Newpark Comprehensive School

Governance

Newpark has a Protestant tradition, and is under the patronage of the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin.

History

Avoca school and Kingstown grammar school

Avoca School in Blackrock was founded in 1892 by Albert Augustus "A.A." MacDonagh M.A. (1869-1934) who served for a long time as its headmaster, and Kingstown Grammar School in 1894 by Matthew Edward Devlin (whose son Rev. John Edward Devlin took over as Kingstown's headmaster in 1932).

The two founding schools catered primarily for Protestant children in the Blackrock and Dún Laoghaire areas, but the schools also welcomed pupils from other religious faiths, and from none. In 1968 the original schools amalgamated as Avoca & Kingstown School at Newtownpark Avenue.

Newpark Comprehensive School

The current school was created in 1972, when the Department of Education purchased Avoca & Kingstown School. It was one of the four Comprehensive Schools established by the Government to make free second-level education accessible to the Protestant community within an appropriate ethos.

Newpark has a specific obligation to the Protestant community of south Dublin/north Wicklow, and this is reflected in its special recognition of the National Schools under Protestant management in the catchment area and by the priority given to those enrolling from the Protestant community. Newpark also considers itself a pluralist community; it embraces inclusion in terms of social, cultural, religious and ethnic diversity.

Sport and extracurricular activities

The school offers a range of sports including field hockey, rugby and basketball. Its rugby senior team has held the McMullen Cup since 2007. Avoca Hockey Club is based on the campus.The students also have access to Newpark Sports Centre which has a sports hall and a swimming pool.

Campus

The Newpark campus covers 100,543m² (25 acres). The school was centred on a purpose-built prefab-style block, opened in 1974, but also used two large houses, "Melfield" and "Belfort" (Referred to as the Red-Brick by students), a purpose-built extension to Belfort (The D/F Building), a gate lodge and other ancillary rooms. . In 2015 a new school building was opened to students and many of the ancillary rooms were demolished leaving only Belfort and Melfield standing from the original plan.

Facilities

Founded in 1978 to provide music school facilities in south Dublin, Newpark Academy of Music, formerly Newpark Music Centre, now caters for over 1000 students and is one of the largest public music schools in Dublin. While the emphasis is on learning music for enjoyment, students and choirs from the Academy have been successful in competitions throughout the country.

As a founder member of the International Association of Schools of Jazz (IASJ), Newpark Academy of Music established its Jazz and Contemporary Music Department in 1986 and is now recognised as the primary centre for jazz and jazz related music education in the country.

Newpark Sports Centre was built in 1973 with the sole purpose of providing a modern Physical Education facility for the school. Since then, the centre has developed into a multi-purpose facility providing a range of activities for the local community. Its sports facilities include:

Water-based artificial grass hockey pitch

Basketball courts

25m swimming pool

Health suite

Fitness centre

Multi-use sports hall

500m running track

Rugby pitches (off school grounds)

Newpark Adult Education Centre

Newpark Adult Education Centre offers evening and night classes in a wide range of subjects for leisure and personal development.

Notable alumni and teachers

Chris Andrews, politician

Sir Hugh Annesley, Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) 1989-1996 (he had attended Avoca School)

Jonathan Philbin Bowman, broadcaster

Niall Connolly, Sinn Féin activist; one of the "Colombia Three"

John de Courcy Ireland, historian and political activist

John A. Furlong, CEO of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee

George Gibney, disgraced national and Olympic coach (1984-1991)

Niamh Hyland, Supreme Court Judge

Bryan Dobson, RTÉ News

Fergus Johnston, composer and member of Aosdána

Rachel Joynt, visual artist / sculptor

Wilfrid Brambell, actor

Riyadh Khalaf, broadcaster, writer, and YouTuber

David McCullagh, RTÉ journalist and author

Paul Readman, Professor in Modern British History at King's College London

Peter Pearson (painter, born 1955)

Mario Rosenstock, actor and comedian

Dan Sheridan, actor