Hilton College (South Africa)
Hilton College | |
---|---|
Grades | Forms 1 to 5 (Grades 8 - 12) |
Gender | Male |
Age | 14 to 18 |
Number of students | 500 boys |
Language | English |
Schedule | 08:00 - 15:00 |
Campus | Urban Campus |
Houses | Churchill Ellis Falcon Lucas McKenzie Newnham Pearce |
Colour(s) | Black White |
Song |
|
Nickname | Hiltonian |
Rivals | |
School fees | R397,000 / US$21,500 (boarding & tuition) |
Feeder schools |
|
Affiliations | |
Alumni | Old Hiltonian Society |
Website | hiltoncollege.com |
Hilton College, more commonly referred to as Hilton, is a South African
Hilton College was founded in 1872 by
Hilton's 500 pupils each have access to a personal tutor and have a bespoke academic plan. It has maintained its position as the most expensive school in South Africa.[1][2][3]
History
Establishment
The grounds on which Hilton College is located were established as farm by pioneering Voortrekkers. Ongegund, as it was then known, was sold to a young Englishman, Joseph Henderson, by Johanna Grobbelaar, widow of the original owner, in 1849. Later in 1857 Henderson and his wife renamed the farm Hilton, after Hilton Hall in Staffordshire, England.[4]
The first of the founders, Gould Arthur Lucas, left for South Africa in 1851 as a lieutenant of the 73rd Foot Regiment of The British army. He had been one of three surviving officers during the sinking of HMS Birkenhead, in 1852. Following this he was reposted as a district adjutant in Pietermaritzburg. It was here in 1855 that he met the Rev. William Orde Newnham, who had arrived in Natal at the request of Bishop John Colenso to become master of the new Pietermaritzburg Grammar School.[5] It was during this time that the two became close friends. In 1867, after a period in England, Newnham returned to Natal and left to establish a school in Ladysmith, with the encouragement and support of his friend Lucas.
However the school did not prosper and Newnham found "the summer climate there too oppressive".[6] In 1871, upon hearing of Newnham's troubles, Lucas offered to help establish a new school near Pietermaritzburg. He arranged to purchase part of the farm Hilton from the Hendersons on which a school could be founded. Newnham arrived at Hilton on 27 January 1872[7] and two days later, on 29 January 1872, Hilton College was officially opened. The first 50 pupils were housed in dormitories built near the stables and the original farm house was enlarged to serve as the main school building. Newnham continued to run the school until he returned to England at the end of 1877.
Modernisation
In 1878 the lease of the school was taken over by Henry Vaughan Ellis. Ellis, a
Shortly after Ellis' retirement the position of headmaster was taken over by George Weeks. However he too resigned that year and another new headmaster was needed. The position was awarded to William Falcon in 1906.[9] Under his headmastership Hilton College grew from 50 pupils to over 200. Many buildings were completed such as the William Campbell building and the school chapel. The original school buildings, which were red brick, were changed to the present Cape Dutch style. The present school uniform was introduced along with the house system (the first three houses being Newnham, Ellis and Weeks (later renamed Pearce).[10] Falcon also lead reforms in the school's academic curriculum and, foreseeing the inevitable union of the South African colonies, replaced French with Dutch as the official second language in 1907.
On 31 March 1928 the original shareholders of Hilton College Ltd. signed a Solemn Covenant of Dedication which, in 1930, established the Hiltonian Society,[9] a non-profit sharing association of the Old Hiltonians which take over the original shares and thus would own and control the school.[11]
Relationship with Michaelhouse
Hilton College and
The bond between Hilton's "old friend and rival, Michaelhouse"
Hilton College Guard
The Hilton College Guard was a mounted unit established on 4 June 1872.
