Holy Cross High School is a

Catholic High School Catholic schools are pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered under the aegis or in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school syste ...

Hamilton, South Lanarkshire Hamilton ( sco, Hamiltoun; gd, Baile Hamaltan ) is a large town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It serves as the main administrative centre of the South Lanarkshire council area. It sits south-east of Glasgow, south-west of Edinburgh and nort ...

, in Scotland.

History

The original site on Muir Street started out as St Mary's Primary in the 1930s and became Holy Cross High School in the 1950s using the original St Mary's building and some prefabricated wooden buildings. External buildings were used for

Art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

teaching. The main stone built building housed the Rector's office and the main staff rooms along with Classics,

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Maths Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

and

Physical Education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorati ...

departments. The wooden buildings were demolished in the early 1970s to make way for the concrete and steel prefabricated buildings that formed the rest of the site and were built between 1970 and 1971. The original 1930s building remained until 2010 when the Muir Street site was completely demolished after Trinity High, normally based in

Rutherglen Rutherglen (, sco, Ruglen, gd, An Ruadh-Ghleann) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, immediately south-east of the city of Glasgow, from its centre and directly south of the River Clyde. Having existed as a Lanarkshire burgh in its own ...

, had finished their temporary occupation while their new school was being built. In 2007 Holy Cross High School relocated to a new building in New Park Street as part of South Lanarkshire Council's ongoing school modernisation programme. As of 2020, it has a roll of almost 1200 pupils.

Feeder Primary Schools

Our Lady and St. Anne's Primary (Hamilton), St. Bride's Primary (

Bothwell Bothwell is a conservation village in the South Lanarkshire council area of Scotland. It lies on the north bank of the River Clyde, adjacent to Uddingston and Hamilton, east-south-east of Glasgow city centre. Description and history An ancie ...

), St. Elizabeth's Primary (Hamilton), St. John's Primary ( Blackwood), St. John the Baptist Primary (

Uddingston Uddingston ( sco, Uddinstoun, gd, Baile Udain) is a small town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is on the north side of the River Clyde, south-east of Glasgow city centre, and acts as a dormitory suburb for the city. Geography and boundaries ...

), St. Mary's Primary (Hamilton), St. Mary's Primary (

Larkhall Larkhall ( sco, Larkhauch, gd, Taigh na h-Uiseig) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, around southeast of Glasgow. It is twinned with Seclin in northern France. Larkhall sits on high ground between the River Clyde to the East and the ...

), St. Patrick's Primary (

Strathaven Strathaven (; from gd, Strath Aibhne ) is a historic market town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland and is the largest settlement in Avondale. It is south of Hamilton. The Powmillon Burn runs through the town centre, and joins the Avon Water to the ...

) and St. Paul's Primary (Hamilton).

Motto and badge

The school's motto is "Spes Unica" ("Our only hope") referring to the depiction of the cross on the school badge.

Notable former pupils

Martin Boyce Martin Boyce (born 1967) is a Scottish sculptor inspired by early 20th century modernism. Boyce was born in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire and educated at Holy Cross High School in Hamilton. He studied at the Glasgow School of Art, graduating with ...

Turner Prize The Turner Prize, named after the English painter J. M. W. Turner, is an annual prize presented to a British visual artist. Between 1991 and 2016, only artists under the age of 50 were eligible (this restriction was removed for the 2017 award) ...

winning artist *

Donnie Burns Donnie Burns MBE was born in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland in 1959, where he attended Holy Cross High School. He is a Scottish professional ballroom dancer, specialising in Latin dance. He and his former partner Gaynor Fairweather were ...

- Dancer 14-time World Professional Latin champion * Gregory Clark (economist) - Professor of Economics University of California Davis *

Matthew Clarke, Lord Clarke Matthew Gerard Clarke, Lord Clarke was a Senator of the College of Justice, a judge of the Supreme Courts of Scotland, sitting in the High Court of Justiciary and the Inner House of the Court of Session. Early life Matthew Clarke Lord Clarke wa ...

, Judge * Michael Hart -

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...

player *

Paul Hartley Paul Hartley (born 19 October 1976) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is the manager of Scottish Championship side Cove Rangers. As a player, Hartley won trophies with both Hearts and ...

- football manager and former player *

John McCusker John McCusker (born 15 May 1973) is a Scottish folk musician, record producer, and composer. An accomplished fiddle player, he had a long association as a member of the Battlefield Band beginning in the 1990s and was later a band member and p ...

- Musician, producer *

Alan McManus Alan McManus (born 21 January 1971) is a Scottish retired professional snooker player and current commentator who works for Eurosport. A mainstay of the world's top sixteen during the 1990s and 2000s, he has won two ranking events, the 1994 Du ...

Snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sports, cue sport played on a Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, rectangular table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets, one at each corner and o ...

player * Stephen McManus -

Motherwell F.C. Motherwell Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, which plays in the Scottish Premiership. Motherwell have not dropped out of the top-flight of Scottish football since 1985, and have l ...

player *

Paul McStay Paul Michael Lyons McStay, , nicknamed The Maestro, (born 22 October 1964) is a Scottish former professional footballer who spent his entire career with Celtic, making his senior debut in 1982 and retiring in 1997. He captained both Scotland and ...

- Celtic F.C. player * Willie McStay - Celtic F.C. player * Phil O'Donnell - Motherwell F.C. player and Celtic F.C Player

References

External links

Holy Cross High SchoolSouth Lanarkshire CouncilHoly Cross High's page on Scottish Schools Online
{{authority control Catholic secondary schools in South Lanarkshire Buildings and structures in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire Secondary schools in South Lanarkshire School buildings completed in 2007 Bothwell and Uddingston