| Murwillumbah High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Murwillumbah, New South Wales, Australia | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public, comprehensive secondary, co-educational, Day school |
| Motto | Latin: Pergo, Perago, Periclitor ("Strive, Persevere, Endure.") |
| Established | 1929 |
| Principal | Warrick Simmons |
| Asst. Principal | Michael McNamara |
| Enrolment | ~639 (7–12)[1] |
| Colour(s) | Blue and White |
| Newspaper | 'Endeavour (fortnightly newsletter) |
| Yearbook | The Parnassian. Published since 1924 |
| Website | Murwillumbah High School |
Murwillumbah High School, (abbreviation MHS) is a State run comprehensive secondary, co-educational, high school located at 86 Riverview Street in Murwillumbah, New South Wales, Australia. The school was established as a comprehensive high school in 1929 being upgraded in status from an intermediate high school. It caters for students from years 7 to 12. Many of its past students have achieved notable success, some holding high public office.
Contents |
Glimpses from past Parnassians: 1924. "After much deliberation and discussion, the Department has resumed an area of about eight acres on Hartigan’s Hill as the site for the new High School. Every day the optimists make a trip to the site to see what progress has been made with buildings, but, so far, the Department has not seen fit to make any use of the newly acquired site." 1928. "The foundation stone of the new High School buildings was laid on March 17 in the presence of a large gathering of parents and students. An untimely thunderstorm just failed to mar the proceedings, for when the Minister of Education inspected the Guard of Honour, comprising Girl Guides and Boy Scouts, the sun had just broken through."
Murwillumbah High School was made a "full" high school in 1929 and moved into its current site in that year with the opening of a three storey complex which has become a well known landmark in Murwillumbah.[2]
Since 1929 many buildings have been added with major development beginning in the 1960s. In 1992 a new Library was opened and in mid-1997 the Multi-Purpose Centre/Hall was opened and dedicated as "The Elliott Centre", after a previous Principal of the school, Joe Elliott.
The school is built on the side of a hill creating several floor levels across the school. Under the initiative of Bruce Chick, the school has a large Hoop Pine forest on the southern edge of the campus, planted in 1970 as a Cook Bicentennial project. Students from the school were given the opportunity to plant a tree as a part of the commemoration. The original intention being to sell the timber from the plantation when the trees had reached maturity. Captain James Cook had sighted, mapped and named Mount Warning in the Murwillumbah area as he sailed up the coast in 1770 and the fortnightly school newsletter ‘Endeavour’, is named in honour of his ship.[2]
Development became the focus of attention during the early 1990s when the school population peaked at 1,300 before the opening of Wollumbin High School, which then relaxed school capacity numbers.[2]
The school colours are blue and white and the school badge was designed by the first School Captain, Joyce Martin, in 1928. Since an upgrade in status from a district school to an intermediate high school in 1924 it has produced an annual magazine called "The Parnassian".[2]