Rockbrook Park School

Rockbrook Park School
File:RockbrookCrest.png
Location
Rathfarnham , County Dublin Ireland
Coordinates	53.262775°N 6.30033°W / 53.262775; -6.30033
Information
School type	fee-paying secondary (or Middle & High school)
Motto	Inter medium montem pertransibunt aquae Latin for "The river will always find a way through the mountains"
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic Opus Dei
Established	1971
Founder	Sean McDermott
Chairperson	Barry O'Grady (acting)
Principal	Jude Mulligan
Gender	Boys
Age	12-13 to 17-18
Website	Official Website

Rockbrook Park School is a fee-paying, secondary school for boys, located on Edmondstown Road, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16, Ireland. It was established by a group of parents, partly inspired by the work of the founder of Opus Dei.

History

The school was founded in 1971, first as a "pre-university centre" at 144-116 St Stephen's Green, offering repeat Leaving Cert classes for students. In 1972, classes were expanded. Later, in 1975, the school moved to Rockbrook House and surrounding forty acres buying them from John Brown, who was retiring as Chief Brewer with Guinness and moving back to England. The price paid was £75,000 Irish pounds. In the summer of 1980, five classrooms and a number of small mentoring rooms were added at a cost of £44,000 Irish pounds.

In 2006-2008, Rockbrook took on the biggest step in its history, building a brand new school building, car park, sports pavilion, and two new soccer pitches costing €5 million.

School ethos

The school was founded by a group of parents who wanted to combine academic excellence, personal attention to each student and sound moral development, along with a close working relationship between teachers and parents. Rockbrook's education is grounded on a Christian understanding of the world and of the human person. Drawing on Catholic educational principles and social teaching the school emphasises the importance of character development to its students. The school welcomes and respects students of other beliefs and accommodates these insofar as is practical; attendance at religious education classes is optional for non-Catholics. The school fosters a respect for others, regardless of talents, race, colour, creed or social standing. People are to be valued as persons, for who they are, not for what they are. Within the school this respect is fostered in an atmosphere of trust, openness and sincerity, and these qualities should characterise all aspects of school life and interactions between pupils, parents, teachers and management. Students in particular are encouraged to value their freedom and to use it well, taking responsibility for their own actions.

The founding parents, notably Lord Kane, were inspired by St. Josemaría Escrivá, the founder of Opus Dei, a personal prelature of the Catholic Church. St Josemaria’s teaching about the value of one’s ordinary work as a stepping stone to God impacts on the school’s approach to encouraging hard work, excellence and a spirit of service within the school community. At the schools request the Prelature of Opus Dei make a priest of the Prelature available for the sacramental and pastoral needs of the school community. He has no role in the management of the school.

Sports

Rockbrook' first sports are soccer and orienteering, and it has many championship successes in both sports in recent years. It hosts Ireland's first padel tennis court. It also competes in cross-country, in Gaelic football (senior team only), in cricket and in golf..

External links

• Rockbrook Park School website
• Rockbrook's Past Pupils Union