Ysgol Garth Olwg facts for kids

Ysgol Garth Olwg, also known as Garth Olwg School, is a Welsh-speaking comprehensive school. It's located in Church Village, near Pontypridd, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. This school was special because it was the very first Welsh-language comprehensive school in the south of Wales.

Around 2009, there was a discussion about the school's name. Many people wanted to keep the old name, Ysgol Gyfun Rhydfelen, because of its important history. They were not happy about the local council's decision to change it to Ysgol Gyfun Garth Olwg.

About Ysgol Garth Olwg

Ysgol Garth Olwg is a Welsh-medium school. This means that almost all subjects are taught in the Welsh language, except for English lessons.

The school has about 1,000 students, including around 160 older students who are studying in the sixth form. Most students, about 92%, come from homes where English is the main language. Only about 8% of students speak Welsh at home. Since 2006, the school has published a magazine called Bytholwyrdd every three months.

The school buildings are divided into five main parts. These are named Berthlwyd, Celyn, Drysgoed, Maendy, and Pentwyn.

Primary Schools that Feed into Garth Olwg

Ysgol Garth Olwg works closely with six primary schools. These schools are called "feeder" schools because their students often go on to attend Ysgol Garth Olwg. They include:

• Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Castellau (in Beddau)
• Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Evan James (in Pontypridd)
• Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Garth Olwg (in Church Village)
• Ysgol Gynradd Heol-y-celyn
• Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Gwaelod y Garth
• Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Pont Sion Norton (in Pontypridd)

Understanding the School Badge

The Old School Badge

The old school badge had a picture of a coal tip or a mountain of coal. These were common sights in the area a long time ago. The green part of the badge showed grass growing below. This design was meant to symbolize that the Welsh language would one day grow strong among people, just like grass grows over a coal mountain.

The new school badge shows a mountain range that looks like the letter 'G'. This 'G' stands for Garth Olwg and also for Gymraeg, which means the Welsh language. The mountain shown on the badge is Garth Mountain, which is where the school gets its name.

School History

Ysgol Rhydfelen, which is now Ysgol Gyfun Garth Olwg, first opened in 1962. It was located in the village of Rhydyfelin near Pontypridd. This was a very important school because it was the first Welsh-language comprehensive school in the south of Wales. It was also the second one to open in the whole country. When it first started, there were 80 students.

Gwilym Humphreys was the first headmaster of Ysgol Rhydfelen. He was born in Wallasey, England, but grew up in a mining village in Wales called Rhosllannerchrugog.

School Houses

As the school grew bigger, it started a "house system" to help organize the students. In Welsh, these houses were called llysoedd.

• Before 1973, there were three houses: Dinefwr (dark blue), Ifor Hael (red), and Sycharth (yellow).
• By 1973, the school had nearly 1,000 students. So, the number of llysoedd was increased to six. These new houses were named Dafydd (dark blue), Gruffydd (light blue), Hywel (yellow), Iolo (red), Llywelyn (purple), and Owain (orange).

The school also had its own magazine called Na Nog, which was published every year.

Old School Buildings

The original school buildings were grouped into three main blocks. They were named after old Welsh kingdoms: Gwent, Powys, and Dyfed.

• The Gwent buildings were the oldest and were built during the Second World War.
• Powys was a three-story building. It had classrooms, a canteen (called y ffreutur), a swimming pool, and offices for the teachers.
• Dyfed was a two-story building with classrooms, a hall, and the school library.

The school's gymnasium burned down and was replaced with a new one around 1977. The old Ysgol Rhydfelen buildings were opened one last time on July 8, 2006, for former students, teachers, and parents to visit. The gymnasium stayed standing until 2007, when the entire old school site was taken down. The old school also had a large rugby field and tennis courts.

New Campus

In September 2006, the school moved to a brand new location. This new site is part of the Gartholwg Community Campus complex in Church Village. This campus is a big learning hub that includes:

• Ysgol Gynradd Garth Olwg, which is a Welsh-medium primary school.
• The Church Village library.
• The Garth Olwg nursery.
• The Garth Olwg Lifelong Learning Centre.
• The new building for Ysgol Gyfun Rhydfelen (now Ysgol Gyfun Garth Olwg).

The School Name Discussion

When the school moved to the Garth Olwg campus in 2006, the Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council said it made sense to change the name to Ysgol Gyfun Garth Olwg. However, many people disagreed with this. Students, parents, former students, and staff wanted to keep the old name, Ysgol Gyfun Rhydfelen. They felt it was important to keep the school's identity and its historical connections.

The petitions committee of the Welsh Assembly listened to a petition about this in October and November 2007. The acting head teacher, Philip Ellis, presented the petition.

On March 16, 2009, the school's governing body sent a letter to parents and students. It explained that they had met with the local authority in late 2008. During this meeting, they were told that the school's official legal name was Ysgol Gyfun Garth Olwg and they had to accept it. The governing body realized they didn't have a choice and voted to officially recognize Ysgol Gyfun Garth Olwg as the school's name.

Even though the official name became Garth Olwg, the discussion about the name continued into 2009. Some local councillors in Rhondda Cynon Taf supported keeping the Rhydfelen name. The Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council discussed the issue again on April 22, 2009, but decided not to change the name back to Rhydfelen.

Notable Former Students

Many talented people attended Ysgol Gyfun Rhydfelen before 2006. Here are a few:

Actors:

• Richard Harrington
• Ieuan Rhys
• Jeremi Cockram
• Daniel Evans
• Richard Lynch
• Lisa Palfrey
• Maria Pride
• Geraint Todd

Computer Scientist:

• Rob Hartill, known for his work on the Internet Movie Database website and the Apache web server.

Broadcasters and Journalists:

• Ciaran Jenkins, a BBC political reporter and presenter.

Politicians:

• Jon Owen Jones MP (Member of Parliament)
• Bethan Jenkins AM (Member of the Senedd)
• Delyth Evans, a former AM
• Dafydd Trystan Davies, former Chief Executive of Plaid Cymru (a political party in Wales).

Sports Players:

• Footballers: Owain Warlow, Matthew Maksimovic.
• Rugby player: Kevin Morgan, who played for Wales.

Writers and Poets:

• Gwyneth Lewis, the first National Poet for Wales.
• Gwyn Morgan (writer)
• Catrin Dafydd

Musicians:

• Katell Keineg, a singer-songwriter.

Notable Former Staff Members

Some well-known people have also worked at the school:

• Huw Bunford, who is a guitarist in the rock band Super Furry Animals, used to be the Head of Art at the school.
• John Owen, who created the Welsh children's TV series Pam Fi Duw? and wrote books with the same name, was a Drama teacher at the school.

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