This article is about De La Salle College Ashfield, Sydney. For Ashfield College in Dublin, Ireland, see Ashfield College.
| De La Salle College Ashfield | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Ashfield, New South Wales, Australia | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private, Single-sex, Secondary, Day school |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic, De La Salle Brothers |
| Established | 1916 |
| Chairman | Norm Towells |
| Principal | Michael Barrington |
| Vice principal | Nick Brien |
| Staff | ~54[2] |
| Enrolment | ~650 (7-12)[2] |
| Colour(s) | Blue & White |
| Website | www.dlsashfield.com.au |
De La Salle College is a Catholic systemic, secondary, day school for boys', located in Ashfield, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Established in 1916 by the De La Salle Brothers and Vincentian Fathers, the college currently caters for approximately 650 Years 7 to 12 students[2] from the inner-west Parishes of the Archdiocese of Sydney. The College is under the patronage of the Archbishop of Sydney, George Pell.
De La Salle College is one of 18 Lasallian Schools in Australia,[3] and in the 1970s became the first Catholic High School in Australia to have a lay Headmaster.[4]
The school is affiliated with the Catholic Secondary Schools Association NSW/ACT,[5] and the Metropolitan Catholic Colleges Sports Association (MCC).[6]
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The foundation stone for the school was laid in 10 December 1916. Upon completion a year later, the school consisted of just three classrooms, and was located behind a boarding house that was to become a monastery for the six De La Salle Brothers who were given the task of educating Catholic boys of the Ashfield Parish.[4]
Despite the effects of the Great Depression, enrolments continued to increase, with 300 on the role in 1931. Through the efforts of Father Macken, a Provincial of the Vincentian Fathers, the College established a separate Primary school in 1934. Further, a "tech" was established in 1937 for boys who would not be going on to University or office job's. The two-stream system of "pros" and "techs" continued until 1955.[4]
Lay staff were employed in 1956 as the number of Brothers had declined. The 1960s saw further change with the Wyndham scheme introduced in 1962 necessitating the addition of new subjects to the curriculum, and thus requiring more specialist rooms. With support from the Parish and the Old Boys' Union, the Principal of the time, Br. Peter, began to expand the College. The main building of the College was opened in 1966 during the celebration of its Golden Jubilee.[4]
In 1972, Mr. Peter Donnan became the first lay Principal of the school, thus making the school the first Catholic High School in Australia administered by a lay Principal.[4]
The College's primary section was closed in 1988.[4]
De La Salle College is a member of the Metropolitan Catholic Colleges Sports Association (MCC),[6] and competes in a range of sports including Athletics, Cricket, Cross Country, Basketball, Golf, Rugby League, Soccer, Squash, Swimming, Tennis, Touch Football and Volleyball.[7]
Through MCC, the college competes against schools such as Christian Brothers' High School, Lewisham, LaSalle Catholic College, Bankstown, Marcellin College Randwick, Marist College Kogarah, Marist College Pagewood, St. Leo's Catholic College and Marist College North Shore.[6] Sport has traditionally been an important part of college life, notwithstanding the school's own limited sporting facilities.
The college also excels in Debating and Public Speaking, through the Catholic Schools Debating Association and other Public Speaking Competitions.