Geelong High School
Encyclopedia
Geelong High School is a co-educational, public, secondary school
located in East Geelong, Victoria
, Australia
. It is situated on the corner of Garden and Ryrie streets and backs on to Eastern Gardens, (home of the Geelong Botanical Gardens). Both Eastern Beach
and the centre of Geelong are within easy walking distance. Geelong High School accommodates nearly 900 students from Years 7–12. The school opened on the current site in 1915.
In 2003, the school introduced the ILP programme
, a programme in which students in Years 8–10 can choose their subjects based on their interests, learning abilities and career paths.
In 2008, the school commenced teaching the Japanese language
to Year 7 students, and has since introduced the subject across all year levels. This curriculum was introduced as a replacement to the Korean LOTE subject, which was taken out of the school curriculum at the end of 2006. In addition to Japanese, the school also offers German as a LOTE subject for students.
Geelong High school offers a number of senior study pathways for year 10, 11 and 12 students, including VCE, VCAl and VET studies.
Training) in the VCE programs combine general and vocational studies while the students are at school doing Year 10, 11 or 12 which gives students an advantage when applying for a full-time apprenticeship in trade areas. Geelong High School teaches in VET Information Technology as VET Dance.
The VET course Certificate II in Dance, is offered to provide students with the technical and performance skills, knowledge and attitudes to begin the process of establishing a career in the entertainment industry. As part of assessment, all first and second year VET students annually perform their own group compositional ensemble piece in the Splash Dance festival showcase at the Geelong Performing Arts Centre
. Geelong High School offers this course to all other Geelong school students to participate in.
, baseball
, softball
, tennis
, volleyball
, golf
, football
, hockey
, soccer, basketball
, netball
, table tennis
, badminton
and tennis
.
, A Current Affair and Sunrise.
In 2009, the school has come under scrutiny from local media from the discovery of asbestos in the school hall. This problem has since been resolved.
In 2009, television program 60 minutes attempted to air a segment on teen suicide at the high school. This was blocked by an eleventh-hour injunction in the Victorian Supreme Court from beyondblue
chairman Jeff Kennett
.
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
located in East Geelong, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is situated on the corner of Garden and Ryrie streets and backs on to Eastern Gardens, (home of the Geelong Botanical Gardens). Both Eastern Beach
Eastern Beach, Victoria
Eastern Beach is a popular swimming and recreation area in Geelong, Victoria on the shores of Corio Bay. Built during the 1930s in the Art Deco style, a shark proof sea bath is provided, as well as a children's swimming pool, kiosk, and dressing room pavilion...
and the centre of Geelong are within easy walking distance. Geelong High School accommodates nearly 900 students from Years 7–12. The school opened on the current site in 1915.
History
The school has recently undergone some major reconstruction, providing new woodwork and metalwork studios, science labs, computer pods and a new gymnasium and library, in addition to a learning centre complete with a computer pod, classrooms and a theatrette. The work was done to accommodate and assist Year 7 students in their learning.Curriculum
Geelong High School operates a year 7 program which is independent of the main curriculum structure. Year 7 students are situated in groups and each group has two teachers that teach them for Science & Maths and English & Humanities. The year 7 program is designed to help students better manage their transition from primary education in to secondary education.In 2003, the school introduced the ILP programme
Individual Learning Plan
Individual Learning Plan or ILP is a user specific program or strategy of education or learning that takes into consideration the student's strengths and weaknesses...
, a programme in which students in Years 8–10 can choose their subjects based on their interests, learning abilities and career paths.
In 2008, the school commenced teaching the Japanese language
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
to Year 7 students, and has since introduced the subject across all year levels. This curriculum was introduced as a replacement to the Korean LOTE subject, which was taken out of the school curriculum at the end of 2006. In addition to Japanese, the school also offers German as a LOTE subject for students.
Geelong High school offers a number of senior study pathways for year 10, 11 and 12 students, including VCE, VCAl and VET studies.
Vocational Education & Training (VET)
VET (Vocational EducationVocational education
Vocational education or vocational education and training is an education that prepares trainees for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic, and totally related to a specific trade, occupation, or vocation...
Training) in the VCE programs combine general and vocational studies while the students are at school doing Year 10, 11 or 12 which gives students an advantage when applying for a full-time apprenticeship in trade areas. Geelong High School teaches in VET Information Technology as VET Dance.
