Wellington Secondary College

Wellington Secondary College is a co-educational state high school in Mulgrave, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Wellington Secondary College
Address
91 Police Road

Mulgrave
,
Victoria,

Australia
Information
TypeState school
MottoCaring, Striving, Learning
Established1972 (1972)
PrincipalEdward "Hugh" Blaikie
Teaching staff104
Years7-12
GenderCoeducation
Enrollment1,441
Colour(s)Blue and yellow         
Newspaper
  • Wellington Journal (fortnightly)
  • The Wellington Way (each term)
YearbookVanellus
WebsiteWellington Secondary College

The College is divided into three Sub-Schools and six Year Levels: Junior School (7–8), Middle School (9–10) and Senior School (11–12). Distinguished former Victorian Bushrangers cricketer Brendan McArdle is a teacher at the school.

Coat-of-arms and motto

The emblem was updated in 2002 to have a more contemporary feel than the old design, but while still retaining key elements.[1]

  • The bird, representing striving.
  • The book, representing learning.
  • The tree, representing the local history of the region.

The school motto is "Caring, Striving, Learning".

History

Wellington was established in 1972 as Dingley Area High School. Its name changed to Mulgrave High School, then to Wellington High School in January 1973. Wellington was originally intended for the Dingley area, but was relocated by the Education Department to the Mulgrave area.

  • 1972: The Education Department relocated a secondary school intended for Dingley to Mulgrave after local parents argued against further overcrowding of Lyndale, Monash and Springvale High School.
  • 1973: Foundation Principal: A.M Fogarty. Enrolment:147 students, 9 Teachers (EFT), Buildings: 9 classroom portables and 2 toilet portables. C block and Canteen/Locker block completed.
  • 1974: Enrolment: 316 students, 20 teachers (EFT). School advisory council convened.
  • 1975: Enrolment: 495 student, 32 Students (EFT). Buildings: G and J blocks and Library completed. First school magazine produced.
  • 1976: Acting principal: R.G Wilson (following illness of Fogarty). Enrolment: 680 students, 49 teachers (EFT). First school athletics sports. Canteen commenced operation.
  • 1977: Enrolment: 825 students, 61 teachers (EFT). Buildings: A and B completed. Curriculum committee formed.
  • 1978: Principal: M.B Peter. Enrolment: 936 Students, 65 teachers (EFT). First HSC Classes. School production: "The Boyfriend".
  • 1979: Enrolment: 974 Students, 74 teachers (EFT). Hall completed. Building program complete. The A.M Fogarty award introduced.
  • 1980: Enrolment: 924 Students, 75 teachers (EFT). School production: "Guys and Dolls".
  • 1981: Enrolment: 946 Students, 81 teachers (EFT). School band formed.
  • 1982: Acting principal R.G Wilson (Following retirement of Peter). Enrolment: 942 Students, 77 teachers (EFT). School Production: "Half a sixpence".
  • 1983: Enrolment: 965 Students, 73 teachers (EFT). Acquisition of school buses and garage. Sharing with Carwatha high school commenced.
  • 1984: Principal: J.R Landvogt. Enrolment: 1015 Students, 76 Teachers (EFT). SRC re-established.
  • 1985: Enrolment: 996 Students, 75 Teachers (EFT). School production: "South Pacific".
  • 1986: Acting principal: R.D Mountain (following retirement of Landvogt during the year). Enrolment: 969 Students, 80 Teachers (EFT).
  • 1987: Principal: J.C Coulson (local selection). Enrolment: 925 Students, 76 Teachers (EFT).School crest and motto adopted. SRC restructured. 27 October: A Block burnt down by Carwatha students, R block created.
  • 1988: Enrolment: 904 students, 73 teachers (EFT). House system introduced. Year 12's wear full uniform. June, 18: School reunion/15th Birthday celebrations.
  • 1989: Enrolment: 838 students, 67 teachers (EFT). Rebuilding of A block. School Production: "The clumsy custard horror show". Inaugural Presentjkml
  • 1990: Enrolment: 801 Students, 66 teachers (EFT). A block occupied. Wellington High School title changed to 'secondary college'. Drama Production: "The Telephone Call" in the new Phoenix Centre.
  • 1991: Enrolment: 850 Students, 69 teachers (EFT). Drama production: "Seven Brides for Dracula".
  • 1992: Enrolment: 838 students, 69 teachers (EFT). Year seven centre opened. Inaugural Wellington Art Festival.
  • 1993: Acting Principal: C.K Duffy in second semester. Enrolment: 922 students, 69 teachers (EFT). Wellington selected as a "School of the future". College Production: "Bye Bye Birdie".
  • 1994: Coulson returns from secondment. Enrolment: 942 students, 68 teachers (EFT). College Captains introduced. College production: "Man of steel".
  • 1995: Enrolment: 1032 students, 73 teachers (EFT). College production: "Hide and Seek". Library named the "RET Jones Library".
  • 1996: Enrolment: 1073 students, 76 teachers (EFT). Formation of Wellington Old Collegians Association. "Agora" and hall extension built through coop. Society. College Production: "Oh kay!"
  • 1997: Enrolment: 1082 students, 77 teachers (EFT). College Production: "Wizard of Oz". New senior school centre occupied.
  • 1998: Enrolment: 1060 students, 76 teachers (EFT). College Production: "Annie get your Gun". Middle and Junior School Captains introduced.
  • 1999: Enrolment: 1083 students, 77 teachers (EFT). 25th Birthday Celebrations. College Production: "So much to tell you".
  • 2000: Enrolment: 1082 students, 77 teachers (EFT). College Production: "Big". Duke of Edinburgh's Award Begins.
  • 2001: Enrolment: 1051 students, 76 teachers (EFT). Growth of international program. New college emblem.
  • 2002: Enrolment: 1034 students, 79 teachers (EFT). College Production: "Little Shop of Horrors". Junior School rebuilding project. Gallipoli trip.
  • 2003: Enrolment: 1075 students, 74 teachers (EFT). 30TH Birthday celebrations. College production "Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat". Continuation of the Junior School rebuilding project.
  • 2004: Enrolment: 1007 students, 73 teachers (EFT). College production "Back to the 80's". Official opening of the Junior School Centre. College Principal, John Coulson, retires. Mary Jo Putrino appointed.
  • 2005: Enrolment: 1063 students, 76 teachers (EFT). College production "Footloose". Re-paving of the Eastern Courtyard.
  • 2006: Enrolment: 1053 students, 82 teachers (EFT). Additional Hard-courts constructed. John Brand, architect, appointed to develop Master Plan.
  • 2007: Enrolment: 1113 students, 84 teachers (EFT). Production of "Bye bye Birdie". Community water grant to upgrade toilets.
  • 2008: Enrolment: 1217 students, 90 teachers (EFT). Production of "Arsenic and Old lace". Stage One Upgrade ($5.9 million) announced.
  • 2009: Enrolment: 1311 Students, 97 teachers (EFT). Production of "The Wedding Singer". R, M, J, G, gymnasiums 1 and 2, Performing arts theatre, under redevelopment/construction
  • 2010: Enrolment: 1321 students, 104 teachers (EFT). College Production : "Sally Cotter & The Censored Stone". Stage 1 Building Program Complete by October/November.
  • 2011: Enrolment: 1400+ students, 104+ teachers (EFT)(official figures not yet available) . College Production : "Little Shop Of Horrors". "The Plaza" courtyard meeting place is established. Geoff Ellis retires from Wellington secondary college.
  • 2012: Enrolment: 1453 Students, 120+ teachers (EFT). College Production : "The Brother's Grimm Spectacularthon". Mary Jo Putrino retires as principal after 8 years (Hugh Blakie appointed as Acting Principal)
  • 2013: Enrolment: 1454+ Students, 120+ teachers (EFT). College Production: "30 Reasons Not To Be In A Play". Hugh Blakie appointed as principal.