Headmasters
- W.O. Newnham (1872–1877)
- H.V. Ellis (1878–1904)
- G.E. Weeks (1905–1906)
- W. Falcon (1906–1933)
- T.W. Mansergh (1934–1947)
- J.A. Pateman (1947–1953)
- J.W. Hudson (1953–1957)
- E.L. Harison (1958–1967)
- R.G. Slater (1967–1980)
- R.H. Todd (1981–1983)
- D.V. Ducasse (1984–1986)
- P.W. Marsh (1987–1993)
- M.J. Nicholson (1994–2007)
- D.C.P. Lovatt (2008–2009)
- G.M. Thomson (2009–2012)
- P.B. Ducasse (2013-2016)
- G.J. Harris (2017- )
Academics
The years of study at Hilton are referred to as Forms 1 to 5. "First Form" is the equivalent of Grade 8 and has boys aged 14. "Fifth Form" is the equivalent of Grade 12, also known as matric, and has boys aged 17–19. In Forms 1 and 2, Hilton College pupils follow a bespoke, semesterised curriculum that draws content and structure from the best curricular practices in South Africa and globally. In Form 3, pupils choose to follow either the IEB Pathway or the A Level Pathway. As such, Hilton College leavers write either the
School life
Sports
Hilton College's sporting tradition stretches back to its establishment in 1872. There are three sports seasons at Hilton College and sport is compulsory at Hilton College and every form 1 is required to play a team sport in term 1. Hilton's most popular sports are Rugby, Cricket, Water Polo and Hockey. The school has seen success particularly in rugby, producing several
The school offers a wide variety of sports:
- Athletics
- Basketball
- Cross country
- Kayaking/Canoeing
- Cricket
- Golf
- Hockey
- Mountain biking
- Rowing
- Rugby/Rugby 7s
- Shooting
- Soccer
- Squash
- Swimming
- Table tennis
- Tennis
- Water polo
Cultural activities
- Art
- Choir
- Debating Society
- Drama Society
- Book Club
- Catholic Society
- Chess Club
- Christian Fellowship
- Computer Club
- Enterprise Club
- Film Society
- First Aid
- Fly Fishing Club
- Health and Fitness Club
- History Society
- Hollerith Society
- Jazz Band
- Marimba Band
- Senior Foreign Affairs Society
- Wildlife Society
Houses
The house system at Hilton was created under the headmastership of William Falcon. Today there are seven houses, Churchill, Ellis, Falcon, Lucas, McKenzie, Newnham and Pearce which each occupy their own independent building. These houses serve as both a boys boarding and sporting house. Every new boy entering Hilton College is assigned a house which they stay in until Form 5 (Grade 12). There is a rivalry between the seven houses who compete in inter-house tournaments such as swimming, athletics, rugby, general knowledge, debating and pancake eating. The matrics take responsibility for the running of the houses under the supervision a housemaster and deputy housemaster who live in adjoined apartments.
Spiritual
Hilton is a non-denominational Christian college, and Christian worship, values and principles are the foundation of Hilton College life. Pupils attend chapel service twice a week, including Sundays. About 40% of the school pupils come from
School songs
Hilton College has two school songs. The formal 'School Hymn' is Lift Up Your Hearts!, an English hymn written in 1881 by A. Douglas. It is sung during chapel services such as Remembrance Day and Opening and Closing Services. The informal 'School Song' is Oh Boys of Hilton, which was written by Bobby Skinstad in 1993, and is sung to the tune of Flower of Scotland.
Exchange program
Hilton College has a student exchange programme with
Estate
Hilton College is situated on a 1,762 ha (4,350 acres) estate that includes a 550 ha (1,400 acres) wildlife reserve that borders the Umgeni River.[17] The school campus, which has been described as one of the most beautiful in the world,[18] is home to all school buildings including the Crookes Block (main academic building), the Centenary Centre (which incorporates the theatre), the William Campbell Building, Memorial Hall and the Chapel. Immediately beyond the campus is the school farm which includes wattle plantations and natural grazing areas and is used by boys for running and cycling.
The lower portion of the estate is the Hilton College Nature Reserve. Hilton boys have access to the reserve and make use of the grounds on Sundays for swimming, tubing, mountain biking, fishing, bird watching and exploring. In addition, academic departments make use of the reserve as part of the curriculum (e.g. Art, Biology, Geography)
Notable Old Hiltonians
Hilton College has produced a number of notable old boys. There have been eight
Hilton also educated sports journalist Robert Marawa and Italian Rugby player Sebastian Negri. Lungi Ngidi[20] is a South African cricketer.
Paul Maritz was previously Vice President of Microsoft and CEO of VMware
Robert-Falcon Ouellette is a politician from Canada and attended in 1995 for the historic elections. He was a member of Falcon House.
