Kilbreda College
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Kilbreda College | |
 |
|
| Fortiter et Suaviter (STRENGTH AND KINDLINESS) | |
| Established | 1904 |
| School type | Independent, Roman Catholic, Secondary |
| Principal/ Headmaster |
Mary Stack (Acting) |
| Location | Mentone, Victoria, Australia |
| Campus | Mentone |
| Enrollment | 1113 |
| School colours | Red, Green and Fawn |
| Homepage | kilbreda.vic.edu.au |
Kilbreda College is a Roman Catholic girls secondary school in Mentone, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1904 and is administered by the Brigidine Order. In 2004 Kilbreda celebrated its centenary.
[edit] Origins of the School Building
The original farçade of the building was built by the Royal Coffee Palace Company Limited. It was opened in November 1887 and was known as the Mentone Coffee Palace. The Coffee Palace was the social center of the town, situated on the corners of Mentone Parade, Florence Street and Commercial Road. It is also near Mentone station (formally known as Balcombe Road Station until 1884) and is surrounded by the local shops.
In the 1890s due to competition with Mentone Hotel and the depression the Coffee Palace could no longer be run. In 1894 it fell into the hands of the Mercantile Bank of Australia, and the name of the building was changed to Como House.
After this the Coffee Palace was only used occasionally for varying purposes.
The Brigidine Sisters bought the Coffee Palace in mid July 1904 for a bargain price of £2,050. (Considering the actual cost of the building and furniture, excluding land had cost £25,500)
[edit] A Brigidine Convent
On the 7 August 1904 the Brigidine Convent School was officially opened and blessed by Archbishop Thomas Carr, and classes began the next day.
On opening the school has 3 pupils enrolled in the Convent School and had 25 pupils enrolled in St. Patrick's Parish Primary which was located in the church. The school also began taking boarders in 1905. Boarders and students of Primary School age has been phased out since. The final Primary Class being in 1978.
In the 1930s the schools name was changed to Kilbreda College. The name coming from the Gaelic Cill - church or community and Breda - Brigid. Therefore Kilbreda means Church or Community of Saint Brigid.
[edit] Principals
- Mother Margaret Mary Murphy 1904-1915
- Mother Berchmans Foley 1916-1926
- Mother Margaret Mary Bourke 1927-1965
- Sister Barbara Mathews 1966-1971
- Sister Rus Kennedy 1972-1973
- Sister Marietta Rea 1974-1978
- Sister Rosemarie Joyce 1979-1980
- Sister Catherine Kelly 1984
- Sister Mary Dalton 1985-1995
- Mrs Carmel Smart 1995
- Sister Angela Ryan 1981-1983/1996-1999
- Sister Helen Toohey 1999-2006
- Ms Mary Stack 2007
[edit] Kilbreda's Core Values and Symbols
Most Brigidine schools follow the same core values, motto and school symbols. The following is a list of the Brigidine Core Values:
- Be faithful - to our Catholic Heritage
- Welcome - all people, especially the most vulnerable
- Celebrate - all that is good with joy and gratitude
- Engender - a love of learning, hope and sense of purpose
- Image and practise - justice and service
The Brigidine Schools symbols are:
- Brigid's Cross -The kind of cross St. Brigid used when teaching about the Catholic faith. It is made from woven reeds.
- The Oak Tree - St. Brigid's monastery in Tullow, is called Kildare. Kildare meaning 'the church of the oak'. Many Brigidine schools grow an Oak Tree from an acorn taken from one of the oak tree in Tullow.
- The Lamp of Learning - represents the light of Christian faith
- School Badge - was designed by the Irish College of Heraldry. The large gross of diamonds is taken from the badge of Bishop Daniel Delany (The Bishop who founded the Brigidine Sisters in 1807). The middle diamond contains an image of the lamp of learning, and the image of St. Brigid's cross is contained in the top section.
[edit] Houses
As the school expanded Kilbreda developed school houses and as more students joined the school the number of houses increased. The housing system was started on the second of May 1934 with the three houses:
- Kilbreda - green - to honour St. Brigid
- Lisieux - red - to honour St. Therese
- Padua - fawn - to honour St. Anthony
In 1945 the house Lourdes was added to the housing system making the houses:
- Kilbreda - green
- Lisieux - red
- Padua - fawn
- Lourdes - gold - to honour Our Lady of Lourdes
1963 saw the addition of two more teams, Alacoque and Delany. So the houses present in 1963 were:
- Kilbreda - green
- Lisieux - red
- Padua - fawn/white
- Lourdes - gold
- Alacoque - light blue - to honour Mother Alacoque Bourke, the founder of the convent school
- Delany - dark blue - to honour Daniel Delany, the founder the Brigidine Sisters.
