Balwyn High School
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| Balwyn High School |  |
| Name |
Balwyn High School |
| Address |
Buchanan Ave |
| Established | |
| Type | |
| Students |
Approx. 1990, Coeducation |
| Years |
7 to 12 |
| Principal |
Bruce Armstrong |
| School Captains |
Ezra Kumar |
| Nicknames |
BHS, Balwyn High |
| Mascot |
Lion |
| Colours | |
| Motto |
Constanter ac Fideliter |
| Publications |
The Lion (Fortnightly Newsletter) |
| Yearbook |
The Buchanan |
| Website | |
Balwyn High School is a state-run high school (years 7-12) in the suburb of Balwyn North, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, It was established in 1954. As of 2007 it has some 1,800 students and over 160 staff.
The reputation of the school grew markedly in the 1960s, along with the expanding postwar student population, under the direction of Headmaster H.M. Rogers. The school assembly hall, named for Mr Rogers, was built with assistance from parents. Managing the large class sizes of the era, the school developed a strong science education at senior levels that saw many of its graduates pass into senior academic, government and private sector positions.
The school song, re-orchestrated around 1965 by music teacher Ms Bickhart and re-orchestrated again in 2006 by Mr Tchebykin, one of the school's clarinet teachers, is based on the school's motto "constanter ac fideliter" (constantly and faithfully), which urges us to work with resolution and faith, with a firm purpose and a faith that we shall achieve our aim.
The school buildings were redeveloped in 1994 after a merger with Greythorn High School. Since 1996 the school has operated an International Students Program which is intended to select quality students from East and Southeast Asian countries.
Over the years, Balwyn High School has continued to grow, and in the 2000s is one of the largest schools in the inner-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Its performance is such that anecdotal evidence suggests that professional and mercantile families move to live within the school zone so that their children might be eligible for entry to the school; local real estate in the school district is frequently advertised as being "in Balwyn High School zone", and hence sells for a premium over houses outside the zone.
Although the school peforms academically well consistently, 2004 arguably proved to be the most successful yet. The graduating year 12 level yielded the highest academic achievement in the history of the school. A record number of students (approximately 50) attained ENTER scores in excess of 97.00 and the year level average at 87.50 was some 30 percent higher than the state average of secondary schools both in the private and public sector.
Balwyn has a variety of co-curricular programs, including music, sport, debating, and community programs. It is renowned in particular for its music program, which comprises many string orchestras, concert bands, choirs, stage bands, a full symphony orchestra and many other smaller groups. These ensembles are consistently ranked amongst the best in the state in dozens of annual competitions.
Balwyn High School also has an extensive sport faculty, with many interschool sport teams representing the school in numerous sports at elite levels. The school is renowned for its specialty in badminton, and have fielded numerous teams which have become state champions.
Balwyn High School has also recently completed a new Xplore program for year 9 students. During this program students learn new "life" skills and do not go to traditional core subject classes (Maths, Science, English, Geography and History) but go to the recently completed Xplore Centre for 3 weeks a term. The "Xplore" building contains one large room divided into 3 big classrooms each with there own projector screens, state of the art plasma TV's, surroundsound systems, a 1:3 person to computer ratio. The Building also contains an upstairs Drama room, and two revolutionary computer music rooms.
For several years, the school has been undergoing an expansion/refurbishment project to cope with its high popularity and population, with two new wings finished in 2006, a music and Xplore centre, and a block of classrooms.