Principals

Founding principal of the school was the late A.M. (Gus) Fogarty, from 1973 to 1977. M.B(Max) Peters was appointed principal in 1978 after the death of Forgarty in 1977. Max Peters retired in July 1982 and Jack Landvogt was appointed in 1984, then retired in 1986. John Coulson was appointed in 1987, and introduced the school motto (Caring, Striving, Learning) and the college crest. John Coulson retired in 2004 and the principal, Mary-Jo Putrino, was appointed. In mid 2012, Mary-Jo Putrino retired, and a new principal, Hugh Blakie was appointed.

Houses
Swimming sports

The House System commenced in 1988 and the titles are derived from the names of four ships from the historic First Fleet that landed the first permanent European settlers from Great Britain in Australia two hundred years earlier in 1788 under the command of the Governor, Captain Arthur Phillip.

Each house is led by two Senior House Captains (year 12) and six Vice House Captains (years 8, 10 and 11)

  • Alexander (blue)
  • Borrowdale (yellow)
  • Penrhyn (green)
  • Sirius (red)

Students participate in a number of sporting and non-sporting activities during the year to gain points towards the M.B. Peter Cup for their house. There are three major house sporting carnivals in a year. They are the Swimming, Athletics and Cross-Country carnivals.

School layout
Wellington's new gymnasium

The school has two large courtyards surrounded by blocks of classrooms. There is an A, B, C, G, H, J, M (replaced P Block), R, and T (Temporary block currently being used due to renovation of G and J Blocks) blocks. The school also has six basketball courts and a large open area which is referred to as the "oval". There is also a large multi-purpose assembly hall with adjoining change rooms and a small gym. Wellington also has a Senior school centre which was named the Hamilton Centre. There was a $7.0 million upgrade to the school's facilities in 2010 to build a new junior school centre, and an upgrade to the halls that included a new performing arts centre and relocation of the school's "R" Block.[2]

Facade of the new R block
Wellington's Sporting ground

Building program

On Monday 13 July 2009 the new junior school centre (replacing "P" Block) or also referred as the "M" Block was opened, the new gymnasium is almost complete and "R" block has been relocated to make space for "M" Block. The first Gymnasium has been completed and work is currently progressing on the second gymnasium. J block and G block are currently under lock-down as renovations are taking place. Term 4 witnessed the whole of the western courtyard demolished to make way for a designer landscape courtyard complete with brick work seating and shade sales. Work is beginning on the new state of the art performing arts centre complete with 288 seat theatre. Funding has been allocated for further improvements in 2018.

