Eagle School

Eagle School
Eagle School
	Eagle School badge
Location
	Vumba Mountains ; Manicaland ; Zimbabwe
Information
Type	Independent, preparatory boarding school
Motto	Arduus Ad Solem; (Latin: Striving towards the Sun)
Established	1948(75 years ago)
Closed	1976(47 years ago)
Gender	Boys
Age range	7–14
Houses	Martins; Swallows; Swifts;
	; View of Eagle School from the access road

Last updated December 28, 2023

Eagle School was an independent, preparatory boarding school for boys aged 7 to 14 years situated in the Vumba Mountains near Umtali, Rhodesia (now Mutare, Zimbabwe).

The school was founded in 1948 and closed in 1976.^[1] The remaining pupils were then integrated into Springvale School.^[2] In his 2006 memoir, journalist and human rights activist Geoffrey Nyarota described the school as a "prestigious institution for wealthy white boys".^[3]^[1] Eagle was one of the nine founding members of the Conference of Heads of Independent Schools in Zimbabwe (CHISZ) as it was formed in the 1950s.^[4]

Motto

The school's motto was Arduus Ad Solem, a Latin phrase which means "Striving towards the Sun". The school shared the motto with the former Victoria University of Manchester (now the University of Manchester, but has a different motto) and the Dragon School, a co-educational, preparatory school in Oxford, England.

Sports and houses

The school had sports facilities and participation in rugby, cricket, soccer, athletics and swimming was compulsory with tennis being the exception. Rival schools were Chancellor Junior School, UBHS, Carmel, Baring, Vumba Heights and John Cowie. The school was divided into three sports houses – Swifts, Swallows and Martins.^[1]

Cultural activities

Activities included an archaeology club, horse riding, music and the Young Farmers Club.^[1] Plays, film screenings and concerts were regular term events.

Closure and integration into Springvale

Eagle was precariously placed in its mountainous home because of the security situation and its proximity to Mozambique. The school had approached the Springvale School board "in general terms" on a previous occasion about the possibility of a move and, in March 1976, met specifically to ask if Springvale would consider taking on the pupils and staff who remained after Eagle had officially closed in the Vumba Mountains. Eagle Headmaster Michael Hammond, who had taught at Springvale for many years before moving to Eagle, was faced with an agonising decision: to close completely or to move the school somewhere where "we could continue to preserve our identity for the rest of the year". Thus, Eagle joined the ranks of Springvale at the opening of the second term 1976. Springvale temporarily benefitted from the influx of seventy Eagle boys but circumstances beyond the school's control forced it to close in 1979.^[1]^[2]

Post closure

The school site was subsequently taken over by the Elim Mission Society. On the night of the 23 June 1978, twelve members of the mission were murdered by members of the ZANU–PF (Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front) in the Vumba massacre.^[5] The site was taken over by the ZANU PF and access to it is restricted.^[1]

List of heads

Between 1948 and 1976, the school had only four headmasters:

Frank Cary (1948–1953)^[1]
Claude Mellor (1953–1968)^[1]
Richard Moore (1968–1973)^[1]
Michael Hammond (1973–1976)^[1]

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References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Eagle School, Umtali". The Petrean Society. Archived from the original on 13 July 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
1 2 Sylvester, Penny (2003). "Springvale School 1953–1979". The Petrean Society. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
↑ Nyarota, Geoffrey (2006). Against the Grain: Memoirs of a Zimbabwean Newsman. Cape Town: Zebra. p. 73. ISBN 978-1770071124.
↑ Staff (undated) (18 September 2015). "ATS CHISZ – History". ATS CHISZ. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
↑ "Vumba. A Summary of Tragic Events" (PDF). www.elimmissions.co.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-12-22.

19°05′33″S32°43′04″E / 19.09253°S 32.71769°E / -19.09253; 32.71769

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[About_Eagle-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Eagle School, Umtali". The Petrean Society. Archived from the original on 13 July 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2015.

[Springvale_School-2] 1 2 Sylvester, Penny (2003). "Springvale School 1953–1979". The Petrean Society. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 15 December 2015.

[3] Nyarota, Geoffrey (2006). Against the Grain: Memoirs of a Zimbabwean Newsman. Cape Town: Zebra. p. 73. ISBN 978-1770071124.

[ATS_History-4] Staff (undated) (18 September 2015). "ATS CHISZ – History". ATS CHISZ. Retrieved 20 December 2015.

[5] "Vumba. A Summary of Tragic Events" (PDF). www.elimmissions.co.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-12-22.

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v t e Association of Trust Schools
Primary schools	Ariel School Barwick School Bishopslea Preparatory School Bryden Country School Carmel Primary School Centenary Primary School Chisipite Junior School Coalfields Primary School Dominican Convent Primary School, Bulawayo Eaglesvale Preparatory School Gateway Primary School (Zimbabwe) Goldridge Primary School Hartmann House Preparatory School Hellenic Primary School Highveld Primary School Hippo Valley Estates Primary School Hillcrest Preparatory School Kyle Preparatory School Lendy Park School Lilfordia School Lomagundi College Primary School Lusitania Primary School Masiyephambili Junior School Midlands Christian School Mubeena Ebrahim Primary School Murray MacDougall Primary School Mutarazi Junior School Mvurachena Primary School Petra Primary School Portland Primary School Riverside Stimulation Centre Ruzawi School Rydings School St. John's Preparatory School (Harare) St. Thomas Aquinas Primary School Sharon School Springvale House Tynwald Primary School Victoria Falls Primary School Westridge Primary School Whitestone School
Secondary schools	Arundel School Chisipite Senior School Christian Brothers College, Bulawayo Dominican Convent High School, Bulawayo Eaglesvale High School Falcon College Gateway High School (Zimbabwe) Girls' College Goldridge College Hellenic Academy Hillcrest College Kyle College Lomagundi College Masiyephambili College Midlands Christian College Peterhouse Boys' School Peterhouse Girls' School Petra High School St. Christopher's School, Harare St. George's College, Harare St. John's College (Harare) South Eastern College Watershed College Westridge High School
Former members	Bernard Mizeki College
Defunct schools	Eagle School St. Peter's Diocesan School St. Stephen's College, Balla Balla