Samuel Marsden Collegiate School
Encyclopedia
Samuel Marsden Collegiate School is located in the Wellington
suburb of Karori
in New Zealand
. It has a socio-economic decile of 10 (10 is high) and provides private preschool to year 13 education for girls, but with co-educational kindergarten facilities. It is renowned for being a very academic school with exam results ranking consistently in the top three schools throughout New Zealand. Samuel Marsden Collegiate students complete the New Zealand National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) but the school also offers Cambridge A-Level exams in certain subjects.
. It was established in 1878 by Mrs Mary Ann Swainson as a day and boarding school for girls from Wellington and the surrounding areas. The school was originally known as the Fitzherbert Terrace School. In 1920, the school joined the Anglican Diocese of Wellington, and moved to Karori at this time. It is the oldest school for girls in Wellington. Samuel Marsden Collegiate has had 10 principals, only one of whom, Rev. Clarke, has been male.
Marsden, as the school is often called, currently has around 700 students. In 2006 it was split from 3 to 4 'schools', the Marsden Primary (previously known as the Lower School), Middle school, Upper school and Senior school. Marsden now has five schools: Pre-school, Marsden Primary, Middle school, Upper school and Senior school. In practice the latter three schools are treated as one, often just referred to as the 'upper school'. Although the Lower school is on the same site, there is little interaction between pupils.
The upper school consists of six houses: Swainson-Riddiford, Baber, Hadfield-Beere, Richmond, Jellicoe and Johnson, all named after friends and benefactors of the school. Girls are placed in houses arbitrarily except when closely related to an old girl, in which case they are placed in the same house as their relative. The Lower School has three separate houses, Sprott, Innes and Fitzherbert, again named for the school's history.
Samuel Marsden has a large variety of subjects, of cultural and sporting activities and is a school rich in tradition. The rules are stringent and the predominantly green uniform, must be worn both correctly and with pride. Girls must wear their hair tied up, are not allowed to wear makeup or jewellery. Assembly occurs twice a week, on Monday and Thursday, and incorporates both religious and ethical themes.
Marsden's calendar is made up of a number of large events including Athletic Sports, Swimming Sports, House debating, House Music, House Sport, Old Girls' Weekend, Carol Service, Prize-giving, Toy Service and various balls at different year levels. Students are taught to cultivate a sense of occasion and for the 125th birthday of Samuel Marsden Collegiate they paraded through Wellington to the steps of Parliament before a celebratory concert in Wellington town hall, where the end of year Leavers' Ball for graduating year 13 students is also held.
The school recently won the New Zealand Computer Institutes Award for Excellence in the use of IT in Schools: Secondary and Primary.
Marsden Whitby also differs from the older school because it is co-educational. In 2006 it had just under 100 students compared to fewer than 50 in 2005. Construction of a new classroom block was completed in early 2007 to support the rapidly growing enrolment. Currently they are constructing a new gym to improve their facilities.
Marsden Whitby is starting to set its own traditions such as House Music, Prize Giving, Athletics and more are on the way. The 4 school houses are Discovery, Adventure, Endeavour And Resolution representing Whitby's Captain Cook theme. However the school is very dependent on the Karori school, regularly commuting to the Karori campus to use their facilities.
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
suburb of Karori
Karori
Karori is a suburb located at the western edge of the urban area of Wellington, New Zealand, some 4 km from the city centre.Karori is significantly larger than most other Wellington suburbs, having a population of over 14,000 at the time of the 2006 census.-History:Before the arrival of...
in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It has a socio-economic decile of 10 (10 is high) and provides private preschool to year 13 education for girls, but with co-educational kindergarten facilities. It is renowned for being a very academic school with exam results ranking consistently in the top three schools throughout New Zealand. Samuel Marsden Collegiate students complete the New Zealand National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) but the school also offers Cambridge A-Level exams in certain subjects.
History
The school is named after the Anglican Missionary Samuel MarsdenSamuel Marsden
Samuel Marsden was an English born Anglican cleric and a prominent member of the Church Missionary Society, believed to have introduced Christianity to New Zealand...
. It was established in 1878 by Mrs Mary Ann Swainson as a day and boarding school for girls from Wellington and the surrounding areas. The school was originally known as the Fitzherbert Terrace School. In 1920, the school joined the Anglican Diocese of Wellington, and moved to Karori at this time. It is the oldest school for girls in Wellington. Samuel Marsden Collegiate has had 10 principals, only one of whom, Rev. Clarke, has been male.
Present day
The current head of the school is Jenny Williams, who has moved from Australia. The previous head was Gillian Eadie, who retired after the first term of 2008.Marsden, as the school is often called, currently has around 700 students. In 2006 it was split from 3 to 4 'schools', the Marsden Primary (previously known as the Lower School), Middle school, Upper school and Senior school. Marsden now has five schools: Pre-school, Marsden Primary, Middle school, Upper school and Senior school. In practice the latter three schools are treated as one, often just referred to as the 'upper school'. Although the Lower school is on the same site, there is little interaction between pupils.
The upper school consists of six houses: Swainson-Riddiford, Baber, Hadfield-Beere, Richmond, Jellicoe and Johnson, all named after friends and benefactors of the school. Girls are placed in houses arbitrarily except when closely related to an old girl, in which case they are placed in the same house as their relative. The Lower School has three separate houses, Sprott, Innes and Fitzherbert, again named for the school's history.
Samuel Marsden has a large variety of subjects, of cultural and sporting activities and is a school rich in tradition. The rules are stringent and the predominantly green uniform, must be worn both correctly and with pride. Girls must wear their hair tied up, are not allowed to wear makeup or jewellery. Assembly occurs twice a week, on Monday and Thursday, and incorporates both religious and ethical themes.
Marsden's calendar is made up of a number of large events including Athletic Sports, Swimming Sports, House debating, House Music, House Sport, Old Girls' Weekend, Carol Service, Prize-giving, Toy Service and various balls at different year levels. Students are taught to cultivate a sense of occasion and for the 125th birthday of Samuel Marsden Collegiate they paraded through Wellington to the steps of Parliament before a celebratory concert in Wellington town hall, where the end of year Leavers' Ball for graduating year 13 students is also held.
The school recently won the New Zealand Computer Institutes Award for Excellence in the use of IT in Schools: Secondary and Primary.
Marsden Whitby
Established as Whitby Independent College in January 2004, on the site of the old Duck Creek Golf Course, the school was subsequently bought by Samuel Marsden Collegiate in 2005 and renamed to Marsden Whitby. Marsden Whitby's houses bear no relation to the long history of the Karori school, instead carrying the nautical theme that the suburb of Whitby is known for.Marsden Whitby also differs from the older school because it is co-educational. In 2006 it had just under 100 students compared to fewer than 50 in 2005. Construction of a new classroom block was completed in early 2007 to support the rapidly growing enrolment. Currently they are constructing a new gym to improve their facilities.
Marsden Whitby is starting to set its own traditions such as House Music, Prize Giving, Athletics and more are on the way. The 4 school houses are Discovery, Adventure, Endeavour And Resolution representing Whitby's Captain Cook theme. However the school is very dependent on the Karori school, regularly commuting to the Karori campus to use their facilities.