| St Mary's College | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Adelaide, South Australia, Australia | |
| Information | |
| Type | Catholic |
| Motto | Veritas (Latin for "Truth") |
| Established | 1869 |
| Principal | Mrs Eileen Young |
| Enrolment | 1000 - 1100 |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Colour(s) | Blue, Blue, White |
| Website | www.stmaryscoll.adl.catholic.edu.au |
St Mary's College is a private, Catholic girls' school located within the "square mile" of the city of Adelaide, South Australia. Its current principal is Mrs Eileen Young, supported by Deputy Principal Ms Lorna Starrs.
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The oldest continuously running school for girls in South Australia, the College was established on 2 December 1869, following the arrival in Adelaide from Dublin, Ireland, of seven Dominican Sisters. They came in answer to the call of the Catholic Bishop of Adelaide, Rt. Rev. L. B. Sheil, who wanted "a select school for girls whose parents could afford to pay for education beyond the elementary stage".[1]
The Sisters took up residence in three small cottages on the corner of West Terrace and Franklin Street. The doors of St Mary's first opened for students on 2 February 1869.[1]
In December 1868 the foundation stone for a building known as St Catherines was laid. This early building is remembered in facilities built in 1996 which carry the same name. In 1871, the Dominicans were invited to move into the building now known as the Convent, and, in 1898, substantially extended it to include the Boylan Building, which remembers Sr Columba Boylan, an early Prioress.
Since that time, the Moore Building (1966), named after Mother Teresa Moore, the founding Prioress, and the Kavanagh Building(1987), named after Sr Catherine Kavanagh, have been added to student facilities.
In 1991, part of the Boylan Building was refurbished and in 1994 for Music, Drama and Information and Communication Technology were opened.
From the beginning of 1995, the College has had access to the Convent buildings, including the historic Chapel where Mary MacKillop was excommunicated.
New classrooms for Junior School students, as well as new facilities for Information and Communication Technologies, Science and Food and Nutrition, called St Catherine's, were opened in 1996. A gymnasium, Veritas Hall, was also opened at the same time.
By the commencement of the 2001 school year, further Information and Communication Technology facilities became available to students, in addition to a new Tuckshop and outdoor eating areas.
In 2006 the St Mary's College Centre for the Performing Arts was completed providing a theatre, instrumental tuition rooms and a suite of Drama and Music classrooms. This development highlights the success of the Performing Arts Program at St Mary's College.
In 2010, the College commenced two separate building projects in alignment with the Federal Government funded Building Education Revolution Project. The first being the refurbishment of the upper floor of St Catherine's Building where the woodwork and textiles rooms were completely redesigned into a modern Design Suite accommodating the new approach to Design in the Middle School. The second, and bigger project, is the building of a new Library/Resource Centre, Out of School Hours Care facility and three Junior School classrooms. The three new rooms are to accommodate the Junior School which moved to a single stream class structure - Reception, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, and Year 5 in 2010. This larger project has an anticipated finish date of August 2010.
A stained window designed by a student, Sarah Woite, in 1995, and found in the stairwell of the Boylan Building, symbolises the history of the College. Green three leafed clovers reflect its Irish heritage, while part of the Dominican crest signifies the Dominican ethos so important to the community. The plane tree leaves are part of the Australian landscape just outside the window, while the stairs indicate the opportunities given to students of the College.
Approximately 800 girls attend the school in classes from Reception (age 5) to year 12 (age 17-18). The school offers a "Year 13" program for student who wish to obtain their Stage 2 SACE (Year 12) over two years.
At present, the school is phasing out its old uniform and introducing a new one, expected to be worn by all students by 2010. However, the students of class of 2010 wish to keep wearing their uniform for the rest of their years in attendance as the new uniform was first introduced end of 2006, when most of that generation had brand new uniforms from the beginning of their high school years.
The school has a reputation for excellence, with girls excelling at academia, the arts and sports. The music program is heavily renowned with a small group of students touring Caloundra, Queensland in 2007 and in 2009 a group of 30 girls and 5 teachers embarking on a historical connection tour of Ireland, in celebration of the 140 years St Mary's College has been opened.
The school has four sporting houses, in which the students are placed at the commencement of their enrolment at St Mary's. St Marys, St Dominics, St Catherines and St Thomas each compete in annual sports days and swimming carnivals.
St Mary's is also reputable in its focus on Social Justice. It supports many charities and selects year 11 students attend pilgrimages annually. One is called the "Lands Trip", led by Mr Robert Napoli, Learning Area Co-Ordinator for Religious Education. The Lands Trip selects 6 - 8 girls to travel into the APY Lands, to visit an Aboriginal community and experience the literacy of the indigenous peoples of Australia. This pilgrimage started in 2008 and is renowned to be tough on the emotions and physical abilities of the students embarking this trip. The other pilgrimage is to Vietnam. In 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 St Mary's College and Christian Brothers College students' combined to participate in a Pilgrimage to Vietnam. The primary focus of the Pilgrimage is on giving service and working with orphaned, disabled children in the Phu My Orhphanage in the Thi Nghe District, Saigon.
The Orphanage is operated by the Sisters of St Paul de Charters where they provide care for over 300 children. While at the Orphanage students participate in a range of activities and are immersed in the day to day operation of the Orphanage.
St Mary's College is a Catholic school which offers an education in the Dominican tradition.
Each year the College adopts a particular Dominican theme as its focus for College life. In 2008 the theme is 'The Power of Two Feet'. This provides direction and focus for the school community in prayer, reflection and celebration. The theme for 2010 is 'The Call To Listen'.
The school's motto is 'Veritas', meaning truth; it is only in the pursuit and acceptance of truth that we reach our full potential in the spiritual and secular aspects of our lives.[2]
The campus also contains:
The school also shares campus with St Patricks Catholic Church and resides next to the Archbishops House on West Terrace. The school borders three streets. The front facing Franklin Street, the West Side fencing West Terrace, the back facing Grote Street and fences side street, Gray Street.