School-based Apprenticeships
Students in Years 10 and 11 have the opportunity to undertake part-time traineeships which include paid work placements and the opportunity to complete VET studies in the student's chosen area.Drama
During 1994, the school purchased and converted a number of buildings into what is now the Shenton Performing Arts Centre. This complex hosts a fully equipped theatre in addition to 'music classrooms', 'dance studios' and 'performance spaces.' In 2002 the school was involved in the Artists in Schools program, where an artist in residence helped students own books while also learning more about the city where they live.Music
As well as school productions, students are also able to study and perform music. Geelong High School offers both Classroom Music and an Instrumental Music program to its students. Classroom Music is offered through the ILP program.Dance
Dance at Geelong High School is highly regarded in the schools culture and surrounding community. With a newly renovated and redeveloped Dance studio, as well as creative and exploratory new Dance units and teaching styles.The VET course Certificate II in Dance, is offered to provide students with the technical and performance skills, knowledge and attitudes to begin the process of establishing a career in the entertainment industry. As part of assessment, all first and second year VET students annually perform their own group compositional ensemble piece in the Splash Dance festival showcase at the Geelong Performing Arts Centre
Geelong Performing Arts Centre
The Geelong Performing Arts Centre is a performing arts, functions, and events venue located in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The centre has two major theatres, a number of smaller performance spaces, and a bar, restaurant and cafe...
. Geelong High School offers this course to all other Geelong school students to participate in.
Sport
The sports the school offers include: cricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
, hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
, soccer, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
, table tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
, badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
and tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
.
Student Exchange
Geelong High School offers language studies in both German and Japanese, with an established exchange program in both of those languages where students have the opportunity to visit and live with families in these respective countries for a period of time.Notable Alumni
- Prof. John Walter Cherry - Theatre Director, Foundation Professor of Drama at Flinders UniversityFlinders UniversityFlinders University, , is a public university in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1966, it was named in honour of navigator Matthew Flinders, who explored and surveyed the South Australian coastline in the early 19th century.The university has established a reputation as a leading research...
, and Professor of Theatre at Temple University (Philadelphia, PA) - James Alexander Grant - Author, Anglican Priest, Fellow of Trinity College (University of Melbourne)Trinity College (University of Melbourne)Trinity College is the oldest college of the University of Melbourne. Founded in 1872 on a site granted to the Church of England, Trinity is unique among Australian university colleges in its diverse education programs...
, and Dean of St Paul's Cathedral, MelbourneSt Paul's Cathedral, MelbourneSt Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne, is the metropolitical and cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne, Victoria in Australia. It is the seat of the Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne and Metropolitan of the Province of Victoria...
. - Geoff HowardGeoff HowardGeoffrey Kemp "Geoff" Howard is an Australian politician. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since 1999, representing Ballarat East....
- ALPAustralian Labor PartyThe Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
State politician and Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture in 2002 - Ronald Grant Lyon - Architect and President of the Royal Australian Institute of ArchitectsRaiaRaia may refer to:* Royal Australian Institute of Architects, a professional body for architects in Australia* Raia , a small village in Goa, India, about 6 km from Margao on the way to Loutolim...
- Rod MacKenzie - State politician and Minister for Forests, Lands and Soldier Settlement in 1982
- Sir Walter Ramsay McNicoll - Founding Headmaster of Geelong High School, and Principal of Presbyterian Ladies' College, GoulburnKinross Wolaroi SchoolKinross Wolaroi School is an independent, Uniting church, co-educational, day and boarding school, located in Orange, a provincial city west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
, New South Wales - Lee TroopLee TroopLee Joseph Troop is an Olympic marathon runner from Geelong, Victoria, Australia. He started out as a long distance track runner and he represented Australia in the 5000 m at the 1998 Commonwealth Games and attended his first World Championships in Athletics the following year...
(1989–1990) - Olympic marathon runner
Controversies
In 2006, the school became a nationwide focus after the banning of 'touching' and 'hugging' amongst students. The school was criticized and featured on shows such as Today TonightToday Tonight
Today Tonight is a controversial Australian News and Current Affairs program, produced by the Seven Network and shown weeknightly at in direct competition with rival Nine Network program A Current Affair....
, A Current Affair and Sunrise.
In 2009, the school has come under scrutiny from local media from the discovery of asbestos in the school hall. This problem has since been resolved.
In 2009, television program 60 minutes attempted to air a segment on teen suicide at the high school. This was blocked by an eleventh-hour injunction in the Victorian Supreme Court from beyondblue
Beyondblue
beyondblue is an Australian non-profit organisation which aims to increase awareness and improve the treatment of depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders and related mental disorders...
chairman Jeff Kennett
Jeff Kennett
Jeffrey Gibb Kennett AC , a former Australian politician, was the Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999. He is currently the President of Hawthorn Football Club. He is the founding Chairman of beyondblue, a national depression initiative.- Early life :Kennett was born in Melbourne on 2 March...
.