St Aloysius secondary school admits girls for first time in 118 years

More than a century after opening its doors to its first students, St Aloysius College’s secondary school admitted its first intake of girls on Monday.

Some 50 female students were welcomed to the school, which has an alumni that includes prime ministers and presidents.

“This is a historic moment. It’s the first time that we have girls as students in 118 years,” said the secondary school’s new rector, Dr Maria Montebello, as she waited for the first group of 106 Form 1 boys and girls to arrive on school grounds.

A red carpet greeted the children as they entered the secondary school to begin this new chapter, which also marked another milestone: the official installation of Dr Montebello as the college’s first lay rector and the first woman to occupy the post.

Many of the new students already knew each other from St Aloysius Primary School, which became co-educational seven years ago. Others, joining from different schools, were stepping onto the college grounds for the first time.

Form 1 students Mattea Mercieca Hounsell and Gianmichele Grech, both aged 11, had been together in primary school.

Mattea, one of the 50 girls in the cohort, said she felt “happy to be part of the school’s history” but admitted she was also “a bit scared and embarrassed, as it’s only 50 girls against 500 boys. It’s a bit intimidating, but next year it will be much better. We are all supporting each other - we are not alone.”

Gianmichele shared his mixture of nerves and excitement. “So far it’s exciting. I have butterflies in my stomach. I’m a bit nervous and don’t know most of the older boys, but I have my friends," he said. 

Boys and girls were nervous and excited about stepping into a new school. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Assistant Head Vanessa Portanier Mifsud, who has been at the school for almost 30 years, described the change as a significant one. The staff had been preparing for it for seven years, ever since the junior school’s first co-ed intake.

She explained that changes were introduced to cater for different interests, such as adding activities like dance and gymnastics alongside football. The school was also prepared academically, as girls often mature more quickly than boys, but the boys eventually caught up.

Dr Maria Montebello was officially installed as the first lay person, and first woman, to serve as rector of St Aloysius College. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

St Aloysius College is one of Malta’s oldest Church schools, run by the Jesuit Order. It began its transition to co-education in 2018.

The Jesuit Order has long been associated with pioneering higher education in Malta, and the college’s alumni include more than half of Malta’s prime ministers since independence - Eddie Fenech Adami, Lawrence Gonzi, Joseph Muscat and Robert Abela. Former presidents Anton Buttigieg, Vincent Tabone and Guido de Marco also studied at the college.