Mount Waverley Secondary College

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Mount Waverley Secondary College
"Learn to live and live to learn."
Established 1964
School type Government
Principal/Headmaster Glenn Proctor
Location Mount Waverley, Victoria, Australia
Campuses Junior School, Middle/Senior School
Enrollment 1800
School colours Green, Gold/Yellow, Navy Blue (VCE)
Homepage www.mwsc.vic.edu.au

Mount Waverley Secondary College is a state secondary co-educational school located in the eastern suburb of Mount Waverley, in eastern Melbourne, Australia. The school consists of roughly 2000 students, from Year 7 to Year 12.

The school is split into two campuses, both situated on Stephenson's Road in Mount Waverley. The Junior site holds years 7 and 8, with year levels 9 to 12, at the Senior Campus. The campuses are a short walking distance apart.

The senior site holds a modern building, which was constructed after the fire of 2003, and holds 5 science rooms and 6 computer rooms on the top floor, with 10 miscellaneous rooms on the bottom. There are also a number of art buildings, and portables. The different school buildings are obtainable by walking outside only, as there are no corridors. This has proved to be somewhat of a nuisance in the winter months, as students have to walk fair distances to get to different classrooms. However, that being said, the absence of congested corridors at the senior site has made classroom changes between periods much quicker, when considering the school is home to 1800+ students.

The junior site consists of 3 blocks and has one school oval. The junior site also has a Lego lab. All the blocks are connected with covered walkways unlike the senior site.

The school also hosts a small theatre, and gymnasium. At the end of last year/beginning of this year, the college installed an extra 2 tennis courts, and 2 brand new basketball courts, making a total of 4 each, on the senior site alone.

MWSC's new building
MWSC's new building

Contents

[edit] Curriculum

Junior School (Year 7 & 8) Students undertake compulsory stands of the Victorian Essential Learnings. The curriculum covers Physical, Personal and Social Learning, Discipline-based learning and Interdisciplinary learning. There is a choice between the Japanese or German language.


Middle School (Years 9 & 10) Students undertake a core academic compulsory program supplemented by a broad range of elective studies from the following:

Fabrics, Electronics, Health, Visual Communication, Drama, Ceramics, Music, Media, Sport, Advanced Money Management, Introduction to Hospitality, Introduction to Journalism, LOTE (German or Japanese), Creative foods and IT: Web Production, Programming, Multimedia, Philosophy and Psychology.


Senior School (Years 11 & 12) Students select from VCE and VET studies including:

Literature, History, Philosophy, Political Studies, Japanese, German, French (Distant Ed), PE, Physics, Psychology, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, Drama, Music, Photography, Art, Economics, Visual Communication, Media, Legal Studies, Business Management, Accounting, ESL, Information Technology, English, Accounting, Chinese- First Language, Studio Arts/Photography, Health and Human Development, VET Hospitality, VET IT and Technology (Design and Technology/ Food Technology/ System Engineering)

First Year studies from the University of Melbourne and Monash University are offered.

[edit] Co-Curricular Programs

The college offers many programs from Year 7- 12 including:

Transition Programs, Anti-bullying and resilience programs, Guardian Angels program in which Year 12 mentors work with Year 7 students in Home Group weekly, Year 8 Challenge Program with activities incorporating that ‘Habits of Mind’, Year 9 Access Program, Year 12 Forum and D day for VCE preparation, Student representation teams and student leadership program, Debating, House and interschool sports, Instrumental Music Program, Yearly Musicals, Career Pathways, as well as; Camps and Excursions.

[edit] Resources and Facilities

Networked computer laboratories for student internet and email access (Over 500 modern computers), Laptops for classroom use wirelessly, Music Centres, VCE study centre , Careers Centre, Student Welfare Staff, Unicorn Theatre (200 seat facility), Two Gymnasiums/halls, Robolab, Industry accredited hospitality training facilities, Two libraries, Grounds and Sports fields, Historic residential property in lower Homebush at Avoca, New building with latest Science and IT facilities and a new canteen with adjoining cafeteria style eating area.


[edit] Uniform

Summer The Summer uniform for boys consists of a white collared shirt, with the school emblem, as well as gray pants, grey socks, and black leather shoes. For girls a blue-and-green checkered dress with white knee high or ankle socks is worn. Shoes must be leather lace-up or t bars. A green jumper (navy blue for VCE students) for both sexes is optional.

Winter The boys uniform remains the same for winter, with a jumper and/or a green-and-gold spray jacket recommended. Girls wear a green-and-navy checkered skirt, with blue knee high socks or stockings, is worn with a long sleeved collared shirt featuring the school's emblem. The school retain a strict jewellery and shoes guideline, with regular checks conducted.

Sport The sport uniform for both sexes, is a dark green polo shirt and black shorts. A green and gold rugby jumper is also optional.


[edit] The Fire of January 2003

On the 25th of January (The day before the commencement of the school year) much of the Middle/Senior campus was destroyed by a deliberately lit fire.

This left the college in an extremely vulnerable situation but fortunately the school was assisted by Deakin University. Since 2003 the College has maintained a strong relationship with the university, with students attending programs at the Burwood campus.

If anything, the fire helped the school, as it has resulted in a strong relationship with Deakin University, and a whole new area of the senior campus has replaced the inferior art/woodwork/electronics rooms that were there before.

[edit] Controversies

[edit] Female School Uniform- Allegations of sexual discrimination

Around 1994 at the Stephensons Road Site Senior Campus an incident occurred in which Female M.W.S.C. student featured in a report on Channel 9's A Current Affair, a tabloid media television program, as the student alleged the school had discriminated against her and other female students as the school had disputed her right as a female to wear trousers as opposed to a girl's summer dress uniform or winter skirt uniform. According to A Current Affair's report, in their response to their stance in the dispute, the school had cited concerns toward girls wearing of trousers in regards to menstrual hygiene issues. The school administration was initially insistent on enforcing its apparently discriminatory dress code. However, after the female student initiated legal proceedings, the school administration accepted that policy was discriminatory and subsequently amended its dress code to allow female students to wear trousers. However, female trousers are navy blue, instead of the male trousers, which are grey.

[edit] Religious Affiliations

Mount Waverley Secondary College from as early as 1993 up to present-day 2007 willingly accepts assistance for extracurricular activities from active members of Christian organisations in their overt capacity, according to Airwaves and past student's experience. Such activities have included assistance in lunchtime charity events (2005) from members of the Syndal Baptist Church - credited in the Airwaves newspaper with published inclusion of their religious affiliation. At the former Waverley Road Site (1993-1995), members from an Evangelical Christian religious youth outreach program were permitted to use classroom facilities weekly during lunchtimes for a voluntary student activity open to the entire student body. The activity ran under the name "Student Focus". Activities included students participating in general knowledge quizzes thus rewarded with confectionery, interspersed with periods of subjective commentary and religious quotation, exclusively, of the New Testament. The school did not require permission or consent from parent/guardian for a student to participate due to the fact that it was similar to any other extra-curicular activity and though it was run by members of a religious outreach program, it would be no different if it were run purely by the students, for the students. The program's religious education content was, arguably, not overtly represented in its "Student Focus" title. The religious instruction component was held over as a segueway well into the session's duration. Students would have to participate at least once to find out religious education was involved. Also at the former W.R.S. circa 1994/1995 - representatives of a religious organisation were permitted by the school to address the site's entire student body in assembly, in addition to handing out pocket-sized copies of the King James Version of the Bible published by the Gideons on exit from the school assembly. This is no longer done at the College.

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] External links