Whitefriars College

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Whitefriars College
Whitefriars College crest. Source: www.whitefriars.vic.edu.au (Whitefriars College website)
Almae in Fide Parentis
(Latin:"In the Care of a Loving Mother")[1]
Established 1961
School Type Independent, Single-sex, Day school
Denomination Roman Catholic, Carmelite
Key People Fr. Paul Cahill, O.Carm. (Principal)
Peter Duffy (Chairman)
Fr Noel Kierce, O.Carm. (Chaplain)
School Fees AU$5,800 p.a - AU$6,150 p.a[2]
Location Donvale, Victoria, AustraliaFlag of Australia
Coordinates 37°47′26″S 145°12′1″E / -37.79056, 145.20028Coordinates: 37°47′26″S 145°12′1″E / -37.79056, 145.20028
Enrolment ~1,090 (7-12)[3]
Employees ~130[3]
Colours Navy Blue, Brown, White & Gold                 
Homepage www.whitefriars.vic.edu.au

Whitefriars College is a Roman Catholic, non-selective, day school for boys, located in Donvale, Victoria, Australia.

Established in 1961, the College reflects the tradition of the Carmelites, and is recognised for its uniform's dark brown blazer with the College Crest appearing on the breast pocket.

The school has been a member of the Associated Catholic Colleges since 1999.

Contents

[edit] History

Whitefriars College was established by the Carmelites in 1961, with a single stream of forty boys. In the school's early years all teachers were Carmelites, under the leadership of the founding Principal, Fr Frank Shortis, O.Carm., and lay teachers were appointed as the need arose. However, as time has transpired, the Carmelites, although retaining a small number of their own members on staff – including, the current Principal – have been far outnumbered by lay staff. The current Carmelites on staff are Fr Paul Cahill O.Carm, Fr Noel Kierce O.Carm and Br Sean Keefe O.Carm.

The schools campus is currently set on 19 hectares at the northern end of a property acquired by the Carmelites in 1937 for a novitiate and seminary. The original property, of 113 acres, was bounded by Park and Heads Roads and Mullum Mullum Creek and was then largely surrounded by orchards. Part of the monastery property was subdivided in the 1970s, and the monastery itself was sold to the Coptic Orthodox church in 2002.[3]

Whitefriars College remains the sole Carmelite School in Australia.

[edit] House system

The College has eight houses, each one named after a Carmelite of note. The houses are:


As there is a vertical pastoral care (more commonly known as homeroom) system at the College, each house is made up of seven pastoral care groups and each group contains approximately twenty-four students.

[edit] Community service

The school has two student-run community service organisations, the Key Club, sponsored by the Doncaster-Templestowe Kiwanis, and Young St. Vinnie's. Both groups work in the school community as well as in the wider community on a number of projects. The Key Club runs a recycling drive and St Vinnie's runs a weekly blood donation drive, in which VCE students are encouraged to give blood.

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] Swimming Victories

Whitefriars are well known for excelling in ACC swimming. Whitefriars College came first in the Junior Schools Swimming Carnival for their district 19 years in a row, before losing in the 20th year by a narrow margin.

[edit] References

  1. ^ About Whitefriars. Whitefriars College. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
  2. ^ Fees and Charges. Enrolments. Whitefriars College. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
  3. ^ a b c College beginnings. About. Whitefriars College. Retrieved on 2007-06-08.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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Members of the Associated Catholic Colleges of Victoria, Australia