Thursday 22 October 2009

Interviews 2009





Cottolengo Boarding Primary
School invites you for the
2010 intake interview.

DAY: SATURDAY 14TH NOVEMBER 2009

TIME: 08.00 A.M
VENUE: COTTOLENGO BOARDING
PRIMARY SCHOOL – LAARE
NB: VACANCIES ARE AVAILABLE
ONLY FOR STD 1 – 6
 NURSERY SCHOOL REGISTRATION WILL
BE ON THE SAME DAY.
REQUIREMENTS
 BIRTH CERTIFICATE/BAPTISM CARD/CLINIC
CARD
 PRESENT SCHOOL ACADEMIC REPORT BOOK
 A PEN, PENCIL, RUBBER AND AN EXERCISE
BOOK
 KSH 100/= REGISTRATION/INTERVIEW FEE

Cottolengo day Special

Every year Cottolengo Day is celebrated in colours. We witness the showcasing of talent, love for education, creativity at its best. Some of the poems that remain relevant and interesting include a collection by Nicholas, now Fr. Nicholas. We have posted these two poems that revealed the depths of Cottolengo Spirituality.

COTTOLENGO, STAY WITH US
The road is merciless; it’s covered with stones,
But pilgrims arrive, they arrive in thousands,
The strong as well as the weak arrive,
With their young and old.
Some with swollen legs for having walked.
O dear Cottolengo serve us!

The heart of the pilgrims
is longing, waiting, expecting –all for your voice.
And you tell us: Caritas Christi Urget Nos!
We learn to stay with you:
Checking first the kingdom of God.
O dear Cottolengo, stay with us!

They all shout in unison,
“let’s go to the shrine of love,
the sanctuary of charity.”
They exclaim, “We can’t win the world without love.
Friends, stop and bow at the shrine of love”.
O dear Cottolengo, pray with us!

Pilgrims are arriving, they arrive every hour.
“Simama hapa”, they say.
“Fermati qua,” they chorus.
Look, there’s a long trail of pilgrims.
Longing, waiting, expecting – all for your voice.
O dear Cottolengo, stay with us!

Now we know of your presence,
You’ve the sense of paternity,
a fatherhood of its kind.
Cottolengo, stay with us,
Serve us, pray with us and for us!

Deo Gratias!
Kirimo Nicholas, ssc
2005

Help us carry the cross, Lord.

Help us, aid us carry the cross,
The hour of trial‘s near for us,
And the pangs of pain and sacrifice,
Must be our companion always.
Lord, that Cottolengo School may shine always.

Our cares in this world are null,
It’s the concern of your will
That we seek, we explore, we search.
When we walk this path in search;
May we find your will,
Lord, that Cottolengo School may shine always.

Wondering if God, you’ll shake our hands,
Somehow we feel that in your hand are ours.
Funny! Yes, extraordinary is your love,
We know that we shall have,
Your all-consoling presence.
Lord, that Cottolengo School may shine always.

Though we weren’t friendly to you,
As our Saint, Joseph Cottolengo to you,
We’ve learnt to love, to serve, to suffer and to be cheerful.
We’re sure that you’ll wait at your door
To welcome our herald, the faithful.
Lord, that Cottolengo School may shine always.

It’s a warm wind, the west wind,
That announces the changing season,
But your unchanging arm is like a land
That withstands all and welcomes every season.
We trust your powerful hand.
Lord, that Cottolengo School may shine always.

You, you my dear friend,
And you, my visitor today and brother forever.
Be sure that God will help us.
In carrying the cross, with its pangs of pain and sacrifice.
Yes, Lord! That Cottolengo School may shine always.
Nicholas Kirimo, ssc
2005

Sunday 11 October 2009

A Historical Note


Quietly hidden in a remote zone of Meru North, Cottolengo Boarding has for the twenty years of its life been a place of holistic growth and integral education. Every year since 1994, a group of pupils leave the school to join various National and Provincial schools in the country. One wonders why a school that has no signboard, no public adverts and no high connections in the education sector manages to attract people from as far as the Coast Province. Perhaps, the Swahili saying, "Chema chajiuza na kibaya chajitembeza" explains it.

From the first group of pupils in January 1989 to the current group of over 1000 pupils, the school has grown tremendously beyond the expectations of the founders. From the following report filed this year by the administration, we can see how the school has come to age.

TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF COTTOLENGO PRIMARY SCHOOL

Introduction

Cottolengo Primary school was founded in January 1989 by the Society of Cottolengo Fathers under coordination of Fr Fiorenzo Crameri. The founding vision of the school “to uplift the living standards of the local population through education.” This is in line with the Cottolengo charism of care for the poorest of the poor, hence the motto of the school, Caritas Christi Urget Nos!

