Queen Margaret College, Wellington
| Queen Margaret College | |
|---|---|
 The Queen Margaret College Tower Building | |
| Address | |
|
53 Hobson Street Thorndon Wellington New Zealand | |
| Information | |
| Funding type | Private |
| Ministry of Education Institution no. | 278 |
| Principal | Ms Carol Craymer |
| Years offered | Pre-School – Year 13 |
| Gender | Girls |
| School roll | 669[1] |
| Socio-economic decile | 10 |
| Website |
www |
Queen Margaret College is an independent Presbyterian school for girls providing education from Pre-School to Year 13. The College is currently the largest independent girls' school in Wellington with a roll of over 680. Founded in 1919 the College has a rich history located in Thorndon, inner city suburb of Wellington, New Zealand’s capital city. Queen Margaret College is an IB World School and the only girls school in Wellington to offer the IB Diploma. The current Principal is Carol Craymer.
Curriculum
The College offers a dual qualification pathway the IB Diploma or the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (New Zealand). The Middle School curriculum supports a laptop 1:1 programme. This is enhanced with iPads in the Pre-School and Preps, class sets of netbooks and laptops in the Junior School and ultra-fast broadband ensuring senior students too can link up to the College network. The Junior School is authorised to teach he International Baccalaureate Primary Years' Programme (PYP) which is designed for students aged 3 to 12. It focuses on the total growth of the developing child, encompassing social, physical, emotional and cultural needs in addition to academic development.
Extra curricular
The College has over 100 sports teams, in 2013 eight girls were selected to represent New Zealand in sports and over 30 to represent Wellington. There is also seven choirs and four instrumental groups the College. The College won first place at the Wellington Regional Chamber Music Competition 2013, The Sweet Margaritas (the barbershop choir) submitted a DVD entry to the first International Young Women in Harmony Chorus Competition and placed third in 2013, the College holds the 2012 National title for the Race Unity Speech Competition and in 2012 weree the Wellington Regional Competition winners of the Sheilah Winn Festival fifteen-minute teacher-directed section.
The College hosts a number of annual/bi-annual exchanges and leadership experiences in Chile, Tahiti, France, Australia, China, Europe, USA and Japan.
Notable old girls
- Antonia Prebble, 1999–2001
- Mary Lambie, former Good Morning presenter, 1973–1978
- Hilary Barry, 1980–1987
- Dr Helen Small, 1970–1982
- Dr Sally Davenport, Professor at Victoria University of Wellington, 1972–1978
- Jeane Horne (Chapman) Pioneer in introducing work and examinations of Royal Academy of Dancing, London, into the N.Z.
- Anne Rowse (Suddell) Soloist in London Festival Ballet Company.
- Ruth Ffitch. Matron of St Helens Hospital, Wellington.
- NG Bickleen Fong (Wang), M.A. (Otago). First Chinese woman to graduate M.A in N.Z. 1946-1949
- Joan Smith (MacArthur) Distinguished N.Z. painter.
- Stella Maxwell, Victoria Secret's Angel
- Kirsty Gunn New Zealand author of the highly acclaimed book ‘Rain’ and latterly ‘Featherstone’
History
Queen Margaret College and Scots College are brother and sister schools who share Presbyterian founders, The Hon. John G. W. Aitken and The Very Rev. Dr. James Gibb. The Colleges have remained close and annually celebrate Founders Day together, in 2005 created an annual QUOTS competition and present a joint production each year, among other things.
The School's namesake is Queen Margaret, who was married to King Malcolm. He features in Macbeth, being one of Duncan's sons, who flees after his father was murdered.
Students are organised into five houses - Berwick (blue & silver), Braemar (blue & yellow), Glamis (red & blue), Lochleven (red, green and black), and Stirling (black & yellow). They are named after castles in Scotland, a nod towards the Scottish heritage upon which the school was built.
Queen Margaret College also has links with the international body of Margaret Schools and Independent Schools of New Zealand.
The Queen Margaret College Tower Building is registered by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as a Category II structure, with registration number 1419.[2]
References
A History of Queen Margaret College by M. D. (Mollie) Gambrill (1969; Wright & Carman, Queen Margaret College)
- ↑ "Directory of Schools - as at 01 December 2015". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
- ↑ "Queen Margaret College Tower Building". Register of Historic Places. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
External links
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Coordinates: 41°16′20″S 174°46′48″E / 41.2723°S 174.7800°E