James Ruse Agricultural High School
Encyclopedia
James Ruse Agricultural High School is one of four New South Wales Government agricultural high schools. It is a selective, co-educational
public high school located at Carlingford, New South Wales
, Australia
. The school is especially noted for its exceptional academic results.
In 1959 the name of the school was changed to "Carlingford Agricultural High School" (to reflect its new full high school status - although there were no actual Fourth and Fifth Year classes at that time). The first Headmaster, James C. Hoskin, and his Deputy Headmaster, Charles Mullavey, commenced duties at the start of that year and in April, the name of the school changed again - this time to "James Ruse Agricultural High School".
When James Hoskin was studying Agriculture at University, he had become interested in James Ruse
due to his significance in the early development of agriculture in Australia
, and also because "both Ruse and I [Hoskin] are of Cornish extraction
". Mr Hoskin questioned the name of the school (Carlingford Agricultural High School) as the school was not serving just the Carlingford area (in fact there were only a small number of students from Carlingford). In April 1959 Mr. Hoskin put forward a proposal to the then New South Wales Department of Education outlining two new names for the school: Sydney Agricultural High School and Ruse Agricultural High School; eventually, the Department agreed to a modification of the latter (the modification being the addition of James to the name).
Hoskin soon became synonymous with the school, as he served as headmaster until his retirement at age of 65 in 1978. During this time, the school became established as one of the few public schools that were selective; initially because of its agricultural speciality, then for its reputation as a quality school. For his efforts, Hoskin was awarded the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal in 1977 and the Order of Australia for Services to Education in 1990.
The first group of students to complete the full five years of secondary education at the new high school sat for the Leaving Certificate in 1961. Most of these boys were part of the initial enrolement of 1st Year pupils at the Felton Rd. site, in 1957. James Ruse AHS was originally a boys only school, but gradually became co-educational after an initial intake of 24 female students into Year 11 in 1977.
Since the mid 1990s, James Ruse has undergone an extensive building works program funded by both parents of students and the State
and Federal Governments. 1997 saw the completion of Stage 1 of this program (encompassing a new Library block and English classrooms which replaced the old Anderson building, a new block containing Art and HSIE classrooms, the integration of the existing Powe block and the former library into a science block, and the installation of an elevator in the Perrau block to improve wheelchair accessibility).
In 2000, Stage 2 of the program began with the first building (a 180 seat lecture theatre) completed in early 2001. The Schofield block became part of the program in 2002 after the building was damaged by arson. During the next two years the old Technology Block and the Francis block were demolished due to a white ant infestation, with both blocks being rebuilt and refurnished in 2004. The final stage of the works were underway at the time of the departure of Principal Michael Quinlan, who retired in 2006 after having been Principal since 1992.
in the past 20 years in public university entrance examinations, known in the state as the Higher School Certificate with a median Universities Admission Index (UAI
) of 99.55 in 2004, and 99.20 in 2005 and 2006.
as part of the school's building works program, to provide a larger, and more modern and well-equipped library to replace the smaller Shearman Block (now the school's Music block). The block is a two-storey building, with the library occupying the top floor and English classrooms and offices on the bottom floor.
, Vietnamese
and Korean
language groups. There is also a substantial minority of India
n and Sri Lanka
n descent.
as a compulsory subject from years 7 to 10. It was formerly compulsory for senior years, but this was changed with the introduction of a new HSC curriculum by the Board of Studies. However, the school accelerates students in this area so that they may finish the HSC course in Agriculture by the end of Year 11. Agriculture is a very significant part of the school's curriculum, with students undergoing intensive study of the subject both on and off-site, particularly in the junior school, where students study and visit agricultural enterprises both in the Greater Sydney region, with visits to regional dairy and horticultural farming enterprises and an annual Year 7 excursion to the Sydney Royal Easter Show
, and in rural NSW, with Year 10 students studying and visiting farms in Bathurst
and Gloucester
. There is also great involvement in agricultural education and with other agricultural schools, with the school linked with Yanco Agricultural High School
and previous Head Teacher of Agriculture, Lisle Brown, being the co-author of the Dynamic Agriculture textbook series, which is extensively used in the study of agriculture in Australian schools.
