Werribee Secondary College
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Motto | Live Worthily |
|---|---|
| Established | 1956 |
| Type | State secondary college |
| Sex | Coeducational |
| Affiliations | Council of International Schools Victorian Department of Education |
| Council President | Paul Sidouropolous |
| Principal | Kurt Butyn |
| Asst. Principal | Greg Lentini William Hatzis Kevin O'Neil |
| Teaching staff | ~100 |
| Students | ~1,350 |
| Years | 7-12 |
| Location | Duncans Road, Werribee, Victoria, Australia |
| Administrator | Department of Education |
| Accreditation | Council of International Schools |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Colours | Navy, Maroon |
| Houses | Chirnside (Yellow) Wyndham (Blue) |
| Student Newspaper | The Loop |
| VCE (Study Score) Average | 37 (2007) [1] |
| Website | www.werribeesc.vic.edu.au |
Werribee Secondary College is a state secondary college located in Werribee, Victoria, Australia. Established in 1956, the college recently achieved international accredication from the Council of International Schools. The current college principal is Kurt Butyn.
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[edit] History
In 1997 the College introduced the Select Entry Learning Program or SELP. The program aims to address the special learning needs of students who demonstrate high levels of task commitment and high levels of achievement. In 2002, the first SELP class graduated and achieved outstanding results, outperforming all but 1 school in the Western Metropolitan Region.[2] SELP is the only Department of Education accredited program in the City of Wyndham.
In May 2004 the College was hit by a massive fire that destroyed the school's technology and textiles wing. It caused up to 2 million $AUD damage, including the destruction of students' VCE assignments. Junior students had up to 12 days off school while Portable classrooms were brought to the school site.[3]
In August 2006 Werribee Secondary College received accreditation from the Council of International Schools.
In October 2006, the school was given wide press coverage during a controversy regarding the production of a DVD depicting violence and degradation of victims by a group of teenage boys. The film was sold under the title Cunt: The Movie. Principal Steve Butyn has told the media that four students at his school were identified on the DVD, with one student being removed from the school by his parents and the others suspended.[4] Their names were also passed on to the police.
[edit] Notable Alumni
[edit] Curriculum
Up until Years 10 the College follows the Department of Education developed curriculum framework, VELS. In Years 11 and 12, the College offers the Victorian Certificate of Education or VCE. In Year 10, SELP students are given the opportunity to being their VCE early by studying two Unit 1/2 subjects (choice out of Biology/Psychology and Economics/History). Higher achieving mainstream students are able to study one Unit 1/2 subject (choice of History/Geography). Since achieving Council of International Schools accreditation in 2006 the College is now eligible to offer the International Baccalaureate as an alternative to the VCE- the College intends to permanently add the IB to its curriculum in 2009.
The college also has a strong co-curricular program. Students from Year 7 are encouraged to participate and compete in debating through the Debaters Association of Victoria. Senior students can participate in public speaking either in school, or outside of school at events held by the local Rotary or Lions clubs. Other co-curricular activities available to students include inter school sport, chorals, Maths and Science competitions and student leadership activities.
[edit] Campus
Until recently, the College's facilities had been very poor due to a lack of sufficient funding. Following the massive fire that struck the college in 2004, many portable classrooms had to be assembled to allow classes to continue on a regular basis, this meant that well over 70% of classes were situated in portable classrooms. In 2005, the College received funding from the Department of Education for an extension (named the Shirley Cameron Centre) of the College's "Eca-Centre" (gymnasium and auditorium) which contained two food technology classrooms, two health classrooms, a canteen and a toilet block as well as new Music Centre. The construction of a new art and technology wing (named the Raymond Findlay Centre) was completed in 2007. The construction of a new school library and staff resource centre is due to be completed in 2008, which will be immediately followed by the construction of a science block and general purpose classroom block.
[edit] References
- ^ Post Compulsory Completion And Achievement Data 2007 Information
- ^ Werribee Secondary College ~ Welcome
- ^ "Classes closed after Werribee school fire", ABC, ABC, 25-10 2004.
- ^ Miletic, Daniella. "Outcry over teenage girl's assault recorded on DVD", The Age, Fairfax Media, 25-10 2006.
