Merici College
Encyclopedia
Merici College is a Catholic
girls' high school located in the suburb of Braddon
in Canberra
, Australia
. It caters for secondary years 7 to 10, and college
years 11 and 12. The Principal of the school is Mrs Catherine Rey.
, The Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart
, the Presentation Sisters
, the Ursuline Sisters
, the Brigidines and the Sisters of the Good Samaritan
. The school was renamed Merici College in 1983 as part of its Silver Jubilee celebration in honour of St Angela Merici the founder of the Ursuline Order
.
Every year Merici attends sporting events held by the different Canberra sporting bodies. The events it participates in include soccer, softball, netball, hockey, basketball, volleyball, swimming, touch-football, golf, tennis, and snow-sports.
Merici College is the sister school of Marist College Canberra
, the two schools are closely linked sharing many common activities. In the past these activities have included Duke of Edinburgh
and ski and snowboarding trips. More recently, they have included year-specific socialising activities.
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
girls' high school located in the suburb of Braddon
Braddon, Australian Capital Territory
Braddon is an inner north suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Located north of the Canberra CBD, Braddon contains a commercial area centred on Mort and Lonsdale streets, which run parallel to Northbourne Avenue...
in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, 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 caters for secondary years 7 to 10, and college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
years 11 and 12. The Principal of the school is Mrs Catherine Rey.
History
Merici is the oldest Catholic girls' school in Canberra; it was founded in 1959 as Canberra Catholic Girls' High School. The letters CCGH can be seen on the original gates on the Ipima street side of the building. At the time, although there were several Catholic boys schools in the area, there was no equivalent institution for female Catholic students. Merici is unusual among Catholic schools in that rather than being established by a single order of nuns, it was originally intended as an archdiocesan school and staffed by nuns from six different orders: The Sisters of MercySisters of Mercy
The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....
, The Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart
Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart
The Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart, often called the Josephites , were founded in Penola, South Australia in 1866 by Mary MacKillop and Father Julian Tenison Woods....
, the Presentation Sisters
Presentation Sisters
The Presentation Sisters, also known as the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary are an order of Roman Catholic women founded in Cork, Ireland by Nano Nagle in 1775....
, the Ursuline Sisters
Ursuline Sisters
Ursuline Sisters can refer to one of several religious orders:* Ursulines, founded in Italy in 1535* Society of the Sisters of Saint Ursula of the Blessed Virgin, established 1606...
, the Brigidines and the Sisters of the Good Samaritan
Sisters of the Good Samaritan
The Congregation of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan is a Roman Catholic Congregation of religious women commenced by , Australia’s first Catholic bishop, in Sydney in 1857. The congregation was the first religious congregation to be founded in Australia. The sisters form an apostolic institute...
. The school was renamed Merici College in 1983 as part of its Silver Jubilee celebration in honour of St Angela Merici the founder of the Ursuline Order
Ursuline Sisters
Ursuline Sisters can refer to one of several religious orders:* Ursulines, founded in Italy in 1535* Society of the Sisters of Saint Ursula of the Blessed Virgin, established 1606...
.
Pastoral Care System
Merici has a vertical pastoral care system which replaces the more usual Australian system of having a year coordinator assigned to each year group. Each student, on enrolment to the school is assigned to one of six houses, each associated with one of the founding religious orders. (The Houses are: Balgo [yellow], Brescia [purple], Ningil [red], Penola [white and black], Seiwa [blue] and Tullow [green]). The students remain in this house throughout their time in the college. They are also assigned to a vertically integrated Pastoral Care class consisting of students from all year levels in the same house. The House Coordinator and the Pastoral Care teacher for each student remain constant (excepting normal staff apple turnover) throughout the student's time at the College. This allows for continuity in dealing with students and the development of strong relationships between parents and these key teachers at the school.Community involvement
Merici College has an active St Vincent de Paul Conference operating from the school who are involved in Charitable collection and fund raising as well as supporting the Canberra Night Patrol which works with the homeless in the Canberra area.Every year Merici attends sporting events held by the different Canberra sporting bodies. The events it participates in include soccer, softball, netball, hockey, basketball, volleyball, swimming, touch-football, golf, tennis, and snow-sports.
Merici College is the sister school of Marist College Canberra
Marist College Canberra
Marist College Canberra is an all-boys independent Catholic school school founded in 1968. The college is situated on 15 hectares and located in the Australian Capital Territory, Canberra. The college provides boys from years 4-12 with a well-rounded education. Founded by Marist Brothers, it...
, the two schools are closely linked sharing many common activities. In the past these activities have included Duke of Edinburgh
Duke of Edinburgh
The Duke of Edinburgh is a British royal title, named after the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, which has been conferred upon members of the British royal family only four times times since its creation in 1726...
and ski and snowboarding trips. More recently, they have included year-specific socialising activities.
Notable alumnae
- Rosemary FollettRosemary FollettRosemary Follett AO , Australian politician, was the first Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory. She was the first woman to become head of government in an Australian state or territory....
AO - first Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory, and first woman to become head of government in an Australian state or territory.
See also
- Associated southern collegesAssociated Southern CollegesThe Associated Southern Colleges is an association of private schools in the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales, Australia that share common interests, ethics, educational philosophy and contest sporting events between themselves....