Boston Exchange
BOSTON EXCHANGE Navigation It is common practice for Jesuit schools to enter into exchange programmes where students from one locale visit another school and are hosted by their peers (read families) for a short while and the action is reciprocated a while later. St George’s College began such an exchange with Boston College High in Massachusetts, USA in 2015. The programme was a great success and it has become an annual event. A select group of students accompanied by two members of staff visit Boston College High school for a period of approximately two weeks. While there, the boys stay in families, attend school for some of the days and visit places of interest like downtown Boston, local colleges and universities and other historical or cultural sites. Each year the finer details are different. The main aim of this exchange is to afford our students a chance to experience another culture from the vantage point of another Jesuit School. The experience is designed to be both educational and fun.
Our Chaplaincy
OUR CHAPLAINCY Navigation Everything done at St George’s celebrates the continuing action of God’s Holy Spirit in ourselves, others and the world around us. In celebrating life we are worshipping God. “The glory of God is humankind fully alive”, so said St. Irenaeus. Therefore, our main act of worship is the enjoyment given to us by the people we meet and the activities in which we engage. College Chapel Services are designed to underline this fundamental truth. At them, we also celebrate the forgiveness and mercy of God, in recognising our failures to Him and one another. But for the Catholics among us, worship culminates in the Eucharist, which is the celebration of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and the love that we have for one another. The Chaplaincy is responsible for the religious activities at the College, Service Projects, Interact, Days of Recollection, Retreats, Christian Life Community (CLC), and Crusaders of the Blessed Sacrament. It also works in conjunction with the personal counseling facility as explained below. Some of these activities are optional. In particular, some Chapel Services and Days of Recollection are for all students. All students wanting to enter Lower Six participate in Service Projects. In addition, the Chaplaincy operates outside the normal disciplinary structure of the school and students should feel free to use its counseling services, safe in the knowledge that their confidentiality will be respected. Any member of staff who is willing to be a Chaplain may be part of the Chaplaincy Counselling Team. At present, the Chaplaincy uses the R.E. room, which is open to students and the guidance room. Fr. George Bwanali SJ
Companions Programs
COMPANIONS PROGRAMS Navigation We are part of an ever-growing worldwide network of Jesuit Schools. As a way of leveraging this huge network, we have entered into various partnerships which broaden our sense of being global citizens. These partnerships range from online interactions using social media to actual physical exchange programmes where our students travel to various parts of the world as well as host students from the same.
Red Chair Campaign
RED CHAIR CAMPAIGN Navigation As part of our participation in the global projects of Jesuit Schools worldwide, St George’s College and Hartmann House are participating in the Red Chair Campaign. Though their own contributions, students are helping keep a peer who would have been a school dropout, in the education system. Since its launch, this project has been a huge success. When challenged to reflect on the Global Red Chair Campaign initiated through Educatemagis and Entreculturas (https://www.educatemagis.org/collections/global-red-chair-project/) the students of St George’s College and Hartmann House came up with various ideas and after some sifting the idea presented below was agreed upon. During the launch of their version of the Red Chair Project on the 31stof July, the Feast of St Ignatius, these words were part of the students’ prayer of offering; Together with students from Jesuit schools all over the world, we recognise how privileged we are to be in School when more than 58 million children of school-going age are unable to attend school. The reasons for this are bigger than us but as children, touched by your love, O Lord, we have decided to make a difference to our friends who are within our reach. We will put some of our brothers and sisters back into school. Among students the rollout of the project is as follows; Each class of about 25 adopts a student from a cheaper school (fees approximately $30 per term). The adopted child will henceforth be called our “Red Chair Friend” by that class. Each term we contribute a dollar each towards keeping our Red Chair Friend in school. Our friend is in the same age set as the corresponding class, i.e., a Grade 4 class has a Grade 4 Red Chair Friend. The Jesuit Province Education Office has helped and continues to help identify friends for all classes especially from but not limited to the Jesuit Schools’ network. The relationship between the Red Chair Friend and the class remains unless there are significant changes in the circumstances of the Red Chair Friend. When the Red Chair Project was presented to parents at the Parents’ Assembly as well as at the SDC meeting, the majority of parents present expressed a desire to participate in a similar fashion so as to double the number of students who will be brought back into school in this way. Thus each boy will pay $1 per term, presumably from their pocket money and parents may pay an equal or larger amount as they feel inspired. Parents’ payments also come through their son’s class teacher. In conversations with staff, a desire to participate was also expressed and what the teachers raise will be used as a buffer to augment shortages, e.g., some classes may for various reasons fail to reach the actual fees for their Red Chair friend. To date, 40 students who had dropped out of school have been brought back into school through this project. Follow this link for more
Students Programs
STUDENTS PROGRAMS Navigation Student programmes for the sharing of Ignatian ethos include retreats, Chapel services and themed classes where Ignatian values are shared. Periodically these themed classes take the form of specific social topics taken from the Education for Living (EFL) syllabus. Service takes various forms from fundraising for specific charities, or donation of various goods such as dry foods or old clothes. The distinctive service at St George’s College is the Service Project initiative which is mandatory for all Lower 6 students who wish to be considered for a place in the senior part of the School.
Staff Programs
STAFF PROGRAMS Navigation We share our Ignatian Ethos with staff at various forums like staff meetings and School assemblies. Of note, however, are Ignatian Forums whose primary focus is precisely the presentation and reflection on various Ignatian themes as necessary.
