Penola Catholic College is a co-educational secondary college, located in Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

, 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...

. The Patron of the college is Mary MacKillop

Mary MacKillop

Mary Helen MacKillop , also known as Saint Mary of the Cross, was an Australian Roman Catholic nun who, together with Father Julian Tenison Woods, founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart and a number of schools and welfare institutions throughout Australasia with an emphasis on...

. It has 2 campuses, one located at Glenroy which is commonly known as the Junior Campus and teaches the Year 7&8 sudents, and the second campus being the main campus is located in Broadmeadows and teaches the Year 9-12 students.

History

Penola Catholic College is the result of the amalgamation in 1995 of three catholic secondary schools - Therry College, Geoghegan College and Sancta Sophia College.

The site of Therry and Geoghegan Colleges now is the home to the Penola's Senior Campus (Years 9-12) which is located in Gibson Street, Broadmeadows.

The Junior Campus of Penola (Year 7-8) is located on the original site of Sancta Sophia College in Glenroy.

The Broadmeadows campus was originally a Baby's Home, run by the Josephite Nuns who took in orphaned and abandoned children, and occasionally their mothers.

Houses

The College operates a House Group system. Students are divided into 6 House Groups for the duration of their enrolment at the College. Students compete for House points in activities such as sport, debating and other extra curricular activities.

The 6 House Groups are:

• Mackillop - Named after Mary MacKillop
  Mary MacKillop
  Mary Helen MacKillop , also known as Saint Mary of the Cross, was an Australian Roman Catholic nun who, together with Father Julian Tenison Woods, founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart and a number of schools and welfare institutions throughout Australasia with an emphasis on...
  
  , the College's patron and is represented by the colour Orange.
• Nolan - Named after Sr Livinus Nolan, long serving Victorian catholic school educator and member of the Sisters of St.Joseph. Nolan is represented by the colour Purple.
• Geoghegan - Named after one of three colleges amalgamated to form the College, and is represented by the colour Green.
• Smyth - Named after Thomas Smyth, founding Principal of Penola Catholic College and is represented by the colour Blue.
• Therry - Named after one of three colleges amalgamated to form the College and is represented by the colour Gold.
• Sancta Sophia - Named after one of three colleges amalgamated to form the College and is represented by the colour Red.