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PROSPECTUS GLENSTAL PROSPECTUS A Benedictine Ethos insists on the acceptance of every element within the person and the acceptance of each member of the community. CONTENTS Introduction 3 Glenstal Abbey 5 Glenstal Abbey School 6 Our Benedictine Tradition 11 Education on a Human Scale 13 Life at Glenstal 23 Boarding Life 24 Rich in History, Nature, Art and Spirituality 34 A Personal Approach to Education 43 Transition Year 51 A Holistic Approach to Sports and Leisure 58 Art & Music are rooted in the heritage of Glenstal 65 Admissions 70 Fees 72 A WORD FROM THE HEADMASTER Thank you for your interest in Glenstal Because our school is so closely associated Abbey School. We believe in education with the adjoining monastery, community on a human scale and an individual is profoundly important for us. Our level. We offer our students a Christian student body includes boys who belong to environment in which to grow together the Catholic Church and other Christian and seek to foster independent, critical and traditions, as well as some who adhere to imaginative thinking that will help guide other faiths or have no religious affiliation them through life. We believe that we have at all. Despite that variety, the school is a a deep understanding of boys’ education, single community. We want our students to underpinned and informed by the values see it as such and to know Glenstal as a home of the 1,500-year-old Benedictine tradition away from home and an extended family in which we stand and our unwavering where lifelong friendships are fostered and commitment to personal care and attention. treasured. It is an understanding that we are very eager to share and I hope that this prospectus will I hope that the pages that follow give you provide a window for you to see and learn a good sense of our school community. I about what we do here and why. hope too that this prospectus will prompt you to contact us and to visit in person, to Glenstal is a beautiful place. We are lucky to explore our campus and meet our staff, and be located in such a stunning and peaceful to see first-hand where truly transformative oasis. Complementing these physical education takes place. surroundings, inside the school we strive to provide an environment where each student has the opportunity to discover his truest self and grow into an independent, confident, and resilient young man. Our purpose is to help reveal and nurture each boy’s unique genius while supporting and upholding an Fr Martin Browne OSB excellent level of academic performance. Headmaster 3 We can only grow and fulfil our destiny as human beings by developing the interconnectedness between mind, body and spirit. ABBOT BRENDAN COFFEY OSB GLENSTAL ABBEY Founded in 1927 by monks from Maredsous Abbey in Belgium, Glenstal Abbey is a house of God and home to a community of over thirty Benedictine monks. It is an environment that is culturally and academically vibrant, a place which enriches both resident and visitor alike. Dedication to learning has been central to the Benedictine way of life for over 1,500 years. In Glenstal, this is expressed through the Abbey School and the Monastery’s Studium, a centre of Benedictine monastic learning. Our tradition is built on the four cornerstones of prayer, education, work, and welcome. It is uniquely situated in a historic estate of 500 acres of parkland, lakes and woodland, and is comprised of a monastery, school, guesthouse and dairy farm. 4 5 GLENSTAL ABBEY SCHOOL Glenstal Abbey School is an independent secondary seven-day boarding school for boys. The school has approximately 220 students with small class sizes of 14- 16 per class, highlighting the importance we place on individual care and attention and the relational aspect of learning. We strive to provide education on a human scale. We believe that our community offers students the freedom to grow spiritually and creatively and to develop a love of learning. While the school’s ethos is Benedictine and Catholic, Glenstal welcomes students of all faiths and none. As a community, we take justifiable pride in the academic excellence of the school and the outstanding pastoral care provided to all our students. Our academic programme offers a wide range of subjects, drawn from the humanities, physical and natural sciences and business, and we encourage each boy to achieve EDUCATION ON A HUMAN SCALE his full potential. Our academic staff is comprised of a unique combination of monks and lay teachers, providing diverse and eclectic perspectives in their respective fields. Outside of the classroom, Glenstal really comes to life. Whether competing for the Munster rugby cup, 220-230 14-16 8-1 2-1 singing in our award-winning renowned choir, or pausing to reflect during a stroll through the spectacular grounds STUDENTS PER CLASS STUDENT TO STUDENT TO of the Glenstal