The school leases approximately ten hectares of land from the neighbouring electricity sub-station for use in practical agriculture lessons. The farm land is situated north of the general school buildings, extending north to Lynch Close and east to Jenkins Road. The farm is arranged to include a vegetable garden, a classroom, a glasshouse and nursery, a greenhouse, an orchard, experimental plots, an area for field crops and a livestock section, among others. It also contains some riparian land which is currently being monitored and undergoing rehabilitation to its native state by the Streamwatch group (currently working as part of Sydney Water
Streamwatch
after previously working as part of the now-defunct UPRCT Waterwatch program).
A significant amount of the farm land is set aside for student plots. Part of practical agriculture lessons involves students growing and maintaining their own crops. Mature crops in the students' assigned plots of land are then the students' to take home.
In addition to its use for educational purposes, the farm also supplies a wide variety of agricultural produce including: Cattle
- Angus
stud, paraded annually at the Castle Hill, New South Wales Show by the Cattle Group; Sheep - First-cross Ewes & Prime Lambs
; Eggs
- Barn and Free-range eggs; Poultry
Meat - Broilers raised and sold onsite, but killed and frozen at Red Lea Blacktown
; Oranges
- Washington Navel; Peach
es - Flordagold and Sherman's Red varieties; Sweet Corn
- Shimmer variety; James Ruse Gold Rose
- A privately crossbred rose variety the rights were donated to the school in 1999 in celebration of its 40 years of teaching ; Apiary
- Honey
sold on-site in 500g jars; and Macadamia
Nuts. Various groups of students have been set up to look after these usually during lunchtime, such as the Poultry Squad and a Weatherwatch group to maintain farm weather records. In the past, the farm also housed Merino
and Border Leicester
sheep for wool-shearing, named the Sharlea Sheep. This aspect of the farm was closed down due to spiraling production costs. It was replaced by the Aquaculture venture, Silver Perch
, which has met with limited success, soon to be replaced with a crayfish growing system.
; James Ruse Amnesty International
Association; Rotary Interact; Interschool Christian Fellowship (I.S.C.F)
; Annual Musical Productions; Rural Youth; Informatics
; Anime Club; Sport; Knitting ("Knit Wits"); Scrapbooking; Poultry Squad; Weather Watchers; Cattle Showing Group; Year 11 Drama Productions; Mentoring Program; Mock Trial; Prefects; Student Representative Council (S.R.C.); Peer Support; Streamwatch; Chess Club; Puzzles Club; Programming Club; Music ensembles (Choir
, Stage Band, Senior and Junior Concert Band, Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Drum Core, Woodwind Ensemble, Recorder Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, Year 9 and 10 Vocal Groups and String Orchestra); Duke Of Edinburgh Award; School Knockout Sports Teams; Intraschool Public Speaking; Inter-school Debating; Games Club.
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
public high school located at Carlingford, New South Wales
Carlingford, New South Wales
Carlingford is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Carlingford is located 22 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government areas of the The Hills Shire, Hornsby Shire and the City of Parramatta...
, 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...
. The school is especially noted for its exceptional academic results.
History
In 1949 the main part of the school grounds was purchased by the NSW Government for the purpose of Agricultural Education. The school that commenced on this site in 1956 was an annex of Carlingford District Rural School with Charles Mullavey as the Master in Charge. At that time the school consisted of a wooden five room classroom block, a small staffroom and male only ablution facilities. By the start of 1958 the school was independent of Carlingford District Rural School and was called the "Carlingford Junior Agricultural High School" (the Junior part of the name reflected the fact that students at that time could only undertake the first three years of their secondary education at the school).In 1959 the name of the school was changed to "Carlingford Agricultural High School" (to reflect its new full high school status - although there were no actual Fourth and Fifth Year classes at that time). The first Headmaster, James C. Hoskin, and his Deputy Headmaster, Charles Mullavey, commenced duties at the start of that year and in April, the name of the school changed again - this time to "James Ruse Agricultural High School".
