St Ignatius High School

St Ignatius College is a Catholic Boarding School in Chishawasha, Harare. St Ignatius College only enroll Male students for O'level classes. However A-level students are both boys and girls.

Background

The school which was founded by the Jesuit Priests after they had seen the need to educate students. According to Sister Stephanie ( a founding member of Mary Ward House) the black community faced a number of challenges due to the draconian policies of the colonial racist regime. The college was meant to cater for the educational needs of the community.

The first building to be constructed was the administration block in 1961 which housed the Jesuits before the construction of the Community House later in 1967. The next buildings to be constructed were the ZJC Block and Junior House. In 1967 the St. Ignatius College Chapel was constructed.

Sister Stephanie arrived in 1967 and helped in the establishment of Mary Ward. Together with the Jesuits and other Mary Ward Sisters she has played an important role in teaching at the College. St.Ignatius College offered a remarkably diverse curriculum back then. Clubs like drama, Canoeing and Boy Scouts were very active in the early years. There was a time when the school taught French and Latin.

Vision , Mission & Values

According to their website St Ignatius Colleges

Vision Statement

We are a Catholic Jesuit School, committed to an integral, personal oriented education which will benefit the individual as well as society. Our life and activities are inspired by Christian faith and values. We create a community that is participative and dedicated to a common good.

Mission Statement

Active participation in religious and spiritual activities which deepen our faith and commitment, fostering Christ’s values especially love, compassion, honesty, humility, service, justice, and respect for people, property, and environment, in order to become people for others. Promoting moral responsibility and social awareness, pursuing excellence in all areas, academic and non-academic, forming creating students capable of critical thinking, who have the skills to contribute effectively to the development and growth of society. Building a community which involves everyone in the development of its goals and their implementation, with regular communication between all. Core – Values The main core-values that best describe St. Ignatius community are Excellence, Teamwork, Responsibility, Respect, Integrity, Compassion, Care, and Fairness. We recognize the importance of these core-values because they represent the aspirations and beliefs of our community as a whole. ^[1]

Trivia

St.Ignatius has produced notable figures in the community include the Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku, Petinah(a renowned lawyer based in Switzerland) and Father Chiedza Chimhanda (the Rector of St.Georges College).ZEC chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba