Waikato Diocesan School

Waikato Diocesan School for Girls is an integrated secondary school in Hamilton, New Zealand. It is an Anglican girls' Boarding school for students from Year 9 to Year 13. It also has day students.

History

Dio was first established as Sonning School in 1909, situated on Milton Street, Hamilton. With only a small roll of four pupils the school began to grow, and as it did there was need for larger premises so it was moved to Anglesea Street. Larger land was then purchased and a new school built on the eastern side of the railway bridge. This school was named Sonning after the Berkshire Village from which the Whitehorn family originated. It was then that the first Bishop of the Waikato, Cecil Cherrington, wanted to establish an Anglican Girls School in Hamilton and the Waikato Board for Diocesan Schools, formed in 1927, leased Sonning School from Mrs Whitehorn and then, in 1929. Property at the current site in River Road, Hamilton, New Zealand was then bought. Waikato Diocesan School was officially opened in 1928 with a roll of 13 boarders and 70 day girls. The school opened at its permanent site in 1930, consisting of its flagship building, Cherrington, the Homestead, a barn, which was used as both hall and chapel, and open air classrooms. Dio has continued to grow and has had 11 principals, and now has a roll of around 620 students.

Houses

• Wilson - Green House
• Scott - Blue House
• Shackleton "Shack" - Red House
• Ross - Yellow House
• Blake - Black House
• Hillary - White House

The school is recognised as being a top academic school with NCEA results consistently among the very best in New Zealand.

References

• Waikato Diocesan School. (2009). www.waikatodiocesan.school.nz. In Waikato Diocesan School for Girls. Retrieved 20 March 2009, from http://www.waikatodiocesan.school.nz/.
• McLennan, V. (2009) Waikato Diocesan School for Girls Prospectus. Hamilton, NZ: WDSG.