The first tiled dormitory was MARY STUART, named after the wife of Bishop Stuart, who was a
great pioneer of girls’ and women’s education. She lived to be 99 and 364 days, before she died in
2000. Mary Stuart was the senior dormitory for the top class, and then the Head Girls’ and prefects’
(other than House prefects) until it became the HSC block attached to Sherborne.

Next came HAM MUKASA AND APOLO KAGGWA, named after the two great Baganda political
pioneers, and at first it was the dormitory for Senior Secondary girls, the juniors being still in the old
block and other small rooms which were demolished when the library was built.

SIR JOSEPH AND LADY LENA HUTCHINSON house came next, and the girls all longed to be put
there. It was very smart! The HSC blocks did not yet exist, and we decided to put all ages in each
house, not move them to better buildings as they went up the school. The Hutchinsons were on the
staff of Namulonge Cotton research Station and Sir Joseph worked tirelessly with Pamela Goode to
establish the farm, about 1954/5. The house was built about 1960/61.

The next dormitory was SHERBORNE, named after Sherborne School for Girls in Dorset UK. The
horrified and collected money for that. When breakfast was available, they continued to send about
£100 p.a and this was used to buy a tape recorder and to furnish the common rooms in the
dormitories (which all too soon had to be turned into bedrooms as numbers grew) For several years
school leavers from Sherborne School came as volunteers before they went on to University, so the link with the school remained strong. One year their head girl was killed in the horse riding accident,
and and money given in her memory helped to build the Table Tennis Room. Sherborne school has continued to send money, used for bursaries, ever since. While new dormitories were under
construction, as the school grew from single to double to triple stream, various strange places were used as dormitories, including the garages near the HM’s House. At one time it was not easy to buy
double-decker beds, and we did not have many. 8 girls would have shared a room later housing at least 16!

NANCY CORBY came next, named after the headmistress who preceded Joan Cox, and was the last
one to be head of a Junior School only. This was soon followed by KENNEDY and the construction of
the four indentical HSC blocks for Corby, Kennedy, Hutchinson and Ham and Apolo. Kennedy was
named after the US President, who was assassinated in 1963, and had been a champion of Rights
for the African American, although he had no connection with Uganda. But USA was playing a clear
role in Uganda then, with volunteer teachers and grants for education under USAID, so it was quite
appropriate.

Corby House

Cox House

Kennedy House

About 1970, construction began on the two World Bank dormitories, first named Canna Lilly and Tulip
Tree. In 1974, I think, Miss Cox came to visit and Brigadier Kili was Minister of Education and they
named the APOLO KIVEBULAYA and JOAN COX. In the early 70’s it would have been “politically
incorrect” to name them after anybody, let alone a European, but there was a window of opportunity
just then, so we used it! There had been a section of the Old Block named for Apolo Kivebulaya,
which Old Girls wanted revived, and it was obvious why the other should be Joan Cox. Not only had
she been HM for 22 years but most of the modern buildings had been added to the school during her
headship. The logistical problem with these two dormitoies has always been the lack of space for
HSC students, so the HSC members had to be reallocated after S4 to other Houses.

Last of all in 2005 came Rhoda Nsibambi House, triple story. (Rhoda was in my first class in 1957,
became Head Girl in 1958, was the most outstanding English scholar I ever taught, sent all her
daughters to the school and was a wonderful Chairman of the PTA. I was delighted when the latest
dormitory was named for her).