The original layout of the school was a government design from the mid-1970s. this was implemented and built at various schools around the state. Brentwood Secondary Colleges original layout was that of Wellington Secondary Colleges. And a gym identical to Wellington's Original gym can be found at Mount Waverley Secondary College.

M block exterior
M block gallery

Term 2, 2019 saw the opening of the E. H. Blaikie Vanellus Centre.[3] The new building houses the administration and front offices, the school library and classrooms, as well as a lecture space.

Curriculum

English

English is compulsory for all year levels, with the exception of students studying ESL (English as a Second Language). Students undertake many varied activities in developing their skills in this subject area. At the VCE level, mainstream students can choose to study either English, Literature or English Language.

LOTE (language Other Than English

The Foreign languages studied at Wellington Secondary College are Mandarin and French. It was French and Indonesian that students could study but later on Indonesian was removed making the only foreign language students could learn was French.

Students undertake French, Mandarin and ESL (English as a Second Language. Only for international students) from years 7 to 8, and have the choice to study it in years 9 and up.

VCE studies

Accounting
Automotive Technology Studies (VCE VET)
Biology
Building & Construction Carpentry (VCE VET)
Business (VCE VET)
Business Management
Chemistry
Community Services Work (VCE VET)
Design and Technology
Economics
Electrotechnology (VCE VET)
English
English Language
English (ESL)
French
Food And Technology
Fuddu
Further Mathematics
General Mathematics
Health and Human Development
Horticulture (VCE VET)
Hospitality - Operations (VCE VET)
Information Technology
IT Applications
Legal Studies
Literature
Mathematical Methods
Multimedia (VCE VET)
Panchod
Physical Education
Physics
Psychology
Revolutions
Specialist Mathematics
Studio Arts
Theatre Studies

Visual Communication and Design
Wholesale Retail Personal Services (VFE)
[4]

Uniform
Winter Uniform

Uniform is compulsory at the College. Student leaders wear a distinctive blazer with a special pocket that denotes their actual appointment. Students in Years 7–10 wear a royal blue jumper that features the College emblem while the senior students wear a similar navy blue jumper. During Winter ties are worn, with the girls wearing a shirt and skirt or slacks and boys with shirt with trousers. During Summer Girls wear summer dress while boys wear the same for winter excluding the tie. There is also Sports Uniform which helps identify the colour of a student's house.

Sports

1977

Boys Intermediate (Yr.8/9)All-High Soccer Runners-Up

1979

Boys Senior (Yr.10–12) All-High Soccer Runners-Up

1980

Boys Senior (Yr.10–12) All-High Soccer Champions

Coach: Bohdan Babijczuk

Team: Tibor Hagymas (Capt.), Sean Coulter (V/Capt), Gary Evison,Dragan Dejanovic, Smiljan Papac, Senad Sabitovic, Joe Sumic,John Vafiadis, Brendan Runge, Robert Velardo, Chris Halsey, Graham McCole, Ivan Adjukovic, Jim Frangou & Danny Bojcic

2000

Boys VCE soccer team won the state championship.

2007

Year 7 Table Tennis team won the state championship.

Media

In the 2017-18 State Budget, it was announced that $5.5 million was allocated to the school to build a new library, technology and administration area.

Amber Truong's story and her outstanding 2017 VCE performance were covered by "The Age".[5]

Other

Wombles

"Wombles" were introduced in 1978. It is a term used for students (from years 7–10) who are rostered to provide a day of service to the College. Students are permitted to wear casual clothes when they have to "womble". Wombles from years 7, 8 and 9 usually clean up the school yard from rubbish. Whereas a year 10 "senior womble" perform tasks such as distributing notices, running messages and locking the locker bays.

Moodle

Wellington has a learning website that allows students and teachers to log in and upload IT assignments and do other things. You can even make a blog. The moodle is still being updated for better functions and to be more user friendly. it is mainly utilized by the I.T department, but other class teachers can make subject pages if they so desire.

College anthem

Wellington Secondary College has a school anthem, 'The Wellington Way'. A competition was run in 1995 for students to compose and submit an anthem that represented the school and its students. It is sung on special occasions like assemblies and Awards Nights.

gollark: Apparently PowerPoint Online randomly erased a substantial amount of my work. What joy.
gollark: Yes.
gollark: Do so.
gollark: ++remind 6h <@332271551481118732> image
gollark: And yet too late.

References

Some of the links are old

  1. "The College Emblem". Wellington Secondary College. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  2. Annual Report to the School Community
  3. "Our College". Wellington Secondary College. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  4. Victorian Certificate of Education Index - VCE - VCAA
  5. Butt, Henrietta Cook, Craig (19 December 2017). "VCE & ATAR Results 2017: Amber's bittersweet success". The Age. Retrieved 10 June 2020.


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