The school started with 36 pupils in Standard one and 39 pupils in Standard two. It had a tuition block of 3 semi permanent classrooms. These blocks were later upgraded to the current store, computer lab and library.

Coordinator and Headteachers

Since its inception in 1989, the school has been coordinated by Fr. Fiorenzo Crameri. Under his able management the school has seen a steady growth in pupils’ population and the staff members. Both structures on the academic blocks and the catering block have been upgraded and new ones built to accommodate the ever-growing number of pupils and teachers.

From its foundation to date, Cottolengo Boarding has had 9 headteachers.

  1. Mrs. Lila George – from January 1989 to August 1989
  2. Mrs. Vasath Mohan- 1989 – 1992
  3. Sr. Catherine Gitonga – 1992 – 1993
  4. Mr. Bruce Kiambati – 1993 – 1995
  5. Miss Martha Mauta – 1995 – 1998
  6. Sr. Agnes Muthoni – 1998 – 2000
  7. Sr. Hellen Karambu – 2000 – 2002
  8. Fr. Bernard Muthomi – 2002 – 2003
  9. Fr. Christopher Nchebere – 2003

The Staff and Pupils Population

Cottolengo Boarding has recorded a steady increase in the number of pupils and staff since its foundation. In 1990 Nursery class and Standard 4 were started. The population grew from 75 to 195. In 1991 24 new pupils were admitted to class 5 and boarding facilities were put in place. This number went up 1992. There were 11 teachers, 3 support staff and 280 pupils. In 1993 boarding facilities were extended to class 4 and eight permanent classrooms were already in place. The population was 296 pupils with 13 teachers.

In 1994 the population was 373 pupils with a staff of 14 teachers. The school registered its first 27 candidates for KCPE. There results were quite good for a beginning. They had a mean score of 425.37 out of 700 marks and were ranked Number 5 in the district.

KCPE RESULTS ANALYSIS

Academic excellence has been the philosophy of Cottolengo Boarding. Our candidates have appeared among the top in the country since the first group sat for their KCPE in 1994. Here is a tabular representation of the performances.

KCPE MEANSCORE ANALYSIS

Year No of candidates M/S Out of

1994 27 425.37 700

1995 35 487.66 700

1996 42 447.43 700

1997 49 452.74 700

1998 53 464.92 700

1999 46 480.85 700

2000 76 460.01 700

2001 69 341.61 500

2002 50 364.96 500

2003 74 353.54 500

2004 41 380.34 500

2005 75 367.6 500

2006 74 350.36 500

2007 95 327.16 500

2008 79 344.71 500

RECORD MARKS HIT

The trend in Cottolengo School is ever encouraging. Records are set and broken. For instance the highest score in Kiswahili -98% was set in 1995. It is yet to be broken.

In 1998 a record was set at 97% in GHCRE/SSR. This too is yet to be broken. The KCPE class of 2003 set 2 records in Maths – 95% and 95% in science.

In 2004, 41 candidates sat for the KCPE exam and registered the highest mean score ever of 380.34, setting 3 records mainly in Kiswahili 83.29, Maths 75.90 and English 82.07. These still remain as the highest mean scores in our school’s twenty-year history.

In 2005 a total of 17 pupils joined National schools. In this yea,r two records were set in Science (72.27) and SSR (70.66). These records are yet to be broken.

English has always been performed well. In 2008, 3 pupils scored 99% in English. It was a remarkable performance. In 2007 the school registered the highest number of 95 candidates. They managed a mean score of 327.16 the only year KCPE results did not reflect the progress records and efforts of the candidates.

The School Population

The school has grown by 1381.33% i.e. from 75-1036 whereas the teaching staff has gone up by 966.67% (from 3 to 29). With a twenty-year history of success and excellence in academic performances and holistic formation, this population growth is a great encouragement to the Society of Cottolengo Fathers.

Concluding remarks

We can proudly and thankfully say that being its 20th year of existence; it has achieved its founding vision and objectives.

· The main goal which was to assist the local poor people acquire quality education better standards of living is continuously being realized. Majority of our former pupils have finished their secondary education and others are either pursuing their higher education in various colleges and universities, or are already working. It has produced quite a good number of professionals like engineers, teachers, lawyers, medical officers, accountants etc

· The Spirituality and Charism of St. Joseph Cottolengo has inspired some of its students to join Religious life. This kind of formation is co-objective in the school’s foundation.

· Some of our former pupils, however, have regretfully failed to live-up to their own goals. Nevertheless we are confident that the well founded academic, moral, and spiritual formation given to them will slowly bear fruits.

· Our sincere hope and prayer is that Cottolengo School will be a centre of academic excellence and holistic formation.

D E O G R A T I A S!

Administration

Cottolengo Boarding Primary School - Laare, Meru North