Eveline High School
Eveline History
The school was opened on July 27th, 1910, by Lady Eveline Milton who
consented to the school bearing her name. At the opening there was a
staff of 8 – the headmistress, Miss Grace Milne Langdon, Miss McArthur,
Miss Livingstone, Miss M.A. Brown, Miss Bolan, Miss Stockdale, Miss
Bishop and Mrs. Lewis. In 1970 the staff was 72.
At first 207 pupils were enrolled, in 1970 there were over 1,000 pupils.
School fees in 1918 were about £2.15.0 a term and in 1918 there were
four terms.
Miss Langdon decided upon the school colours – she chose Selous’ Pioneer Colours or as near she could do from a faded purgaree (hat-band) shown to her by a pioneer. These colours were chosen because Eveline was the Pioneer High School for girls under the Southern Rhodesian Education Department.
At first, Eveline had no hostel, so St. Margaret's Hostel had to be rented. In 1911 the Eveline Hostel (later called Langdon) was built but this was soon inadequate so after 1913 nine cottages nearby were also rented. In 1923 Northward Hostel was built and named after Rhodes’ continual "Northward" gaze.
In 1928 McIntosh House was built and named after Mr. D. McInitosh, an Inspector of Schools. The Junior Boarding Hostel was Newcombe House. In 1938 the Kindergarten and Junior classes were moved to Coghlan School to give more room to the Seniors. In 1931 the House system was inaugurated. There were four houses – Athlone, Buxton, Gladstone and Selborne, all named after former Governor-Generals of South Africa. They included boarders and day scholars. In 1942 they were re-organised – Langdon, McIntosh, and Northward became Boarder Houses; Buxton, Gladstone and Selborne were reserved for day scholars. In 1952 two new houses were added – Athlone and Connaught.
Like the other schools, Eveline had houses and uniforms. Scholars
wore a brown serge (in the winter) gymslip with a brown girdle over a
cream blouse, black shoes and white socks, in winter they wore those
horrible brown stockings. Summer brought brown cotton dresses with cream
cuffs and peter pan collar. Eveline was in Borrow Street, Bulawayo where
most of the Government schools were.
The day houses were
Buxton - Red
Gladstone - Purple
Selbourne - Green
Boarding houses were
McIntosh - Blue
Northward - Gold
Langdon - White