When James Hoskin was studying Agriculture at University, he had become interested in James Ruse
James Ruse
James Ruse was a Cornish farmer who, at the age of 23, was convicted of breaking and entering and was sentenced to seven years' transportation to Australia. He arrived at Sydney Cove on the First Fleet with 18 months of his sentence remaining...
due to his significance in the early development of agriculture in 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...
, and also because "both Ruse and I [Hoskin] are of Cornish extraction
Cornish Australian
Cornish Australians are citizens of Australia whose ancestry originates in Cornwall, United Kingdom, one of the six Celtic Nations. They form part of the worldwide Cornish diaspora which also includes large numbers of people in the US, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Mexico and many Latin...
". Mr Hoskin questioned the name of the school (Carlingford Agricultural High School) as the school was not serving just the Carlingford area (in fact there were only a small number of students from Carlingford). In April 1959 Mr. Hoskin put forward a proposal to the then New South Wales Department of Education outlining two new names for the school: Sydney Agricultural High School and Ruse Agricultural High School; eventually, the Department agreed to a modification of the latter (the modification being the addition of James to the name).
Hoskin soon became synonymous with the school, as he served as headmaster until his retirement at age of 65 in 1978. During this time, the school became established as one of the few public schools that were selective; initially because of its agricultural speciality, then for its reputation as a quality school. For his efforts, Hoskin was awarded the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal in 1977 and the Order of Australia for Services to Education in 1990.
The first group of students to complete the full five years of secondary education at the new high school sat for the Leaving Certificate in 1961. Most of these boys were part of the initial enrolement of 1st Year pupils at the Felton Rd. site, in 1957. James Ruse AHS was originally a boys only school, but gradually became co-educational after an initial intake of 24 female students into Year 11 in 1977.
Since the mid 1990s, James Ruse has undergone an extensive building works program funded by both parents of students and the State
Government of New South Wales
The form of the Government of New South Wales is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then...
and Federal Governments. 1997 saw the completion of Stage 1 of this program (encompassing a new Library block and English classrooms which replaced the old Anderson building, a new block containing Art and HSIE classrooms, the integration of the existing Powe block and the former library into a science block, and the installation of an elevator in the Perrau block to improve wheelchair accessibility).
In 2000, Stage 2 of the program began with the first building (a 180 seat lecture theatre) completed in early 2001. The Schofield block became part of the program in 2002 after the building was damaged by arson. During the next two years the old Technology Block and the Francis block were demolished due to a white ant infestation, with both blocks being rebuilt and refurnished in 2004. The final stage of the works were underway at the time of the departure of Principal Michael Quinlan, who retired in 2006 after having been Principal since 1992.
Academic results
James Ruse Agricultural High School is especially noted for its excellent academic achievements and competitiveness, as well as a near perfect record of all students gaining university admission. The school has outperformed every high school in New South WalesNew South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
in the past 20 years in public university entrance examinations, known in the state as the Higher School Certificate with a median Universities Admission Index (UAI
Universities Admission Index
The Universities Admission Index was used in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, Australia, as the primary criterion for entry into most undergraduate-entry university programs...
) of 99.55 in 2004, and 99.20 in 2005 and 2006.
