Cecil Hills High School

Cecil Hills High School
Address
50 Spencer Rd Cecil Hills New South Wales, 2171 Australia
Information
Type	Comprehensive public secondary
Motto	We Believe in Success
Established	1996
Principal	Mr Mark Sutton
Years	7-12
Gender	Co-educational
Enrolment	1206
Website	www.cecilhillshigh.nsw.edu.au

Cecil Hills High School (abbreviated CHHS) is a comprehensive, co-educational, public high school, located in Cecil Hills, a South-Western suburb in New South Wales, Australia. The school was established in 1996 and currently caters for over 1300 students from Years 7-12, including 81% of students who are from a non-English speaking background. The school has an integrated support unit catering for students with moderate and severe intellectual and/or physical disability, including autism. Teachers have a strategic focus on challenging and engaging all students, fostering quality teacher leadership in every classroom and reshaping the curriculum to enable students to excel in a rapidly changing world. The school has a highly committed staff and is a positive learning environment where academic success and student well-being are at the forefront of decision-making.

History

Cecil Hills High School was established in 1996. The school has had 3 principals since its opening, including John McGregor (1996-2004), Sean Bowen (2004-2015) and Mark Sutton (2015-present). In the first year of operation, the school had only Year 7 students, totalling 121. Since then, the school’s population grew substantially, as more cohorts entered the school. The first Year 12 cohort graduated in 2001. There are additionally three teachers in the school that have been teaching since the school opened. The school celebrated its 20th Anniversary in December, 2016.

Facilities

Departments

Cecil Hills High Schools offers the following subjects for the Higher School Certificate:

English

• English Standard
• English Advanced
• English Studies
• English Extension 1
• English Extension 2

Mathematics

• Mathematics General 2
• Mathematics (2 Unit)
• Mathematics Extension 1
• Mathematics Extension 2

Science

• Biology
• Earth and Environmental Science
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Senior Science

History

• Modern History
• Ancient History
• History Extension

Social Sciences

• Business Studies
• Business Services (TVET)
• Economics
• Geography
• Legal Studies
• Society and Culture

Industrial Technology

• Graphics
• Multimedia
• Timber
• Electronics

Languages Other Than English (LOTE)

• Italian

Other

• Information, Processes and Technology (IPT)

• Food Technology

• Hospitality (TVET)

• Textiles

• Visual Arts
• Music

• Drama

• Engineering Studies

Sporting

Cecil Hills High School has a large gymnasium, which contains one full-sized basketball court, and is used for basketball, indoor soccer, slider hockey, dodgeball, as well as school assemblies. There are additionally 2 outdoor basketball courts, 2 volleyball courts, 2 netball courts and a softball diamond.

Extra-curricular Activities

Cecil Hills High School offers a range of activities outside of the classroom, including debating, public speaking, clubs and House challenges. The school has a Junior and Senior debating team, that regularly compete with local schools, and in 2014, the Year 9 debating team advanced to the regionals, versing a new selection of schools. The school additionally has clubs to unite students with similar interests, including the chess club. Cecil Hills offers a St. John Cadets program, where students can learn skills in leadership, as well as first aid.

Sport

Cecil Hills High School has an outstanding reputation regarding sport, in both the local area, and on a regional level. The school holds annual swimming and athletics carnivals, where students participate in a range of sports to advance to zone, where they compete against other schools. In addition to these carnivals, the school offers a range of sporting competitions and knockout tournaments for all ages, including Basketball, Futsal, Soccer and Tennis. Below are some of the school’s notable students in a range of sports:

The school has also won tournaments on regional and state levels:

House System

Cecil Hills High School has four houses in which students are distributed based on their surname. Students can earn points for their house through 3 fields: academic, sporting and extracurricular. Each year, 2 year 11 students and 2 year 10 students are nominated as captain and vice-captain of their house, respectively, providing yet another leadership opportunity for students. The house spirit also encourages friendly competition and further participation at swimming and athletics carnivals. The four houses are all named after significant Australian peoples.

20th Anniversary Celebration

In 2016, Cecil Hills High School celebrated its 20th anniversary. The celebratory week in December involved an aerial photograph that included every staff member and every student. A teachers versus former students soccer match was held, and a time capsule was unveiled for display in the front office. A formal assembly was held, honouring the work of our two previous principals, Mr John McGregor and Mr Sean Bowen. The Performance Space has now been renamed as The McGregor Centre in honour of our founding principal. One of the absolute highlights of the celebration was the spring fair, celebrating the anniversary. This was an overwhelming event where approximately five thousand community members came for a Friday night of fun with musical performances, food stalls, rides, a petting zoo, market stalls, exhibitions and a fireworks display. A gala dinner was additionally held, which doubled as a reunion for many past students, parents and teachers. This event demonstrated what the school and its community can achieve together.

External links

• Cecil Hills High School Website