved out to its sports grounds in the 1960s in order to accommodate more students. The original buildings were subsequently demolished and the site remained vacant for over two decades. The Conrad Hotel and office buildings were later erected on the site.
Patrick Pearse, the leader of the Easter Rising, was once employed as an Irish language teacher.

Religion

Alexandra College is under Church of Ireland management, and the Archbishop of Dublin currently acts as chairman of the school council. The students are addressed weekly by a female minister, and a school assembly is held daily at which Church of Ireland hymns are sung and which finish with the extended version of The Lord's Prayer.

Junior School

The attendance fees for the primary school are in fact higher than the secondary school due to the high number of teachers of specialized subjects for students with learning disabilities which are not subsidized by the government on the payroll. The preparatory department classes wear a red tracksuit, which the older classes wear only for sports. Older classes wear the brown uniform of the secondary school for normal classes along with a red tie. The majority of Junior School pupils go on to study at the Senior School.

Alexandra College today

A wide range of subjects is available to study. The school crest reflects this, featuring a cross with a book, a ball, a lyre and a palette in its corners. The school was benefited greatly from the opening of the Milltown Luas stop at the back gate of the college in 2004.
In the senior school, 1st-4th years wear the traditional brown uniform. 5th and 6th year students do not wear the school uniform. They must however wear clothes suitable for school; this is meant to promote the girls' individuality. For one day in 6th year the girls put back on their brown uniforms, this is for the summer funday which has become a tradition in the school as fundays are 'non-uniform' days with themes. This day is generally just before graduation. There is also a Halloween fun day. Each year gets a different theme for the funday. The teachers also dress up.

Sport

The school fields teams in various sports including women's association football, basketball, cricket, tennis and track and field athletics. The school has a long history of playing field hockey. In 1893 the Alexandra Hockey Club was founded at the school. It claims to be the oldest field hockey club in Ireland. In 1947 it was renamed Old Alexandra Hockey Club. In 1960 the club opened its membership to all players while still retaining a close relationship with the school. The club is still based at the school. The Irish Ladies Hockey Union was established in 1894, following a meeting at Alexandra College. On 2 March 1896 the school also hosted the first ever women's international field hockey match when Ireland defeated England 2–0.
When Ireland won the silver medal at the 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup, the squad included three former Alexandra College pupils – Nicola Evans, Deirdre Duke and Emily Beatty. All three represented the school in Leinster Schoolgirls' Senior Cup finals. Alexandra College are the competitions most successful team, winning the cup for the thirteenth time in 2016.
;Recent finals
YearWinnersResultRunners Up
2016Alexandra College4–2St Gerard's School, Bray
2015St Gerard's School, Bray1–0Alexandra College
2012Alexandra College4–1Wesley College
2011Alexandra College2–1St. Andrew's College
2010St. Andrew's College2–0Alexandra College
2008Loreto, Beaufort2–1Alexandra College
2007Alexandra College5–0St. Andrew's College
2005Alexandra College4–2The High School, Dublin
2004St. Andrew's CollegeAlexandra College

;Notes

Academics

The school was ranked seventh in Ireland in terms of the number of students who progressed to third level and by the types of institutions to which the students progressed.

The Guild

From its earliest days Alexandra College has had a reputation for looking outward to the community and world at large. The Guild was founded in 1897, not only to form a bond of union between past and present students and staff, and to keep them in touch with the College, but also to promote a spirit of service to the community and to undertake social and philanthropic work. The Guild has several branches worldwide and is known as a force of Alexandra alumni. Facets of the Guild include the Alexandra College Golfing Society, the Old Alexandra Hockey Club, Alexandra Guild House and the Alexandra College Bursaries, which supports 25 ladies throughout the country and assists families in need around Dublin and elsewhere.

Notable past pupils