Parents Programs
PARENTS PROGRAMS Navigation In the imparting of our Jesuit Ethos to parents, there are various activities scheduled. The involvement of parents is in keeping with our appreciation of the fact that parents and the Schools work together collaboratively to bring up the young men in our care according to the defined aims. These programmes include presentations at the induction of new parents into the community. Other presentations are made at parent gatherings such as SDC meetings and assemblies and parents’ evenings organized by age group.
Programs
PROGRAMS Navigation Here are some of our programmes; Parents’ Programmes In the imparting of our Jesuit Ethos to parents, there are various activities scheduled. The involvement of parents is in keeping with our appreciation of the fact that parents and the schools work together collaboratively to bring up the young men and women in our care according to the defined aims. These programmes include presentations at the induction of new parents into the community. Other presentations are made at parent gatherings, such as SDC meetings, assemblies and parent’s evenings organized by age group. Staff Programmes We share our Ignatian Ethos with staff at various forums like staff meetings and School assemblies. Of note, however, are Ignatian Forums whose primary focus is precisely the presentation and reflection on various Ignatian themes as necessary. Student Programmes Student programmes for the sharing of Ignatian ethos include retreats, Chapel services and themed classes where Ignatian values are shared. Periodically these themed classes take the form of specific social topics taken from the Education for Living (EFL) syllabus. Service takes various forms from fundraising for specific charities, or donation of various goods such as dry foods or old clothes. The distinctive service at St George’s College is the Service Project initiative which is mandatory for all Lower 6 students who wish to be considered for a place in the senior part of the School. Red Chair Campaign As part of our participation in the global projects of Jesuit Schools worldwide, St George’s College and Hartmann House are participating in the Red Chair Campaign. Though their own contributions, students are helping keep a peer who would have been a school dropout, in the education system. Since its launch, this project has been a huge success. Read more here >> Red Chair Campaign Companions’ Programmes We are part of an ever-growing worldwide network of Jesuit Schools. As a way of leveraging this huge network, we have entered into various partnerships which broaden our sense of being global citizens. These partnerships range from online interactions using social media to actual physical exchange programmes where our students travel to various parts of the world as well as host students from the same. An example is the Boston Exchange programmes.
Retreats
RETREATS Navigation Prayer is at the heart of everything we do as a Jesuit institution. All our activities ought to start with God and find their joyful completion in him. Thus in our daily lives, there are several moments of prayer. In keeping with Jesuit and Ignatian tradition and practise, however, we set time aside for retreats. According to a plan, various members of the community take time to leave their daily routines and go away to pray. The content and plan for these days of prayer vary according to the age and experience of the retreatants. At the end of it, participants come back renewed and refreshed and ready to give generously of themselves to the Love of God and the service of humanity. Because of our multicultural and multi-faith nature, our retreats are designed to be inclusive as far as possible. They, like all other spiritual activities, are not meant to convert participants to our Roman Catholic faith but rather to inspire them in their respective faith communities to a deeper knowledge of God and a closer following of his inspiration.
Service Projects
SERVICE PROJECTS Navigation Jesuit education is intended as a preparation for a life of active, social commitment. Students of Jesuit Colleges and thus students of St George’s College are encouraged to understand their own ‘place’ in the world, in terms of educational and socio-economic opportunities, and to use these opportunities in compassionate service of others, especially those whose opportunities have been less than theirs or who are the victims of poverty and injustice. The 3 week ‘Service Projects’ that our Lower Sixth students (Year 12) embark on exposes them to the wider world of the underprivileged. The mission of the Church and in turn the mission of Jesuit schools is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ and in this way to build the Kingdom, by serving and humanising the world and giving glory to God. The community outside the College gates needs our service, our witness and our active participation so that Christ may be present in the world. The ‘Lenten Campaign’ which is a follow on from the ‘Service Projects’, encourages the whole College to participate in the upliftment of each of the Agencies our senior students serve. The Lenten Campaign runs for the duration of the Liturgical Season of Lent annually. St Ignatius said that ‘Love is shown in deeds’. Religion is deeply personal but not private. Faith which does not expose itself in love for others and the passionate quest for justice lacks authenticity. Jesuit College’s, St George’s College, aim to facilitate the emergence of young men (& women) who will exercise leadership in terms of these values and seek to be agents of change, not more or less passive upholders of the status quo. SERVICE PROJECT AGENCIES Agency Advisor 1. Tinokwirira 2. St Catherine’s 3. Batsirai 4. Zambuko 5. St Giles School 6. St Giles Rehab Centre 7. EM Hill Deaf School 8. EM Hill Children’s Home 9. St Rupert Mayer Mission 10. Crowhill School 11. Dorothy Duncan Centre 12. Tose 13. St Joseph’s Primary School 14. Jairos Jiri Southerton 15. Jairos Jiri Waterfalls 16. St Peter’s Primary School 17. Ruvimbo Special School 18. St Marcellin Ch Home 19. Harare Children’s Home 20. Harare Central Prisons School 21. Tomlinson Depot School 22. Shingirai Primary School 23. Glenview 4 Government School 24. Missionaries Charity 25. L’Arche To gauge a feel of Service Projects, feel free to view the following videos of St George’s students who have been part of the programme: https://youtu.be/wdIhIe921p0https://youtu.be/mrdtJGx_p7Ihttps://youtu.be/a7-2diQOA28