Hiltonian Society
The Hiltonian Society is a non-profit organisation that owns and runs Hilton College. It was formed in 1930 by the share holders of Hilton College Ltd., which owned the school at the time.[11] Any Hilton Old boy or past teacher is eligible to become a member of the Hiltonian Society.
Feeder schools
The following schools are all considered Hilton feeder schools and pupils are eligible to receive closed scholarships to Hilton College.
- Highbury Preparatory School, KwaZulu-Natal
- Clifton Preparatory School, Nottingham Road, KwaZulu-Natal
- Cowan House, KwaZulu-Natal
- Cordwalles Preparatory School, KwaZulu-Natal
- Clifton School, KwaZulu-Natal
- The Ridge School, Gauteng
- Pridwin Preparatory School, Gauteng
- St. Peter's Preparatory School, Gauteng
- Waterkloof House Preparatory School, Gauteng
Memberships
- Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa
- Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference
- International Boys' Schools Coalition (IBSC)
- Cambridge International Schools
See also
Notes
- ^ "60 of the most expensive boarding and day schools in South Africa in 2020". businesstech.co.za. Business Tech. 9 January 2020.
- ^ "These Are SA's Most Expensive Private Schools". Huff Post. 12 January 2018.
- ^ "This is what R300,000 a year buys you at SA's most expensive high school – which just saw a fee increase of a whopping R22,000". BusinessInsider. 9 January 2019.
- ^ Falcon (2002), p. 10.
- ^ Nuttall (1971), p. 1.
- ^ Peacock (1972), p. 81.
- ^ a b c "Hilton College in the 19th Century, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa". southafrica.co.za. South Africa Online. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
- ^ Peacock (1972), p. 90.
- ^ a b c "Hilton College in the 20th Century, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa". southafrica.co.za. South Africa Online. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
- ^ Peacock (1972), p. 91.
- ^ a b "Hilton College". HiltonVillage.co.za. Archived from the original on 31 May 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
- ^ a b Peacock (1972), p. 86.
- ^ a b Difford (1933), p. 173.
- ^ Bircher (2012), p. 100.
- ^ "Genealogy World".
- ^ News, The Sunday. "Plunket twins heading to Harvard University". The Sunday News.
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has generic name (help) - ^ "Forestry Award For Hilton College Estate". HiltonVillage.co.za. Archived from the original on 4 April 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
- ^ "Hilton College, Pietermaritzburg". DestinyConnect.com. Destiny Good Schools Report. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2013."Hilton College School Profile". Rugby365.com. Rugby 365. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
- ^ "Most Springboks rugby players produced by School". Rugby 15. Rugby15. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ^ Burnard, Lloyd. "School coach: Ngidi a 'special' human being". Sport. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ "Assouline". Assouline website.
References
- Peacock, M (1972), Some Famous South African Schools, Cape Town: Longman Southern Africa, ISBN 0582-64126-8
- Nuttall, Neville (1971), Lift Up Your Hearts : the Story of Hiton College; 1872 - 1972, Pietermaritzburg: The Hiltonian Society
- Falcon, Lionel (2002), Hilton Heritage, Johannesburg: Stirling Publications, ISBN 0-620-29381-0
- Bircher, Rob (2012), Boys of Hilton: An Anthology of Hilton College Stories, Pietermaritzburg: The Hiltonian Society
- Hoole, Ross (1997), Hilton College 1872-1901: Events Recorded Through the Years In The Natal Witness, Pietermaritzburg: The Natal Witness Printing and Publishing Company, ISBN 0-620-21195-4
- "Hilton College History". HiltonCollege.com. Hilton College. 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
- Difford, Ivor (1933), The History of South African Rugby Football, Cape Town: Specialty Press of S.A. Limited
- James, Stuart (1906). A history of the Zulu Rebellion. London: Macmillan. p. 65.
- "ISASA School Directory: Hilton College". ISASA.org. ISASA. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
- "Hilton College". HiltonVillage.co.za. Archived from the original on 31 May 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
- "Hilton College, Pietermaritzburg". DestinyConnect.com. Destiny Good Schools Guide. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2013.