Derry school celebrates 30 years of education

Oakgrove Integrated College has launched a year of activities to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its official opening.
By Daire Ní Chanáin
Published 14th Dec 2022, 10:25 BST
Updated 14th Dec 2022, 10:25 BST
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John Harkin, Acting Principal, said: “December 10 marks International Human Rights Day, but for our school community, it also marks another milestone in the history of this city. It is the 30th anniversary of the official opening of this school. It was the courage of individuals which opened a school without government approval, and the courage of governors, staff, parents and students who have since kept alive the vision of the founders.”

Representatives of the founding Governors of Oakgrove Integrated College visited the school to mark its anniversary. They shared memories of the excitement of the founding days, the struggles to get government approval, and the financial decisions they took to put up the money to run the school if the government did not.

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Northern Ireland stands alone as a place where parents together set up schools and colleges, starting with Belfast’s Lagan College in 1981, and Oakgrove in 1992. Originally opened with just 78 students, Oakgrove now counts 4,813 students who have passed through its doors.

OAKGROVE CELEBRATE 30th. . . .Group pictured on Friday last at the launch of the Oakgrove Integrated College’s 30th Anniversary Celebrations. Included from left are John Harkin, Acting Principal, Anne Murray, Chair of Board Governors, Anne Montgomery, Jimmy Laverty, Niamh Doherty, School Business Manager, and Colm Cavanagh. The founding Governors joined with students to celebrate the launch of a year of activities to mark 30 years of Oakgrove Integrated College. (Photo: Jim McCafferty Photography)OAKGROVE CELEBRATE 30th. . . .Group pictured on Friday last at the launch of the Oakgrove Integrated College’s 30th Anniversary Celebrations. Included from left are John Harkin, Acting Principal, Anne Murray, Chair of Board Governors, Anne Montgomery, Jimmy Laverty, Niamh Doherty, School Business Manager, and Colm Cavanagh. The founding Governors joined with students to celebrate the launch of a year of activities to mark 30 years of Oakgrove Integrated College. (Photo: Jim McCafferty Photography)
OAKGROVE CELEBRATE 30th. . . .Group pictured on Friday last at the launch of the Oakgrove Integrated College’s 30th Anniversary Celebrations. Included from left are John Harkin, Acting Principal, Anne Murray, Chair of Board Governors, Anne Montgomery, Jimmy Laverty, Niamh Doherty, School Business Manager, and Colm Cavanagh. The founding Governors joined with students to celebrate the launch of a year of activities to mark 30 years of Oakgrove Integrated College. (Photo: Jim McCafferty Photography)

In the year ahead, Oakgrove will host a wide variety of events for the school community past and present.

In launching the year, John Harkin said: “Integrated Education has been about bringing people together, to recognise that there is more which unites us as humans than divides. During this year, we will reflect on the meaning of integration, to remember past success, and build the foundations of the next chapter of this school and city’s journey of bringing people together.”

Related topics:RepresentativesDerryNorthern IrelandBelfast