| Brauer College | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Warrnambool, VIC, Australia | |
| Information | |
| Type | Government co-educational secondary |
| Established | 1911 (As Warrnambool Technical School) |
| Grades | 7-12 |
| Enrolment | 1300 |
| Colour(s) | Green, White and Maroon |
| Website | [1] |
Brauer College is a government secondary school, located in Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia.
Originally established as Warrnambool Technical School in 1911, the school was renamed Brauer College at the beginning of 1990 (after noted 20th century Warrnambool doctor, Dr. Alfred Brauer), to reflect its change from an outstanding technical institution into a more mainstream and highly regarded college. Brauer has since developed into one of the largest secondary schools in the state with an enrolment of approximately 1450 students ranging from years 7 to 12. The school is known for both outstanding curricular and extra curricular activities, including consistently high VCE results and unmatched levels of success in both the public speaking, performing arts and sporting areas.
Mr. Rob Porter is the current acting principal, and the school council president is Mr. Barry Brooks.
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Brauer's main campus is located on Carumut Road, towards the outskirts of Warrnambool's urban area. The school features a state of the art performing arts centre and gymnasium, as well as extensive classroom and other facilities including a driver education track and supergrass tennis courts. In 2007 the library and science wing were refurbished in addition to the construction of the Australian Technical College Warrnambool campus. Directly north of the school, a multimillion dollar sports facility known as Brauerander Park is also being built. The park will feature an athletics track as well as facilities for field events, soccer & AFL football fields and a 3-hole golf course. The Park, which was expected to be completed by 2007, has been plagued with delays mainly relating to the synthetic track surface which can only be laid under certain weather conditions. Laying of the track commenced in March 2007. The track was completed in Mid-May 2007 and was officially opened by the Victorian Governor, Professor David de Kretser in September 2007.
Rutledge
The school also features a secondary campus known as Rutledge, which is a specialist education centre for students who have profound difficulties with work or other problems. Located close by, Rutledge students may receive tutoring or undergo courses teaching them ways of dealing with workloads, stress or other issues.
Dunkeld Annexe
The Dunkeld Annexe is a Brauer owned facility located in Dunkeld, in the southern Grampians, used for the purpose of school camps. Years 7, 8 and 9 camping trips take place here where the open bush is one of its many benefits.
Aside from the school's curricular achievements, Brauer is also well known within both the Warrnambool and wider community for its success in extra curricular activities.
Public Speaking
Brauer has a very strong and long tradition in the art of public speaking and debating. All students are taught the skills to participate in public speaking. The school has long associations with the Warrnambool Eisteddfod, public speaking and debating competitions run by the Rostrum Club, the Lions Club, the Legacy Group, the Apex Club, the VCAA Plain English Speaking Competition and the mooting competition run by Bond University. Brauer's success in these fields has been unmatched, with state and national finalists and champions in all aforementioned competitions. At Eisteddfod level, in 2006 Brauer had over 150 students compete with a high rate of success. In the debating section, Brauer won the overall aggregate for the 16th consecutive year, cementing the school's level of commitment and success. Brauer also participates in the Ballarat region of the Debaters Association of Victoria (DAV), where up to 30 students travel each round to participate, several debaters have previously won Swannie Awards for best debater and progressed to the state final debating rounds. Each year a team of senior public speaking students are chosen to take part in the Bond university mooting competition - an exclusive competition in which Brauer is the only Victorian government school to have won the national title, amongst names as Sydney Kings and Melbourne Grammar School (all highly regarded private schools).
Music/Performing Arts
Brauer's music and performing arts program is, like public speaking, a large part of the school's cohort. Annually, the Brauer musical comprises approximately 150 students as cast, band and backstage members. In 2006 the production was "Copacabana", with "We Will Rock You" in 2007. The musical has been an annual part of Brauer since 1984. Additionally, the Brauer Amateur Dramatics Club (or BAD) produce a non-musical, dramatic performance.
Brauer also supports a number of bands, ensembles and musical solo performers with tuition enabling students to participate in the Warrnambool Eisteddfod and other prestigious music competitions. Around 300 students are involved with the music program.
Sport
Brauer is a major player in the sporting community. The college sports academy consists of 14 sports with students from years 7-12 participating. Academy teams compete against other schools and in larger competitions. House sports are also a major part of the school's sporting program. There are four houses:
Members of each house participate annually for house championships in swimming, athletics, cross country and overall. In 2006, Geefa was house champion, with the 2007 championships still underway.
In 2006, Brauer in partnership with Baimbridge College Hamiltion won the tender for the Australian Technical College in Warrnambool. Commencing its programs at the beginning of 2007, the ATCW offers courses in commercial cookery, mechanics, engineering, metal fabrication and carpentry.
Following the federal election of Kevin Rudd and the ALP to power in 2007, the ATC project was discontinued. As the ATC Warrnambool campus was one of the few finished colleges in the state, it remained operational in various states until in 2009 it became the Industry Education Centre, jointly operated by South West Institute of TAFE, Brauer College & other local school and employment agency bodies.
In mid 2006, several students took a complaint regarding the school's uniform and hair/makeup policy to local newspaper, the Warrnambool Standard, arguing it was too strict. A subsequent article was featured in the Sunday Herald Sun that same week, both articles drawing attention to rules that seem inflexible and quite draconian.
The Two-Brick Rule On March 13, 2007 an article appeared on the front page of the Warrnambool Standard slamming a policy set by the school stating that "students of the opposite sex must stay two-bricks apart". An article on the same issue appeared on page 3 of the Melbourne Age on Thursday the 15th, with discussion on 774 ABC radio's drive program and a feature story on national television public affairs program, A Current Affair.