Campus
The school is situated in Carlingford, a suburb of North-Western Sydney. Its main entrance is located on the southwest corner of the school, with a number of smaller entrances on its southern and western boundaries. The campus is built around a main quadrangle, another cluster of buildings around a smaller quadrangle, with an oval, sporting facilities and the farm to the north of these.Barrengarry House
Barrengarry House, the school's main administration block is located near the southwest entrance of the school, adjoining the Senior Common Room and the Library and housing the offices of the principal, deputy principals, head teacher of administration and the administration staff on the lower floor, and the counsellor's office, uniform shop and function rooms on the upper floor. It was originally the home and property of the Felton family, and was built in 1885, with the architect thought to have been Charles Slatyer. The block adjoins a roadway of the same name, both of which are named after the Feltons' estate.J.C. Hoskin Performing Arts Centre
More commonly known as the "school hall", the J.C. Hoskin Performing Arts Centre, named after the school's founding principal (see history above), is used as a multi-purpose facility. Along with holding important school assemblies, concerts and the school musical, the hall is also used for examinations (primarily government and senior exams) and PE classes- although this function will be largely removed with the construction of the proposed gymnasium.Library Block
The Library Block (or "L-Block") was built in 1997 and opened by then NSW Premier Bob CarrBob Carr
Robert John "Bob" Carr , Australian statesman, was Premier of New South Wales from 4 April 1995 to 3 August 2005. He holds the record for the longest continuous service as premier of NSW...
as part of the school's building works program, to provide a larger, and more modern and well-equipped library to replace the smaller Shearman Block (now the school's Music block). The block is a two-storey building, with the library occupying the top floor and English classrooms and offices on the bottom floor.
Technology Wing
The Technology Wing (or "T-Block") is a recent addition to the school campus along with the new Canteen Block, with construction finished in 2005. The wing is a two-storey building with a mix of classrooms, workshops and modern computer labs, and overlooks the farm on its northern side.Cameron Block
The Cameron Block (or "C-Block") is a three-storey building with a variety of classrooms, science labs, computer rooms and lockers. It is also home to the Mathematics Department and is located on one of the edges of the Main Quadrangle. There is also a Drama Room which contains a stage, a huge closet with costumes and some other drama-related objects. Mathematical wonders and other mathematical topics decorate the block.Students
There are currently 845 students enrolled at James Ruse in Years 7 through to 12. James Ruse is an academically selective high school; admission to James Ruse in Year 7 is by a government examination, the Selective High Schools Test, which is open to all Year 6 students in NSW. A small number of students from other high schools are accepted into years 8 to 11, with application made directly to the school; however, no year 11 students from other schools are accepted into James Ruse in the final year (year 12). Of the student population, around 99% are from a non-English-speaking background, predominantly ChineseChinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
, Vietnamese
Vietnamese people
The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...
and Korean
Korean people
The Korean people are an ethnic group originating in the Korean peninsula and Manchuria. Koreans are one of the most ethnically and linguistically homogeneous groups in the world.-Names:...
language groups. There is also a substantial minority of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n and Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n descent.
Agriculture
The school teaches agricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
as a compulsory subject from years 7 to 10. It was formerly compulsory for senior years, but this was changed with the introduction of a new HSC curriculum by the Board of Studies. However, the school accelerates students in this area so that they may finish the HSC course in Agriculture by the end of Year 11. Agriculture is a very significant part of the school's curriculum, with students undergoing intensive study of the subject both on and off-site, particularly in the junior school, where students study and visit agricultural enterprises both in the Greater Sydney region, with visits to regional dairy and horticultural farming enterprises and an annual Year 7 excursion to the Sydney Royal Easter Show
Sydney Royal Easter Show
The Sydney Royal Easter Show, also known as the Royal Easter Show or simply The Show, is an annual show held in Sydney, Australia over two weeks around Easter.It is run by the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales and was first held in 1823...
, and in rural NSW, with Year 10 students studying and visiting farms in Bathurst
Bathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
and Gloucester
Gloucester, New South Wales
Gloucester is a town in the dairy and beef cattle country of the Manning district on the Mid North Coast of the state of New South Wales, Australia in the Gloucester Shire....
