Woodberry Down School

rdf:langString Woodberry Down School

rdf:langString Woodberry Down Comprehensive School was a secondary school located off the Seven Sisters Road in the Manor House area of North London. The now defunct school verges on three London boroughs: Hackney, Haringey and Islington. The school was opened in 1955, and closed in 1981 when it was amalgamated with Clissold School and renamed Stoke Newington School. The new school was founded in 1982 in the building of the former Clissold School. A mixed school, the pupils were divided into four houses: Keller (Gold), Curie (Blue), Einstein (Red) and Scott (Green). During the school's first term in 1955 the pupils were tasked to choose the names of the four houses. Many suggestions were put forward by pupils and staff and eventually it was decided to draw up a list of men and women who, by their lives and work, epitomised the school motto, 'Fellowship is Life', and after a campaign, to have an election of four candidates. From 17 international figures Scott of the Antarctic, Albert Einstein, Helen Keller and Marie Curie were selected and gave their names to the four school houses. The school motto 'Fellowship is Life' was taken from a quote by early Socialist, designer and poet William Morris: "Fellowship is heaven, and lack of fellowship is hell; fellowship is life, and lack of fellowship is death; and the deeds that ye do upon the earth, it is for fellowship's sake that ye do them." The School badge was specially designed to represent the area the school was located: the Red Griffin was the Stoke Newington Borough Arms, the Green Trees symbolised the Seven Sisters, and the Blue Water symbolised the reservoirs on whose banks the school was built.