These school houses were kept till 2006 when they were changed to:
- Brigid - green - named after one of the patron Saints of Ireland.
- Kildare - blue - means "place of the oak" it is where Brigid established her first monastery.
- Delany - gold - Bishop Daniel Delany refounded the Brigidine Order in 1887 to help educate the community.
- Tullow - red - where Bishop Daniel Delany refounded the Brigidine order.
[edit] Uniform
Since it's opening, Kilbreda's uniform has changed a number of times. The latest change was made in 2004 when the long kept 'Candy Striper' summer uniform was replaced. It was named so because of their resemblance to the candy striper uniform, Kilbreda's having white, grey and red vertical stripes. The new dress is green with green and red pin stripes in a tartan like pattern.
There was no adjustments made to the winter uniform, also known as the 'Christmas Tree'. The winter uniform consists of fawn tights, a green and red tartan skirt, fawn shirt and a bottle green tie, jumper and blazer with brown shoes.
[edit] Facilities
Kilbreda offers their students:
- five-six homerooms per year level
- five science laboratories (made up of two biology laboratories, two chemistry laboratories and one physics laboratory)
- six computer laboratories
- three art rooms
- mathematics resource room
- textiles room
- visual communications room,
- food technology rooms
- two music rooms
- drama room and drama workshop
- theatrette
- meeting room
- large hall (The Margaret Mary Hall)
[edit] Activities for students
Students at Kilbreda are encouraged to participate in a large range of activities. Some of these activities include:
- Inter-school debating
- Duke of Edinburgh
- Community Service Programs
- Rock Eisteddfod
- Lip Sync
- Theatre Sports
- School Productions
- Music camp
- Band
- Mathematics, Science and English Competitions
- Swimming Programs and Competitions
- Yabbies and Tim Tams Library Reading Groups
- Justice and Democracy Forum
- Amnesty International
- Environmental Group
- Fun Runs and Power Walks
- Work Experience
- Tennis
- Soccer etc.
[edit] VCE, VET and VCAL subjects available to Kilbreda's Students
It is compulsory for all Kilbreda students to study Religious Education and English or Literature for their entire duration at Kilbreda.
- VCE subjects
- Accounting
- Art
- Biology
- Business Management
- Chemistry
- Drama
- Food and Technology
- French
- Foundation English
- Health and Human Development
- History: 20th Century
- History: Revolutions
- Information Software Development
- Information Technology
- Information Technology Applications
- Italian
- Japanese
- Legal Studies
- Literature
- Mathematics: Further, Methods and Specialist
- Music Performance
- Physical Education
- Physics
- Psychology
- Religion and Society
- Studio Arts
- TDD Textiles
- Text and Traditions
- Theatre Studies
- Visual Communication and Design
- VET and VCAL subjects
- Certificate II in Business (Office Administration)
- Certificate III in Community Service (Community Work/Childcare)
- Certificate II in Equine Industry
- Certificate II in Fitness, Community Recreation, Outdoor Recreation
- Certificate II in Hospitality (Operations)
- Certificate II in Multimedia
- Certificate II in Music Industry Skills
- Certificate II in Clothing Production
[edit] Kilbreda's Sister Schools
There are numerous schools in the Victorian Province that fall under the same Order as Kilbreda. Below is a list of the Brigidine Schools in the Victorian Providence.
- St. Joseph's College, Echuca (1886)
- Marian College, Ararat (1889)
- Kilbreda College, Mentone (1904)
- Killester College, Springvale (1955)
- Clonard College, Geelong West (1956)
- Marian College, Sunshine West (1958)
- Kildare College, Holden Hill, SA (1966)
[edit] Skipping Girl
The Skipping Girl Sign used by the vinegar brand was originally modelled on Catherine Minogue, later Sister Felicitas a teacher of Kilbreda. Her brother made the original sketch sent it in for a competition, won and the image was used for the brand.
[edit] Books About Kilbreda College
- A View from the Tower Kilbreda 1904-2004, Margaret Underwood
[edit] References
- Margaret Underwood, 2004, A View from the Tower Kilbreda 1904-2004, Kilbreda College, Melbourne
- Kilbreda College, online, http://www.kilbreda.vic.edu.au, retrieved on 5th Feb. 2007
- The Brigidine Sisters, online, http://www.brigidine.org.au, retrieved on 12th Feb. 2007
[edit] See also
- List of schools in Victoria
- Victorian Certificate of Education
- Vocational Education and Training
- Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning
