Hillbrook Anglican School
Encyclopedia
Hillbrook Anglican School is a co-educational, Anglican
independent school
, in Brisbane, Australia. The school is one of the few Anglican schools in Brisbane which specialises in high school education only.
The school's development has seen significant building activity, most significantly with the addition of a performing arts complex towards the end of 2003, and, in 2006, the Tree of Life Chapel, to coincide with the 20 year anniversary of the opening of the school.
The school now has a typical enrolment of approximately 600 students from Year 8 to Year 12.
The school was started by a small group of people, including past headmaster Norm Hunter, and his original co-principal, John Lindsay. Father Clarrie White was also part of this foundation group, along with Mrs Julie Lindsay and Mrs Rae Hunter.
In 2008, Mr Geoff Newton, the deputy principal of Hillbrook, took over the role of principal following the retirement of Mr Norm Hunter.
The current leadership team at Hillbrook consists of 1 principal, 2 deputy principals and 1 business manager.
Most of the buildings at the school were designed by Brand and Slater Architects.
subjects. Subjects peculiar to the school include PSD (Personal and Spiritual Development) and Global Studies (roughly equivalent to the QSA subject, Studies of Society and Environment, or SOSE).
The school has a significant Outdoor Education
program, with students participating in a yearly camp and numerous activities throughout the year. These activities include: Rockclimbing, Canoeing
, Various forms of Orienteering
and a ropes course. The activities are designed to promote confidence and teamwork. The school typically does not participate in competitive team sports activities, although it does compete against other Queensland Anglican Schools in cross-country running, athletics and swimming.
" (2008), "Biloxi Blues
" (2007), "The Drought" (2007), "Peter Pan
" (2007), "Away
" (2006), "forget.me.never.after" (2006),"Grease
" (2006)", The Insect Play" (2006), "The Crucible
" (2005), "Pirates of Penzance" (2004), "Anything Goes
" (2002) and "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
" (2000), "The Mikado" (1998), "Sherwoodstock" (1995) and "Bugsy Malone" (1990). Other productions have included staff and past-students, including "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (2007), "The Importance of Being Earnest" (2005), "Cosi" (2004) and "Love Letters" (2003).
, and the Principal is an ex-officio member.
The school emphasises a comparatively flat leadership structure, but responsibility for the school's day to day running rests with the school leadership team, consisting of the principal, deputy principals (2) and business manager.
Eight year 11 students are democratically elected each year to form the Student Representative Council Executive. A term in the SRC Executive lasts for two semesters, Semester II in year 11 and Semester I in year 12. The SRC Executive is responsible for leading the Student Representative Council which consists of two representatives from each homeclass in the school (excluding year 12 homeclasses).
Anglican Church of Australia
The Anglican Church of Australia is a member church of the Anglican Communion. It was previously officially known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania...
independent school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
, in Brisbane, Australia. The school is one of the few Anglican schools in Brisbane which specialises in high school education only.
History
Hillbrook was founded on 31 May 1986. The school officially opened for the 1987 school year, providing for three classes in 1991. The school's first two original buildings were an orphanage before becoming a school. This two buildings are now Home Economics and computer labs. Each year level now consists of four home classes, labeled by colour - red, white, blue, green.The school's development has seen significant building activity, most significantly with the addition of a performing arts complex towards the end of 2003, and, in 2006, the Tree of Life Chapel, to coincide with the 20 year anniversary of the opening of the school.
The school now has a typical enrolment of approximately 600 students from Year 8 to Year 12.
The school was started by a small group of people, including past headmaster Norm Hunter, and his original co-principal, John Lindsay. Father Clarrie White was also part of this foundation group, along with Mrs Julie Lindsay and Mrs Rae Hunter.
In 2008, Mr Geoff Newton, the deputy principal of Hillbrook, took over the role of principal following the retirement of Mr Norm Hunter.
The current leadership team at Hillbrook consists of 1 principal, 2 deputy principals and 1 business manager.
Most of the buildings at the school were designed by Brand and Slater Architects.
Curriculum
The school offers a curriculum based on the syllabi offered by the Queensland Studies Authority (QSA). It does not offer vocational educationVocational education
Vocational education or vocational education and training is an education that prepares trainees for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic, and totally related to a specific trade, occupation, or vocation...
subjects. Subjects peculiar to the school include PSD (Personal and Spiritual Development) and Global Studies (roughly equivalent to the QSA subject, Studies of Society and Environment, or SOSE).
The school has a significant Outdoor Education
Outdoor education
Outdoor education usually refers to organized learning that takes place in the outdoors. Outdoor education programs sometimes involve residential or journey-based experiences in which students participate in a variety of adventurous challenges in the form of outdoor activities such as hiking,...
program, with students participating in a yearly camp and numerous activities throughout the year. These activities include: Rockclimbing, Canoeing
Canoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
, Various forms of Orienteering
Orienteering
Orienteering is a family of sports that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain, and normally moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specially prepared orienteering map, which they...
and a ropes course. The activities are designed to promote confidence and teamwork. The school typically does not participate in competitive team sports activities, although it does compete against other Queensland Anglican Schools in cross-country running, athletics and swimming.
Co-curricular
Hillbrook offers a range of co-curricular activities. Typically these are offered in an arrangement known as 'Project Active' which emphasises fitness and the opportunity to engage in less mainstream activities. The school offers dramatic options in the form of biennial school musicals and more informally as part of a drama extension program. Productions have included "Little Shop of Horrors" (2010), "The Wizard of OzThe Wizard of Oz (adaptations)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a 1900 novel by L. Frank Baum, which has been adapted into several different works, the most famous being the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland...
" (2008), "Biloxi Blues
Biloxi Blues
Biloxi Blues is a semi-autobiographical play by Neil Simon. The second chapter in what is known as his Eugene trilogy, it follows Brighton Beach Memoirs and precedes Broadway Bound....
" (2007), "The Drought" (2007), "Peter Pan
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with...
" (2007), "Away
Away
Away is a play written by the Australian playwright Michael Gow. First performed by the Griffin Theatre Company in 1986, it tells the story of three internally-conflicted families holidaying on the coast for Christmas, 1968...
" (2006), "forget.me.never.after" (2006),"Grease
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
" (2006)", The Insect Play" (2006), "The Crucible
The Crucible
The Crucible is a 1952 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatization of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693. Miller wrote the play as an allegory of McCarthyism, when the US government blacklisted accused communists...
" (2005), "Pirates of Penzance" (2004), "Anything Goes
Anything Goes
Anything Goes is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap antics aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London...
" (2002) and "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story is based on the "coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Hebrew Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice musical to be performed publicly...
" (2000), "The Mikado" (1998), "Sherwoodstock" (1995) and "Bugsy Malone" (1990). Other productions have included staff and past-students, including "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (2007), "The Importance of Being Earnest" (2005), "Cosi" (2004) and "Love Letters" (2003).
Governance
Hillbrook is governed by a School Council, consisting of 11 members. 9 of these members are democratically elected, 4 from the parent body and 5 from the teaching staff. 1 representative is appointed by the ArchbishopArchbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
, and the Principal is an ex-officio member.
The school emphasises a comparatively flat leadership structure, but responsibility for the school's day to day running rests with the school leadership team, consisting of the principal, deputy principals (2) and business manager.
Eight year 11 students are democratically elected each year to form the Student Representative Council Executive. A term in the SRC Executive lasts for two semesters, Semester II in year 11 and Semester I in year 12. The SRC Executive is responsible for leading the Student Representative Council which consists of two representatives from each homeclass in the school (excluding year 12 homeclasses).