Pacific Hills Christian School
| Pacific Hills Christian School | |
|---|---|
 Wisdom and Knowledge in Christ | |
| Location | |
|
Dural, New South Wales Australia  | |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent, Co-educational, Day school |
| Denomination | Non-denominational |
| Established | 1979 |
| Chairman | Tony Morgan |
| Principal | E J Boyce |
| Employees | 204[1] |
| Enrolment | 1285 (P-12)[1] |
| Colour(s) |
Green & White |
| Website | Pacific Hills Christian School Official Website |
Pacific Hills Christian School is an independent, co-educational day school located in the suburb of Dural, in the Hills District of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
The school caters for approximately 1300 students from Prep to Year 12 and is divided into 3 sections: Junior School, Middle School and Senior School. The school is not affiliated with any particular Christian denomination.
The current and second principal of the Pacific Hills Christian School is Dr. E.J Boyce OAM, who has led the school since 1985.
History
The Pacific Hills Christian School can trace its origins back to the early 1970s, when John and Robin Odell had a vision for a Christian School that integrated students with a disability into a normal classroom situation. This vision was realised in 1979 with the establishment of the Pennant Hills Christian School, with just eight students and one teacher, Mrs Lynn McCrindle. At this time the school was located in two rooms of 'Lutanda Children's Home', an orphanage at Pennant Hills.
By 1980 enrolments had grown to 41 with just two staff members. The following year saw the introduction of secondary education, and the first students with disabilities integrated into mainstream education. 1983 saw the appointment of the school's first principal, Mr. Ken Oliver.
In 1986, the school moved to its current location at Dural, and subsequently changed its name to Pacific Hills Christian School. That year also saw the first year 12 class sit for the New South Wales Higher School Certificate.
Since its relocation, the school has purchased further land and constructed additional buildings and sporting facilities. Today the school is located on a 22-acre (8.9 ha) campus with the potential to accommodate up to 1360 students and 150 staff.[2]
School houses
As with most Australian schools, the Pacific Hills Christian School utilises a house system. There are currently four houses which take the names of famous missionaries:
- Jim Elliot (Blue)
- William Carey (Green)
- George Müller (Red)
- Hudson Taylor (Yellow)
Co-curriculum
Sport
Pacific Hills offers a number of sports including: rugby league, cricket, soccer, futsal, basketball, rugby league sevens, touch football and field hockey. The Opens rugby league team won the competition in 2008, with many notable players passing through, such as David Karamanis, Matthew Stewart, and Lachy Gage, and the coaches Paul McConnell, and Greg Driscoll.
Notable Alumni
- Rebecca St. James - born Rebecca Jean Smallbone on 26 July 1977 is a Grammy winning Christian Singer/Actress.
- Kyah Simon, soccer player for Sydney FC.
Emma Payne- Australian Swimming National medalist Samatha YIng- Australia Swimming National medlist
Associated schools
Pacific Hills currently has 'sister school' links with the following schools:
- Bethlehem College, New Zealand
- Middleton Grange School, New Zealand
- Pacific Academy, Canada
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Annual Report 2006" (PDF). Pacific Hills Christian School. 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-24.
- ↑ "History". Pacific Hills Christian School. 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-24.