Girraween High School

Template:Infobox Aust school Girraween High School is a selective high school in Girraween, Sydney, New South Wales. It is attended by approximately 750 students and has over 60 staff members. Entry in Year 7 is determined by the Department of Education and Training via the Selective Schools Unit. Entry in Years 8-12 is administered directly by the school. Currently, there are 120 Year 7-10 places, and 140 places each for Year 11 & 12 students. Girraween High School consistantly features students ranking in the top 1% of HSC results each year, and has a sister school in Hisai, Mie, Japan.

History

Girraween High School was constructed in 1975, and opened in 1976 with an initial enrolment of 300 students and 20 staff. Its first principal, Colin Bowser, was renowned as a dedicated man who knew every student's name, which, by the time the school had reached capacity, numbered approximately 850. He, and Deputy Principal Harry Earp, were both loved by Girraween students, who were known as sources of great encouragement.

In 1978, the school applied for a grant to build a number of buildings to represent a Pioneer Australian town. Despite not getting this funding, the school was able to build the first building of what was to become "Daveney Village". Unfortunately, this building was burnt down a decade later; the school maintains the remains in what is now part of the Agriculture Plot.

Through the years of 1980-1983, the school even had a Mascot, Gus the Goat. He became loved by all the students of Girraween, and on his passing the 1983 School Newspaper was dedicated to him.

In 1989, Girraween High became a Selective school. Under principal Robert Cruikshank, specialist computer rooms and music studios were constructed, and a Sister school relationship with Hisai High school in Mie, Japan was forged.

Academic Achievement

Girraween High School maintains a superior standard in the Higher School Certificate. As a selective school, Girraween encourages students to achieve their potential - both academically and in areas of sport and entertainment. The majority of students receive outstanding results in the School Certificate, the Higher School Certificate, and many academic competitions in various fields.

Students are offered, and encouraged to participate in a wide variety of extra-curricular activities including the The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, agriculture club, school newspaper, music and drama, chess, mock trial, Tournament of Minds, Inter-school Christian Fellowship, Students' Representative Council, various debating competitions, the Streamwatch water monitoring initiative, and even an advanced driving course. The school has also hosted an annual concert at the Riverside Theater in Parramatta until 2006.

Sporting Achievement

Girraween High School has a significant sporting legacy, long holding dominance in inter-school sport, a point demonstrated by the inscriptions on the numerous trophies in the school's foyer. A major claim to sporting fame is Commonwealth Games gold medalist Jana Pittman who studied at Girraween High School from 1995 to 2000.

This reputation has somewhat declined steadily over the years, with termly inter-school competitions known as grade sport being abolished at the end of 2005 after a few poor seasons. This decision was not made by the school but by the Blactown Zone School Sports Association.

Girraween High School does however maintain a dominance over the zone swimming competition, however the dominance is falling due to an increasingly competitive Hills Sports High School, (formerly Grantham High School) the school's rival in sport.

Ethnicity

Out of the 750 students, 74% came from non-english speaking backgrounds and 23% of the students from these backgrounds are Chinese. There are also many students from Indian, Sri Lankan, Vietnamese and Filipinos that tend to concentrate on mathematics but struggle in English.

Performing and Creative Arts

In 1981, Girraween High produced its first musical, "The Boyfriend", followed in 1983 with "Annie Get Your Gun". For this production the Girraweeners received tremendous praise, the play being described by "Arena" Magazine as "a triumph of co-operation", the reviewer noting that "the only mistake (he) could find in the whole performance was one muffed line". The school would later perform "Cabaret" and "Little Shop of Horrors" among others.

Today, the school has an extensive music program catering to students of various ability, with a Concert Band for more experienced players, a Training Band for people who would like to learn to play an instrument, a Stage/Jazz Band, a Percussion Ensemble and a number of Rock Bands.

MAD (Music, Arts and Drama) is an annual production of Girraween High School's Music Department. Owing to its venue, the production was originally known as the "Riverside Musicale" and was founded by Clive Lane (now Deputy Principal, Conservatorium High School) in 1995 as a showcase of musical talent at the school, and a performance opportunity for HSC performance students. It has evolved to include a percussion ensemble and a mass choir of approximately 300 students, and now incorporates student works from both drama and visual arts.

Preparations are under away at the moment for the remake of musical "Little Shop Of Horrors". The date set for this event is likely around May 2007.

Alumni

• Jana Rawlinson (Pittman), Hurdler
• Magda Rybicki Volleyballer
• Nicholas Ng Composer
• Melissa Curran Poet
• Dane Floyd

See also

• List of Government schools in New South Wales
• List of selective high schools in New South Wales

References

• NSW Department of Education and Training - Girraween High School

External link

• Girraween High School website