. There is also great involvement in agricultural education and with other agricultural schools, with the school linked with Yanco Agricultural High School
Yanco Agricultural High School
Yanco Agricultural High School is a major co-educational agricultural secondary school located in the small town of Yanco in the Local Government Area of Leeton in south western New South Wales...
and previous Head Teacher of Agriculture, Lisle Brown, being the co-author of the Dynamic Agriculture textbook series, which is extensively used in the study of agriculture in Australian schools.
The school leases approximately ten hectares of land from the neighbouring electricity sub-station for use in practical agriculture lessons. The farm land is situated north of the general school buildings, extending north to Lynch Close and east to Jenkins Road. The farm is arranged to include a vegetable garden, a classroom, a glasshouse and nursery, a greenhouse, an orchard, experimental plots, an area for field crops and a livestock section, among others. It also contains some riparian land which is currently being monitored and undergoing rehabilitation to its native state by the Streamwatch group (currently working as part of Sydney Water
Sydney Water
Sydney Water is a New South Wales government owned corporation that provides drinking water, wastewater and some stormwater services to Sydney, Illawarra and the Blue Mountains, in Australia...
Streamwatch
Streamwatch
Streamwatch may refer to:* a school and community education and action program that raises awareness of the natural environment through testing water quality in local rivers and streams....
after previously working as part of the now-defunct UPRCT Waterwatch program).
A significant amount of the farm land is set aside for student plots. Part of practical agriculture lessons involves students growing and maintaining their own crops. Mature crops in the students' assigned plots of land are then the students' to take home.
In addition to its use for educational purposes, the farm also supplies a wide variety of agricultural produce including: Cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
- Angus
Angus
Angus is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and Dundee City...
stud, paraded annually at the Castle Hill, New South Wales Show by the Cattle Group; Sheep - First-cross Ewes & Prime Lambs
Domestic sheep
Sheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...
; Eggs
Egg (food)
Eggs are laid by females of many different species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, and have probably been eaten by mankind for millennia. Bird and reptile eggs consist of a protective eggshell, albumen , and vitellus , contained within various thin membranes...
- Barn and Free-range eggs; Poultry
Poultry
Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...
Meat - Broilers raised and sold onsite, but killed and frozen at Red Lea Blacktown
Blacktown, New South Wales
Blacktown is a suburb in the City of Blacktown, in Western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Blacktown is located 34 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of City of Blacktown.Blacktown is the largest...
; Oranges
Orange (fruit)
An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
- Washington Navel; Peach
Peach
The peach tree is a deciduous tree growing to tall and 6 in. in diameter, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae. It bears an edible juicy fruit called a peach...
es - Flordagold and Sherman's Red varieties; Sweet Corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
- Shimmer variety; James Ruse Gold Rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
- A privately crossbred rose variety the rights were donated to the school in 1999 in celebration of its 40 years of teaching ; Apiary
Apiary
An apiary is a place where beehives of honey bees are kept. Traditionally beekeepers paid land rent in honey for the use of small parcels. Some farmers will provide free apiary sites, because they need pollination, and farmers who need many hives often pay for them to be moved to the crops when...
- Honey
Honey
Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
sold on-site in 500g jars; and Macadamia
Macadamia
Macadamia is a genus of nine species of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae, with a disjunct distribution native to eastern Australia , New Caledonia and Sulawesi in Indonesia ....
Nuts. Various groups of students have been set up to look after these usually during lunchtime, such as the Poultry Squad and a Weatherwatch group to maintain farm weather records. In the past, the farm also housed Merino
Merino
The Merino is an economically influential breed of sheep prized for its wool. Merinos are regarded as having some of the finest and softest wool of any sheep...
and Border Leicester
Border Leicester
The Border Leicester is a breed of sheep originating in England and raised primarily for meat. Border Leicesters are polled, long-wooled sheep. Though large in size and robust, they are also docile...
sheep for wool-shearing, named the Sharlea Sheep. This aspect of the farm was closed down due to spiraling production costs. It was replaced by the Aquaculture venture, Silver Perch
Silver Perch
Silver perch is a medium sized freshwater fish endemic to the Murray-Darling river system in south-eastern Australia. The scientific name comes from an aboriginal name for the species recorded by Major Mitchell on his 1832 expedition. It is not a perch, being a grunter in the family Terapontidae...
