Santa Maria College, Perth
Encyclopedia
Santa Maria College is a Roman Catholic, boarding
and day school
for girls, situated in Attadale
, a southern suburb of Perth
, Western Australia
.
Established by the Sisters of Mercy
in 1938, the school currently caters for approximately 1100 students from Years 5 to 12, including 152 boarders.
The college
is affiliated with the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), the Australian Boarding Schools' Association (ABSA), the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia (AGSA), the Australian Catholic Colleges association (ACC) and the Independent Girls Schools Sports Association
(IGSSA).
Santa Maria's Brother school is Aquinas College
located in Salter Point
.
on 6 February 1938, with approximately 60 boarders and only a handful of day pupils. Seven Sisters of Mercy staffed the College at is current site in Attadale.
. Students are divided into eight houses, for the purpose of morning meetings in house-group homerooms, and intra-school competition. The houses are named after notable figures in the Sisters of Mercy's heritage in Western Australia. Dillon, Dela Hoyde, Frayne, Kelly, O'Donnell and O'Reilly are named after six of the Sisters who journeyed to Western Australia from Ireland
and set up the first Catholic High School
in the state - Victoria Square School, now known as Mercedes College. In 2007, two new houses were added - Corbett, named after the school's first Principal, Sr Bertrand Corbett, and Byrne.
Each house competes to earn points towards the "McAuley Shield", through various interhouse events, including: Swimming, Athletics, Cross Country, Volleyball, Soccer, Debating and Public Speaking. In 2007, the interhouse events were expanded to include an Arts Festival after the lobbying of several students wishing for more events which weren't sports-orientated to be included in the McAuley Shield competition. The Arts Festival required each house to prepare a short play and showcase their house's acting abilities. A theatre sports competition is held for students in year 7 and 8
The school blazer is a dark green colour with three green buttons and the school crest stitched in red on the breast pocket. Each student is allocated a house badge which they pin on their blazers. Badges are also provided for committees and officials. School and House Officials are awarded a badge that denotes their position. School awards are awarded for co-curricular activities and there are a range of badges, colours and Honours for other activities. Each activity has its own symbol for badges and is pinned onto the student’s blazer if they receive it.
Belinda-Lee Reid (vocals, guitar), Jaclyn Pearson (drums), Jessica Bennett (lead guitar) and Micaela Slayford (vocals, bass). Formed the band Exteria in 1996. They entered their song "AlohaHand" into the West Australian Music Industry Awards and won. They later changed their name to Lash and in 2001 released their well known song "Take Me Away" which in 2003 was covered in the remake of "Freaky Friday"
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
and day school
Day school
A day school—as opposed to a boarding school—is an institution where children are given educational instruction during the day and after which children/teens return to their homes...
for girls, situated in Attadale
Attadale, Western Australia
Attadale is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Melville.It was the first subdivision of A.P. Matheson's Melville Water Park Estate. Attadale was named after an estate in Scotland situated on the south side of Loch Carron....
, a southern suburb of Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
Established by the Sisters of Mercy
Sisters of Mercy
The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....
in 1938, the school currently caters for approximately 1100 students from Years 5 to 12, including 152 boarders.
The college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
is affiliated with the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), the Australian Boarding Schools' Association (ABSA), the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia (AGSA), the Australian Catholic Colleges association (ACC) and the Independent Girls Schools Sports Association
Independent Girls Schools Sports Association (Perth)
The Independent Girls Schools Sports Association was established in 1963 with the inaugural Athletics Carnival at Perry Lakes Stadium. This followed with the first Interschool Swimming Meet in 1965 at Beatty Park Aquatics Centre. In 1967 IGSA drew up a constitution for the Independent Girls’...
(IGSSA).
Santa Maria's Brother school is Aquinas College
Aquinas College, Perth
Aquinas College is a Catholic independent, day and boarding school for boys, located in Salter Point, Western Australia. Its sister school is Santa Maria Ladies College located in Attadale...
located in Salter Point
Salter Point, Western Australia
Salter Point is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located in the City of South Perth local government area.Around 1880, Samuel August Salter worked as a sawyer and timber contractor on the peninsula...
.
History
Santa Maria College was officially opened by the Sisters of MercySisters of Mercy
The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....
on 6 February 1938, with approximately 60 boarders and only a handful of day pupils. Seven Sisters of Mercy staffed the College at is current site in Attadale.
Principals
| Period | Details |
|---|---|
| 1937 – 1960 | Sr Bertrand Corbett |
| 1961 – 1966 | Sr Stephanie Horne |
| 1967 – 1970 | Sr Martha Hayward |
| 1971 – 1975 | Sr Consilli Flynn |
| 1976 – 1979 | Sr Perpetua della Marta |
| 1980 – 1989 | Sr Sheila Sawle |
| 1989 – 2000 | Mr Frank Owen |
| 2000 – 2008 | Mrs Anne Pitos |
| 2009 – 2010 | Mr Greg Clune |
| 2010 – now | Mr Ian Elder |
House system
Santa Maria College, as with most Australian schools, utilises a house systemHouse system
The house system is a traditional feature of British schools, and schools in the Commonwealth. Historically, it was associated with established public schools, where a 'house' refers to a boarding house or dormitory of a boarding school...
