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Feel the Spirit
“St Andrew’s is in a
unique position – the
only co-educational,
independent school in
the South Island – and
co-education is exciting
and supportive and
inspiring and natural
and real.”
Christine Leighton, Rector
The Spirit of
St Andrew’s
St Andrew’s College holds a special place in the hearts
and minds of generations of South Islanders. Mention our
name, and a story about a family member or friend with a
close connection to the school is rarely far away. And the
conclusion is nearly always the same: “there is something
very special about St Andrew’s”. Without doubt, we are
unique. We are the only independent and co-educational
school in the South Island to offer education from pre-school
to Year 13. We are big enough to be a bustling, thriving
community, but not so large that the individual cannot shine.
Beautiful Strowan House – a heritage building – is the
frontispiece to our spacious grounds that nestle alongside
tree-lined Strowan Stream. Many of our teaching facilities
are world-class, and some of the greatest names in the last
century of New Zealand history spent their formative years in
our care.
But the true spirit of St Andrew’s – that ‘something very
special’ – lies not in the size of our roll, the elegance of our
campus or, even, the achievements of our past pupils. The
true spirit of St Andrew’s is something far less tangible,
but nonetheless perceptible. It is the extraordinary energy,
humour and collegiality that emanates from a Friday
morning assembly. It is the lone kilted bagpiper who patrols
the sideline in the mud and spurs our First XV on to greater
heights. It is the sublime sound of our chorale in full voice
during a weekly chapel service. It is an inexplicable but
irresistible impulse that brings Old Collegians in their
seventies, eighties and nineties back for one more reunion
and one more reverent wander through the familiar corridors
of Strowan House.
The true spirit of St Andrew’s is all of these things and much,
much more, and within these pages you will find only a taste
of its many facets. To truly understand the spirit; to feel its
invigorating effect, it is necessary to walk through our gates
and spend time among us.
We hope this prospectus inspires you to do just that.
Christine Leighton
Rector