^#smrgSAHAF Hazelwood College - The First 10 Years -

A Message from the Principal Outsiders can be harsh in their judgement of Northern Ireland, depicting us as a divided people pursuing ancient quarrels, killing each other in the name of religion. This simplistic picture is far from the truth. Throughout the years of the 'troubles' many groups were formed to assert themselves against division, to work in healing the divisions in our society. One of the most successful of these has been the integrated education movement. In 1981 the opening of Lagan College and its ready success demonstrated that many parents did want their children educated together. The foundation of Hazelwood College in 1985 by local parents provided a chance for those parents in the North of the city who rejected sectarianism and the divisiveness of the educational system. To choose Hazelwood College was to make a choice in favour of reconciliation, to make a statement about the type of society parents wanted their children to grow up in, to make a statement against the violence and bigotry which was staining our community. To choose Hazelwood was to make a statement in favour of equality of educational opportunity for all, to reject all division be it of religion, gender, class or perceived ability. The Hazelwood approach was to create a school environment, the focus of which was the individual child; the purpose of which was to nurture the development of all aspects of that individual: academic, personal, social. We knew that through developing the self-confidence and self esteem of each individual we were equipping him with the pride in his own background which would give him the confidence to respect the background of others. We always knew that such an environment would also produce academic success because the contented individual is the one who will work best and fulfil her potential. Our first decade in Hazelwood has proved us correct. I have been privileged to watch Hazelwood grow and strengthen. I would like to pay tribute to those responsible for this success: our founding parents, our Board of Governors, our students over the years, our ancillary and administrative staff and our dedicated and committed teaching staff. I look forward to a second decade when together we consolidate and continue the work of Hazelwood College. Noreen Campbell