Nelson College for Girls

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Nelson College for Girls
Motto	Pietas Probitas et Sapientia
Type	State single sex girls secondary (year 9-13) with boarding facilities
Year established	1883
Address	Trafalgar St, Nelson
Principal	Alison McAlpine
School roll	1280
Socio-economic decile (10 is high)	7
Ministry of Education Institution no.	295
Website	http://www.ncg.school.nz/

Nelson College for Girls is a single-sex state school in Nelson, New Zealand. Established in 1883, it has close ties with Nelson College and has a private Preparatory School headed by Mrs. Liz Wilde. Mrs. Alison McAlpine is the head mistress of full school and Ms. Annette Taylor Deputy Head.

The boarding house, Clarice Johnstone House is headed by Mrs. Barbara Symonds and caters for around 120 girls from years 7-13. Nelson College for Girls was one of the highest rankings school in the Nelson region for NCEA with an average of 71% of Year 13 students achieved NCEA Level 3 in 2005. (This compares with a National average of 51.2% and Decile 7 Girls' schools - 68.9%)

The school has a proud sporting and cultural background and presents students with opportunities to excel in any field which she may have an interest in. Netball, Rowing, Rugby, Cycling, Shooting, Swimming, Tennis, Basketball and Hockey are just a few of the sporting events and teams which girls can participate in.

Music and Arts are also very strong at the school, choirs, jazz band and orchestra and private tuition available for the musically inclined. The annual Arts Week organised by the Arts Committee is always a highlight in the year, presenting students from all over the school (even if not normally involved in the arts department) a chance to do fun artistic activities. The Sports awards, House Music event and weekly assemblies all provide chances for students to receive recognition from their peers for various achievements.

The school has five "houses" which divide the girls into groups for school competitions such as athletics, swimming, music and academics. They are named after local landmarks, mountains, rivers and plains; Dun, Maitai, Maungatapu, Waimea and the boarding house, Whangamoa. Points are collected for each event and the end of the year overall winner is awarded with the Whangamoa Shield. The 2005 overall winner was Whangamoa House (purple), and in 2006 Maitai (red).

Famous former students include Courtney Love and Sharon O'Neill.