Eagle School was an independent, preparatory

boarding Boarding may refer to: *Boarding, used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals as in a: ** Boarding house **Boarding school *Boarding (horses) (also known as a livery yard, livery stable, or boarding stable), is a stable where ho ...

school for boys aged 7 to 14 years situated in the Vumba Mountains near Umtali,

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

(now

Mutare Mutare (formerly Umtali) is the most populous city in the province of Manicaland, and the third most populous city in Zimbabwe, having surpassed Gweru in the 2012 census, with an urban area, urban population of 224,802 and approximately 260,567 ...

, Zimbabwe). The school was founded in 1948 and closed in 1976. The remaining pupils were then integrated into

Springvale School Springvale House Preparatory School (commonly known as Springvale or Springvale House) is an independent, preparatory, boarding and day school in Mashonaland East, Zimbabwe that was established in 1952. The school shares facilities with Peterho ...

. In his 2006 memoir, journalist and human rights activist Geoffrey Nyarota described the school as a "prestigious institution for wealthy white boys". Eagle was one of the nine founding members of the Conference of Heads of Independent Schools in Zimbabwe (CHISZ) as it was formed in the 1950s.

Motto

The school's motto was ''Arduus Ad Solem'', a Latin phrase which means "Striving towards the Sun". The school shared the motto with the former Victoria University of Manchester (now the University of Manchester, but has a different motto) and the Dragon School, a co-educational, preparatory school in Oxford, England.

Sports and houses

The school had sports facilities and participation in rugby, cricket, soccer, athletics and swimming was compulsory with tennis being the exception. Rival schools were Chancellor Junior School, UBHS, Carmel, Baring, Vumba Heights and John Cowie. The school was divided into three sports houses – Swifts, Swallows and Martins.

Cultural activities

Activities included an archaeology club, horse riding, music and the Young Farmers Club. Plays and concerts were regular term events.

Closure and integration into Springvale

Eagle was precariously placed in its mountainous home because of the security situation and its proximity to Mozambique. The school had approached the Springvale School board "in general terms" on a previous occasion about the possibility of a move and, in March 1976, met specifically to ask if Springvale would consider taking on the pupils and staff who remained after Eagle had officially closed in the Vumba Mountains. Eagle Headmaster Michael Hammond, who had taught at Springvale for many years before moving to Eagle, was faced with an agonising decision: to close completely or to move the school somewhere where "we could continue to preserve our identity for the rest of the year". Thus, Eagle joined the ranks of Springvale at the opening of the second term 1976. Springvale temporarily benefitted from the influx of seventy Eagle boys but circumstances beyond the school's control forced it to close in 1979.

Post closure

The school site was subsequently taken over by the Elim Mission Society. On the night of the 23 June 1978, twelve members of the mission were murdered by members of the ZANU–PF (Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front) in the Vumba massacre. The site was taken over by the ZANU PF and access to it is restricted.

List of heads

Between 1948 and 1976, the school had only four headmasters: * Frank Cary (1948–1953) * Claude Mellor (1953–1968) * Richard Moore (1968–1973) * Michael Hammond (1973–1976)

References

{{coord, -19.09253, 32.71769, display=title, format=dms 1948 establishments in the British Empire 1970s disestablishments in Rhodesia 1976 disestablishments in Africa 20th-century establishments in Rhodesia Boys' schools in Zimbabwe Boarding schools in Zimbabwe Buildings and structures in Manicaland Province Defunct private schools Defunct schools in Zimbabwe Defunct secondary schools Educational institutions disestablished in 1976 Educational institutions established in 1948 Education in Manicaland Province Private schools in Zimbabwe