St. Patrick's High School (formerly Chebokokwa School) in

Iten Iten is a town in Elgeyo-Marakwet County in the Republic of Kenya. Iten serves as the capital and is the largest town in the county. The town is located along the road between Eldoret and Kabarnet at the junction of the road heading to Kapsowar. ...

, Elgeyo Marakwet County, Formerly Rift Valley Province in Kenya is a

boys only The Boys are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1976. Members of the band had previously played in other groups, including London SS and Hollywood Brats. After recording four studio albums and eight singles, as well as recording C ...

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Eldoret. It operates as a

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

for about 1600 students, from all parts of Kenya. The school has a staff of about 28 teachers and a similar number of support personnel. The school was founded by the Patrician Brothers, Irish

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

to Kenya in 1961, following the

Mau Mau uprising The Mau Mau rebellion (1952–1960), also known as the Mau Mau uprising, Mau Mau revolt or Kenya Emergency, was a war in the British Kenya Colony (1920–1963) between the Kenya Land and Freedom Army (KLFA), also known as the ''Mau Mau'', an ...

, when there were only two other secondary schools for African boys north of

Naivasha Naivasha is a large town in Nakuru County, Kenya, lying by road north west of Nairobi. Overview The town has a total population of 198,444 (2019 census). The main industry is agriculture, especially floriculture. Naivasha is also a popular t ...

. The school offsets student fees with an on-campus farm. The school claims to be in the academic top 100 out of 2200 such schools in Kenya. The “ Iten Maths Contest,” started in 1975, is a national

mathematics 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 ...

competition of secondary schools, hosted, organised and judged by St. Patrick’s High School staff. In 1989, the school was one of the first in Kenya to get computers. It remains one of the most advanced through its network of alumni worldwide.

Athletics

Brother Colm O'Connell of Ireland came to

in 1976 expecting to stay just three months teaching geography but has remained there ever since. He began coaching a track and field team at the school. The product of the team is some of the best middle- and long-distance running

athletes An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-develo ...

in the world, the likes of 800M World champion David Rudisha including several Olympic gold medalists, and numerous world champions world record setters and elite marathoners. Many athletes are attracted to the school. The surrounding town of Iten, with a population of about 4,000, is said to house as many as 500 athletes, a high altitude training camp, and many people related to the sport. The school also has won the national volleyball championship 17 times, 15 in a row.

Notable alumni

King Ianel Chumbade King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

-Student representative, TV host and Politician *

Matthew Birir Matthew Kiprotich Birir (born 5 July 1972) is a former athlete from Kenya, winner of 3000 m steeplechase at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Biography Born in Eldama Ravine, Matthew Birir started running, when he attended at the famous St. Patrick' ...

-Olympic Gold medalist and World Junior Champion * Michael Boit - Olympic Bronze medalist, former Sports Commissioner of Kenya and currently a professor of sports science at Kenyatta University * Charles Cheruiyot *

Kipkoech Cheruiyot Kipkoech ("Kip") Cheruiyot (born December 2, 1964) is a retired middle distance runner from Kenya. Biography At the 1982 African Championships, he won 1500 metres gold medal, leaving the famous Saïd Aouita to second place. Cheruiyot was then s ...

- World Junior record holder *

Cornelius Chirchir Cornelius Chirchir (born 5 June 1983 in Bomet) is a Kenyan runner who specializes in the 1500 metres. He holds the world junior record over the distance with 3:30.24 minutes, achieved on 19 July 2002 in Monte Carlo. He came close to the record ...

- World Junior record holder, World Junior and Youth Champion *

William Chirchir William Chirchir (born 6 February 1979, in Bomet) is a Kenyan runner (Kipsigis Kipsigis may refer to: *the Kipsigis people of Kenya *Kipsigis language Kipsigis (or Kipsikii, Kipsikiis) is part of the Kenyan Kalenjin dialect cluster, It is spo ...

- World Junior record holder, World Junior Champion * Ibrahim Hussein - World record holder* in the

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

New York Marathon The New York City Marathon (currently branded TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor) is an annual marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 finishe ...

winner and 3-time winner of the

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was i ...

* Japheth Kimutai - World Junior record holder * Wilson Boit Kipketer -World record holder

3000 metres steeplechase The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase (usually abbreviated as ) is the most common distance for the steeplechase in track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, a ...

, World Champion, Olympic medalist * Wilson Kipketer - 4 World Championships, 2 Olympic medals, multiple world records at 800 metres and

1000 metres The 1000 metres is an uncommon middle-distance running event in track and field competitions. The 1000 yards, an imperial alternative, was sometimes also contested. All-time top 25 *h = hand timed *i = indoor performance *A = affected by ...

. *

Godfrey Kiprotich Godfrey Chirchir Kiprotich (born 23 November 1964) is a Kenyan former long-distance runner who specialised in road running. He was a team gold medallist at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 1994, placing fourth to lead a team includi ...

- long distance runner *

Michael Kipyego Michael Kipkorir Kipyego (born 2 October 1983) is a Kenyan runner who competes in marathon races. He was initially a specialist in the 3000 metres steeplechase and was the 2002 World Junior Champion in the event. He represented Kenya in the stee ...

- middle- and long-distance runner, multiple marathon winner * Christopher Kipyego - middle- and long-distance runner, multiple marathon winner * Peter Rono - Olympic Gold medalist * Isaac Songok - World Junior record holder, World Youth Champion and Cross Country World Champion

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Patrick's High School, Iten, Kenya Patrician Brothers schools Education in Rift Valley Province Catholic secondary schools in Kenya Boys' schools in Kenya Educational institutions established in 1961 1961 establishments in Kenya