demesne, there is much to do and enjoy. TEACHER RATIO STAFF RATIO 36 7 If our learning is not integrated into our whole person, then it is not learning at all, it’s an exercise in memory recall. ABBOT BRENDAN COFFEY OSB 8 9 OUR BENEDICTINE TRADITION Balance, proportion and harmony Our community strives to live according to the Rule of St Benedict, which addresses some of the most basic questions we all face in life: How do we grow and fulfil our destiny as human beings? How do we relate to those around us, those with whom we live, those with whom we share this earth? How do we relate to God? This is the wisdom of both the ancient and the contemporary world. Balance, proportion and harmony are central and underpin everything. Perhaps it’s unrealistic today to approach the world like the great masters of the Renaissance, being skilled in every field and placing art and science on the same level. Today there is just too much to be known; but what are we losing if we do not? Are not all the elements of our make-up God-given and worthy of equal respect? Where is the interconnectedness between mind, body and spirit today? If our learning is not integrated into our whole person, then it is not learning at all, it’s an exercise in memory recall. A Benedictine Ethos insists on the acceptance of every element within the person and the acceptance of each member of the community. It sees each activity of the day as valuable and significant in its own right and does not encourage extremism, over-activity or workaholism. We are essentially rhythmic creatures and life needs rhythm and balance if it is to be consistently good and not drain from us the possibility of being or becoming whole in ourselves. Abbot Brendan Coffey OSB 10 11 EDUCATION ON A HUMAN SCALE Personalised, balanced, and relational education Our educational philosophy is centred around the provision of personalised education for each student on an individual level. Our staff and teacher to student ratios and our class sizes are unrivalled in Ireland. When small class sizes and relational teaching are combined in a boarding environment, students participate fully in their own success but also in that of their peers to create a reciprocally beneficial learning environment. This is when truly transformational education takes place. 12 13 Small class sizes, relational teaching and boarding combine to produce a transformational learning experience for our students. A Transformational Learning Experience SMALL CLASS SIZES RELATIONAL TEACHING STYLE Not every student learns at the same pace or in the same For a boy to discover and reach his way. Some students may struggle to keep pace with the rest true potential and grow into a happy of their class, while others need added or more challenging and confident young man, we believe assignments and stimulation; each student is unique. In education should occur on a human scale large classes, these students often refrain from asking for and an individual level. Teachers and staff the help they need. We provide encouragement and support engage with each student to understand to guide our students throughout the learning process. Small his strengths, needs and specific learning class sizes give the teachers and students space and time for style. Teachers get to know their students an individual approach. This supports students’ creativity, personally so that they can build healthy curiosity, critical thinking and understanding of what they are and collaborative relationships with them. studying. 14 15 A BALANCED EDUCATION The Interconnectedness of Mind, Body and Spirit To reach your potential and discover your truest self it is vital to develop balance, proportion and harmony between Mind, Body and Spirit. Achieving this builds stronger mental and physical resilience and cultivates a broader range of interests and competencies, all of which will prepare students to do well in college and thrive in their future careers. 16 1617 Mind | Academic activities Spirit | Cultural and Spiritual activities THE CULTIVATION OF INTELLECT BROADENING THE MIND AND FUELLING IMAGINATION AND When we refer to the Mind, we speak of the CREATIVITY cultivation of intellectual capacity, which goes far beyond academic attainment alone. While At Glenstal Abbey, we encourage all of our achieving good grades is necessary to access visitors and the students in our school to nourish third level education and pursue specific careers, their spirits in the broadest possible sense. The grades are only one piece of the puzzle. Through presence of a vibrant community of monks on the small class sizes (14-16), dedicated pastoral staff same campus, seeking God through prayer, work and unparalleled student-teacher ratios (8:1), and study, gives our school a unique atmosphere we engage with our students in a personalised and rhythm.

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