. Students are divided into eight houses, for the purpose of morning meetings in house-group homerooms, and intra-school competition. The houses are named after notable figures in the Sisters of Mercy's heritage in Western Australia. Dillon, Dela Hoyde, Frayne, Kelly, O'Donnell and O'Reilly are named after six of the Sisters who journeyed to Western Australia from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and set up the first Catholic High School
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in the state - Victoria Square School, now known as Mercedes College. In 2007, two new houses were added - Corbett, named after the school's first Principal, Sr Bertrand Corbett, and Byrne.
Each house competes to earn points towards the "McAuley Shield", through various interhouse events, including: Swimming, Athletics, Cross Country, Volleyball, Soccer, Debating and Public Speaking. In 2007, the interhouse events were expanded to include an Arts Festival after the lobbying of several students wishing for more events which weren't sports-orientated to be included in the McAuley Shield competition. The Arts Festival required each house to prepare a short play and showcase their house's acting abilities. A theatre sports competition is held for students in year 7 and 8
Uniform
The Santa Maria Uniform consists of a red, green and white dress worn during summer, worn with a white socks and black leather shoes. A cream straw boater with a dark green band is compulsory in the summer terms (Term 1 and 4) and must be worn to and from the School as well as at lunchtimes. A formal winter uniform is also required which consists of black stockings instead of socks, a green red and white striped tie, school blazer, green jumper and a green red and white tartan skirt. In winter, girls may wear a short sleeved white blouse or a long sleeved white blouse with a tie as above. A heavier, dark green, red and white skirt is worn with black stockings and black leather shoes. Green jumpers are worn for girls in Years 5–11 and red ‘Leavers’ jumpers for girls in Year 12. The green school blazer is compulsory during winter but optional during summer except for formal occasions and must be worn to and from the school and whenever in a public place in uniform.The school blazer is a dark green colour with three green buttons and the school crest stitched in red on the breast pocket. Each student is allocated a house badge which they pin on their blazers. Badges are also provided for committees and officials. School and House Officials are awarded a badge that denotes their position. School awards are awarded for co-curricular activities and there are a range of badges, colours and Honours for other activities. Each activity has its own symbol for badges and is pinned onto the student’s blazer if they receive it.
Notable alumnae
- Geraldine DoogueGeraldine DoogueDr Geraldine Doogue AO is an Australian journalist and radio and television host.Doogue was the host of Radio National's Life Matters program for 11 years. She received a United Nations Media Peace Prize and two Penguin Awards for her role in ABC TV's coverage of the Gulf War...
– Veteran ABCAustralian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
presenter - Hon.The HonourableThe prefix The Honourable or The Honorable is a style used before the names of certain classes of persons. It is considered an honorific styling.-International diplomacy:...
Carmen LawrenceCarmen LawrenceCarmen Mary Lawrence is a retired Australian politician; a former Premier of Western Australia and the first woman to become Premier of a State of the Commonwealth of Australia....
– Junior National President, Australian Labor PartyAustralian Labor PartyThe Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
; First female Premier in Australia (Premier of Western AustraliaPremier of Western AustraliaThe Premier of Western Australia is the head of the executive government in the Australian State of Western Australia. The Premier has similar functions in Western Australia to those performed by the Prime Minister of Australia at the national level, subject to the different Constitutions...
); First directly elected federal President of the ALP (also attended Dominican Ladies' College) - Robyn Mary Quin – Pro Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning) at the Curtin University of TechnologyCurtin University of TechnologyCurtin University is an Australian university based in Perth, Western Australia, with additional campuses in regional Western Australia and at Miri , Sydney and Singapore...
- Judith LucyJudith LucyJudith Mary Lucy is an Australian comedian, known primarily for her stand-up comedy. She has toured Australia with several highly successful one-woman shows, including No Waiter I Ordered the Avocado , King Of The Road , An Impossible Dream , The Show , The Show 2 , Colour Me Judith...
– Stand-up comedian, radio presenter and actress, starring in films such as Crackerjack and Bad EggsBad EggsBad Eggs is a 2003 Australian comedy movie, written and directed by Tony Martin. It stars Mick Molloy, Bob Franklin and Judith Lucy, with Alan Brough, Bill Hunter, Marshall Napier, Nicholas Bell, Steven Vidler, Shaun Micallef, Robyn Nevin, Brett Swain, Denis Moore and Pete Smith having supporting... - Ashleigh NelsonAshleigh NelsonAshleigh Jayne Nelson is an Australian hockey player, a striker for the Australia women's national field hockey team ....
– Australian Hockey Player, Commonwealth Games Gold Medal Delhi 2010.
Belinda-Lee Reid (vocals, guitar), Jaclyn Pearson (drums), Jessica Bennett (lead guitar) and Micaela Slayford (vocals, bass). Formed the band Exteria in 1996. They entered their song "AlohaHand" into the West Australian Music Industry Awards and won. They later changed their name to Lash and in 2001 released their well known song "Take Me Away" which in 2003 was covered in the remake of "Freaky Friday"