Saltus Grammar School
Saltus Grammar School, founded in 1888, is an independent school in Hamilton, the capital of Bermuda. It was a boys' school until 1992, when it became co-educational. It has two campuses, one for the Lower Primary (ages 4–6) and one for the Upper Primary and Secondary. In 2005 it had some 1033 students, of whom 73% were Bermudians. Now, it has some 2000 students, of whom 69% are Bermudians.
The school is a member of the US-based National Association of Independent Schools and also the Canadian Accredited Independent Schools.[1]
History
The school was born of a bequest in the will of Samuel Palmer who died in 1880, for the founding of a boys' school. On 6 February 1888, Saltus Grammar School opened its doors in the Pembroke Sunday School Building at the corner of North and Angle Streets in Hamilton, with 35 students enrolled.
In 1893, the school moved to Woodlands, an historic house which still serves as the heart of the main campus. Classrooms were added in 1923 to accommodate the increase in students, the veranda was added to the main building in 1953 and, by the middle 1960s, enrollment had reached 170. Up until this time the school had been grant-aided, but in 1971 the Trustees made the decision to have Saltus become a completely independent, fee-paying school. To handle larger numbers and the diverse curriculum, major additions were made to the campus to the Laboratory and Science Block in 1969 and the Cavendish-Preparatory Department in 1972. Saltus leased Cavendish Hall in 1972, thus establishing a second campus. Thanks to the generosity of the Cavendish Trustees, that school has now been incorporated into Saltus Grammar School.
Other major projects since then have included the Reiss Library (1975), the Haygarth Gymnasium (1979), and the Henry Hallett Art and Music Facility (1982). Also in 1982, land leased to the Bermuda Swimming Association enabled a 50-metre swimming-pool to be constructed on the main campus, with the school having use of the facility.
In 1990, the Trustees made the decision to extend co-education, previously only at Grade 12 level, throughout the school and, in September 1991, 89 girls joined 608 boys to commence a new era in the history of the school. At the same time, an extensive building programme was undertaken, adding a new block to Cavendish plus several additional classrooms at the main campus and including major reconstruction to the interior of Woodlands. Rebuilt in 1993, the new Woodlands Centre now contains: Junior Department classrooms, Senior & Junior Art classrooms and the Senior Design Technology department.
This phase of construction was concluded in late 1993 when total enrolment stood at 780, including 156 girls. By this time, the teaching staff numbered 59, and the school was led by its sixth headmaster in 106 years, Mr. James Keith McPhee.
In August 1995, Mr. R. Trevor Rowell joined the school as its next headmaster and launched a consultative School Development Plan with input from staff, parents, trustees and students. This outlined the school's growth and development during Mr. Rowell's tenure.
Mr. Rowell's achievements between 1995 and his departure in 1999 to become Head of the British School at The Hague, The Netherlands, included many milestones made possible by a fund raising programme which netted a total of over $6 million in three years. These include:
- adding three new classrooms, two reading rooms and providing an administrative suite at Saltus-Cavendish School;
- adding five new classrooms, new boys and girls changing rooms, improved access and parking, and a computer suite at the Junior Department;
- refurbishing the Reiss Centre for the SGY programme and Senior Music Department;
- moving the school's central administration to Woodlands;
- creation of the Dudley Butterfield Learning Resource Centre for the Senior Department;
- doubling the size of the Senior Department computer area by adding the Donald Lines Computer Centre;
- complete refurbishment of the exterior of the Senior Department including replacement of all windows;
- redecorating the interior of both the Junior and Senior Department Halls, and the classroom and hallway areas of the Senior Department;
- launching the "Learning Through Laptops" initiative;
- reducing the school's indebtedness by $2.5 million.
In June 1999, Mr. Nigel J. G. Kermode, then a 22-year veteran teacher at Saltus, became the school's eighth headmaster.
In summer 2009, Saltus welcomed a new headmaster, Mr. E. G. Staunton from St. Andrew's College in Canada.
In 2016 it was announced that Ms. Deryn Lavell, Bishop Strachan School would join the school as its new headmaster in the following school year.[2]