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160th Anniversary of the School Opening Monday 14th April |
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He had a dream. Rev. Provincial Gaetano Pace Forno had a dream of building a school for the children of the inner harbour area. That was 160 years ago. In 1848, his dream became reality, when the Augustinian convent in Valletta was swiftly converted into classrooms and various facilities to welcome its first students. As such, 1848 will remain the year when the Augustinian ethos was integrated into the Maltese educational system.
Since then, numerous lay persons, together with the Augustinians themselves, have always sought inspiration from Augustinian ideals, where everything is done with love and care – educating and instilling human dignity in all the students entrusted to their care.
From its origins in Valletta, the College was moved to Tarxien and later to Pieta’, where it is still to be found; a one-hundred-and-sixty-year-long journey which saw the College only closing its doors once, during the Second World War.
Today the College faces challenges of a totally different nature. There is the new individualistic mentality ingrained in our youth, a characteristic which the College is continually striving to eliminate. In its place, we try to instill a sense of sharing and caring, fostered by love and sound advice for life, including respect towards authority.
The College mission statement is brought to life on a daily basis and the efforts and results are tangible. Students with special needs are to be found in all forms, in most classes. There is a whole educational programme for these children involving teachers, facilitators and even parents, and the College is at the forefront to put into practice the principles found in the National Minimum Curriculum.
Providing a modern learning establishment, the College strives to give our children the moral fortitude necessary to realise their dreams. Given such a solid setup, good academic results at the end of the fifth year are a foregone conclusion. A high percentage of our students carry on with their studies at higher-learning institutions, such as Junior College, MCAST & ITS. And whenever there is an old-boys reunion, these young men flock back to the College in their hundreds, a sure sign of respect and high esteem in which the College is held by our old boys.
After 160 years, the College is a success story, teeming with positive experiences and youthful spirit. At St Augustine College, we know how to mete discipline with love and care, to combine learning with pleasure in a way which highlights St Augustine’s teaching on education – thus showing that his principles and beliefs are still very much valid to this very day. As a result, there are various activities going on at the College throughout the year, ranging from talent shows to cultural visits, from awards evenings to religious celebrations – always with the student firmly at the core of whatever we do.
In 1998, the College celebrated its 150th year of existence. This prestigious milestone was celebrated with a musico-literary presentation. The celebrations reached their culmination during a concelebrated mass at St John’s Co-Cathedral, where a new book about the 150 years of history of the College was launched.
His Excellency Mons. Paul Cremona, Archbishop of Malta has been cordially invited this year for the upcoming Founder’s Day celebrations. The Archbishop will celebrate mass in the College grounds. Then he will unveil a commemorative plaque as well as a new artistic mural in the main playground and attend a reception afterwards.
Needless to say, St Augustine College is now reaping what it has sown over the years, and this has only been possible as a result of the hard work and absolute commitment of numerous people. One cannot fail to mention the Various College Rectors who guided the ship through calm and stormy waters, each in his own signature way, all the teachers who have educated students with care and academic skill, all the parents who have always supported the College through thick and thin, and last but not least, the children themselves, who became young men at St Augustine College.
Today, under the guidance of our Rector, Fr Alan Scerri OSA, with the cooperation of all stakeholders, St Augustine College reaches into the future with hope, courage and enthusiasm. It is our mission to build upon our success over the past 160 years for the benefit, ultimately, of all the boys entrusted to our care.
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