, which has met with limited success, soon to be replaced with a crayfish growing system.
Co-curricular activities
Co-curricular and sporting activities are available to students, including: CadetsAustralian Army Cadets
The Australian Army Cadets is a youth organisation that is involved with progressive training of youths in military and adventurous activities. The programme has more than 19,000 Army Cadets between the ages of 12½ and 19 based in 236 units around Australia...
; James Ruse Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
Association; Rotary Interact; Interschool Christian Fellowship (I.S.C.F)
ISCF
Inter-School Christian Fellowship or Inter-Scholastic Christian Fellowship is a Christian youth group that works with high school students. Often it can be associated with groups such as a local church or a scripture organisation...
; Annual Musical Productions; Rural Youth; Informatics
Australian Informatics Olympiad
The Australian Informatics Olympiad is a computer programming competition for Australian high school students run by the Australian Informatics Olympiad Committee . The Committee, a department of the Australian Mathematics Trust , holds the 3 hour competition in early September each year...
; Anime Club; Sport; Knitting ("Knit Wits"); Scrapbooking; Poultry Squad; Weather Watchers; Cattle Showing Group; Year 11 Drama Productions; Mentoring Program; Mock Trial; Prefects; Student Representative Council (S.R.C.); Peer Support; Streamwatch; Chess Club; Puzzles Club; Programming Club; Music ensembles (Choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
, Stage Band, Senior and Junior Concert Band, Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Drum Core, Woodwind Ensemble, Recorder Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, Year 9 and 10 Vocal Groups and String Orchestra); Duke Of Edinburgh Award; School Knockout Sports Teams; Intraschool Public Speaking; Inter-school Debating; Games Club.
Student Representative Council (SRC)
The school's Student Representative Council was inaugurated in 1960, making it among the first high schools in New South Wales to have such a body. Each year, each roll class elects a Class Captain and Vice-Captain who represent it on the SRC. Larger extracurricular organisations are also entitled to a representative. The SRC as a whole elect a student executive, which consists of a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and Minutes Secretary, by a system first inaugurated in 1990. Through the SRC, students have a one-third representation on the seven school steering committees (along with parents and staff), and also play a major role in decision-making processes relating to curriculum, building plans, and resource allocation.Sport
The school also holds annual sporting carnivals, including the Swimming, Cross-Country and Athletics Carnivals, where students can compete for participation in wider regional competitions, from Zone and Area carnivals to the CHS (Combined High Schools) competition for the top school teams and competitors in NSW.Alumni
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winner - David FungDavid Fung- Professional career :In 2002, David Fung won the Symphony Australia Young Performer of the Year Award, after four rounds of competition which culminated in his performance of Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the Sydney Symphony during the concerto finals at the Sydney Opera...
- Concert Pianist, 2002 Symphony Australia Young Performer of the Year - Antony GreenAntony GreenAntony John Green is an Australian psephologist and commentator for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.-Early years and background:...
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- Major-General Mark Kelly AO - Commander of Australian Forces in Middle East
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- Catriona Noble - CEO of McDonald's Australia
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- Television Veterinarian - Dhananjayan (Danny) SriskandarajahDhananjayan SriskandarajahDhananjayan 'Danny' Sriskandarajah is Director General of the Royal Commonwealth Society, a large NGO devoted to Commonwealth affairs based in London...
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See also
- NSW Government Selective Schools
- List of Government schools in New South Wales
- List of selective high schools in New South Wales
- Selective schoolSelective schoolA selective school is a school that admits students on the basis of some sort of selection criteria, usually academic. The term may have different connotations in different systems....