The Bermuda High School is a private school in Pembroke,

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. It was founded in 1894. It is an all-girls school from the Early Years Programme to Year Eleven, and co-educational for the two-year IB Diploma Programme.

Foundations

BHS was founded in 1896 by Grosvenor Tucker, who found that not everyone could afford to send their daughters to England. The school was based on the lines of

Cheltenham Ladies' College Cheltenham Ladies' College is an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Consistently ranked as one of the top all-girls' schools nationally, the school was established in 1853 to p ...

in England. The school was situated on Reid Street and in the beginning had 60 students and three teachers. Matilda Tothill was the first head mistress. William Barr donated the premises, Russel Hastings donated a large amount of money to the school and Mrs. Middleton was an art teacher at BHS for over 30 years. Thus the four houses were named after them: Tothill, Barr, Hastings and Middleton. The school is a member of

Round Square Round Square is an international network of schools, based on the educational concepts of Kurt Hahn, and named after a distinctive building at Gordonstoun. Founded by a group of seven schools in the late 1960s, by 1996 it had grown to 20 member ...

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International Baccalaureate

BHS was the first school in Bermuda to offer its students the International Baccalaureate Programme in 2000. The IB Diploma Programme is designed as an academically challenging and balanced programme of education with final examinations that prepares students, usually aged 15 to 18, for success at university and life beyond. The programme is usually taught over two years and has gained recognition and respect from the world's leading universities.

The Torch Ceremony

This is a ceremony that takes place every year as current students and alumni gather in a spiral circle in order of youngest to oldest. The Head Students walk through the spiral carrying the school's torch. Each student touches the torch with their right hand as they pass by, signifying the passing of the torch. The first ceremony was in May 1937. It is always conducted on a Thursday. The ceremony is carried out in complete silence as the torch bearer walks the torch around the spiral.

Administration

The Head of School is Linda Parker. The Head of IB is Sarah Wheddon, Head of Secondary is Catherine Hollingsworth and the Head of Primary is Martina Harris.

References

BHS website

External links

Official site
Round Square schools Schools in Bermuda Secondary schools in Bermuda Girls' schools in Bermuda Pembroke Parish International Baccalaureate schools {{Bermuda-geo-stub