St Columba's Catholic College
St Columba's Catholic College, formerly the St Columba's High School, is an independent Roman Catholic co-educational secondary day school, located in the Blue Mountains region, on the border of Winmalee and Springwood, in New South Wales, Australia.
| St Columba's Catholic College | |
|---|---|
 Looking towards the Main building (former Seminary) from the quadrangle. | |
| Location | |
  St Columba's Catholic College Location in New South Wales | |
Springwood, Blue Mountains, New South Wales Australia | |
| Coordinates | 33°40′24″S 150°35′19″E |
| Information | |
| Former name | St Columba's High School |
| Type | Independent co-educational secondary day school |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Established |
|
| Principal | Paul Ryan |
| Slogan | "Act justly" (Short) Act Justly, Love Tenderly & Walk Humbly with Our God (Full) |
| Website | www |
| |
Established in 1979, the school is set in the grounds of the St Columba's property, which has extensive bushland surrounding the school. The whole of the property is listed site on the Blue Mountains City Council local government heritage register.[1]
Campus
Originally built as a seminary in 1909, it was closed in 1977 and reopened as a high school in 1979.[2] The monastic influence is seen in the neogothic sandstone architecture and the grounds with scattered grottos and shrines overlooking the Blue Mountains World Heritage National Park.
The St Columbas property is one of the largest landholdings in the Blue Mountains Local Government Area. Much of the property consists of natural bushland and is habitat for some threatened and endangered species. The site is also rich in Aboriginal history, including over 80 archaeological sites.
Symbolism
- 'Columba' is a Latinization of 'colum', which means dove. A dove is featured in the school emblem.
- 'Iona Chapel' derives its name from the Island of Iona where Columba founded the monastery Iona Abbey.
- Much of the architecture features the Celtic Cross.
Telescope
A feature of note is a radio telescope dish salvaged from the Paul Wild Observatory at Culgoora, west of Narrabri in 1997. This is one of a heliograph array of 96 13.7-m dishes that circled the present location of the Compact Array. The heliograph array imaged the Sun at 80 and 160 MHz with several discoveries to its credit before decommission.[3]
Houses
- Mackillop (purple)
- Lawrence (blue)
- Henson (red)
- Gilroy (yellow)
- Bradman (black & white)
- Chisholm (green)
These houses are split into two or three groups for classes. Each house has 2 sub-classes called homerooms. They are only used until Year 9, when a house combines as one homeroom. This was the case up until 2015.
Principals
The following individuals have served as Principal:
| Order | Officeholder | Term begin | Term end | Time in office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anne Henson | 1979 | 1985 | 5–6 years | |
| 2 | Jim McCartan | 1986 | 1992 | 5–6 years | |
| 3 | Geoff Hicks | 1992 | 1998 | 5–6 years | |
| 4 | Alan Moran | 1998 | 2001 | 2–3 years | |
| 5 | Anne Wenham | 2001 | 2005 | 3–4 years | |
| 6 | Delma Horan | 2005 | 2013 | 7–8 years | |
| 7 | Paul Ryan | 2014 | incumbent | 5–6 years |
See also
- List of Catholic schools in New South Wales
- Catholic Education, Diocese of Parramatta
- Catholic education in Australia
References
- "Wl001: St Columba's College (Buildings; Grounds; Gates; Elmhurst)". New South Wales Heritage Database. Office of Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
- Our Story St Columba's High School Retrieved 5 February 2007
- Compact Array and Mopra report Australian Telescope National Facility Retrieved 5 February 2007