On 17 June 1994, Garnet Bell, a former pupil, entered the School Hall during an A Level exam carrying an improvised flame thrower, containing petrol and paraffin.

[3] He was subsequently found guilty of three cases of attempted murder and three of grievous bodily harm, receiving six life sentences.

[5] Sullivan Upper participates in various sports, including rugby, hockey, golf, volleyball, badminton, tennis, and chess.

In hockey, Sullivan won the 1993 Burney Cup, beating Banbridge Academy after sudden death penalty strokes.

The school won the McCullough cup the following year beating friends after a late equaliser from Matthew Willis brought the game to a 2–2 draw with Fergus Gibson scoring the decisive penalty.

The school also managed to reach the Burney Cup final this year but Friends avenged their earlier defeat, with the game again going to penalties.

In 2019 Sullivan reached the Burnley cup final for the third year in a row but narrowly lost out to Wallace on penalty runs.