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Thornhill College is a Roman Catholic girls' grammar school in Derry, Northern Ireland. It was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1886 and moved to Culmore in 1932. It moved into its new building in 2003. It has a student population of approximately 1500 and a staff of 100 teachers. The current principal is Ms Kelly.
Thornhill College is a school rooted in the Mercy values of service, promotion of self-esteem and the pursuit of excellence for all the young women who make up the student body. Education is approached in a holistic way so that students are encouraged to develop and nurture all the qualities and skills that will enable them to become independent, mature and sensitive adults, at ease with themselves and aware of the needs of others.
Catherine McAuley's words of encouragement are as appropriate in the 21st century as they were in the 19th century. "Let us rejoice when good is done, no matter by whom it is accomplished". This sentence encapsulates the positive approach which is promoted throughout the entire curriculum at Thornhill College. We strive in the words of Catherine McAuley, founder of the Sisters of Mercy, "to fit young women for Earth without unfitting them for Heaven".
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Special Features
•Thornhill College is a school for life, dedicated to preparing students to make a significant contribution to society;
• It is a specialist school in Mathematics and Physics;
• There is an outstanding team of teaching and support staff committed to maximising the potential of every pupil;
•There is a long record of high academic performance and achievement which places Thornhill College in the top performing schools in Northern Ireland;
•The school's pastoral care policy emphasises high self-esteem of the pupils and fosters the relationships with oneself, with other students, with staff, and with the wider world;
•Thornhill College is multicultural in outlook and interacts with young people in other countries and with other cultures;
•The school attracts enthusiastic, well-motivated pupils who have lively enquiring minds, capable of critical and creative thinking;
•Thornhill College is highly regarded by the top universities which actively seek to recruit our students.
Motto
The school motto is the latin phrase "Adveniat Regnum Tuum", which translates as " Thy Kingdom come".
Thornhill College is an all girls Roman Catholic College. It is listed in the top 10 schools of Northern Ireland
Specialist School
This year, Thornhill College became a Specialist School in Mathematics and Physics.
The Specialist Schools Programme helps schools, in partnership with private sector sponsors and supported by additional Government funding, to establish distinctive identities through their chosen specialisms and achieve their targets to raise standards.
Alumni
- Dana Rosemary Scallon - singer and former MEP,
- Nadine Coyle - member of girlband Girls Aloud
- Roma Downey - actress
Debating
Thornhill College boasts a prominent Senior Debating Society, established in 1954. The team reached final of the Northern Ireland Schools Debating Competition in 2004 and 2007, and is known throughout the school for wearing the gold stripe around the lapel of the debating blazer. Thornhill is proud to have had two teams in the semi-finals of this competition who debated against each other on the 30th March 2007 in Belfast, this will go down in history for Thornhill College. The debating society has come to the fore in extra-curricular activities in the last number of years. The society meets regularly to debate topical subjects and research up and coming competitions. The school also has an established Junior Debating Society who meet every Tuesday after school as part of the homework club.
Statue
The school has recently erected a statue on the "teardrop" at the front of the school. Many pupils helped Mr E. Mc Ateer with the design. The piece was constructed by Maurice Harron. The final sculpture was officially unveiled early Autumn 2008 with a special celebration.
Academic performance
A grammar school with a high level of academic achievements including high results at KS3 and GCSE with a few girls coming Top In N. Ireland. AS and A Level are taken every year by a high number of Students.
External links
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