Chatswood High School

Chatswood High School
Latin: Per Gravia Ad Prospera ("Through Hard Work We Prosper")
Location
Chatswood, New South Wales Australia
Coordinates
Information
Type	Public, Secondary, Co-educational, Day school
Established	1959
Principal	Julie Ross
Enrolment	~920 (7-12)
Campus	Suburban
Colour(s)	Previously Blue & White, presently navy blue and terracotta.
Website	www.chatswood-h.schools.nsw.edu.au

Chatswood High School is a public, co-educational, semi-selective (bi-modal) high school, located in the commercial North Shore suburb of Chatswood, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

With an enrolment of approximately 1400, Chatswood High School's campus is situated on extensive grounds at Centennial Avenue on the former Carr-Horden estate and is surrounded by remnant bushland. Chatswood is especially known for its multicultural diversity with its connections to sister schools in Asia.

History

The school had a cadet unit in the early days - for boys only. Girls wore wide-brimmed straw hats and gloves. [1]

In the late 1970s a number of demountable buildings were deployed to provide facilities for the school's Intensive English Centre. These demountables are still in use today.

After a pilot Gifted and Talented program with the Year 7s of 2001, Chatswood High School established a selective stream in 2002, entrance to which is based upon the NSW Selective High Schools Test. Since then, Chatswood has steadily increased its secondary school ranking, reaching the top 85 with a rank of 82.

Chatswood is especially known for its work in the extracurricular field with achievements in the performing arts, NSW Law Society's Mock Trial Competition and with an array of leadership opportunities in the SRC and Prefect Body. The school's bands have had many successful overseas tours, including being the first Australian school Stage Band to be invited to the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1996. Chatswood High School's Concert Band 1 travelled to Europe in 2004 to the Vienna International Youth and Music Festival, attaining 2nd place. The musical 'Guys & Dolls' was put on in late June 2006 and the Band toured New Zealand, and again toured Europe in 2009. The tour in 2009 was to Vienna, Salzburg, St Moritz, Montreux and Paris.

Students have achieved particular successes in multimedia and digital media, with HSC practical works featured as state exemplars every year.

A two-storey specialised TAS block was completed in 2007. The canteen was also refurbished in early 2009 and is now run by the P&C. The most recent change has been the complete refurbishment of the library and science area. This was officially opened at a special ceremony on 25 September 2009.

The school commemorated its 50th anniversary with a Festival Day on 25 September 2009. As part of this celebration, the school created a time capsule.

In 2012, a new multi levelled administration and science block was opened as well as the refurbishment of a senior area, senior study room and a music extension to the existing school hall.

Marnie

In 1990, Chatswood High School's P & C purchased a country property for use as the school's Field Studies Centre. The property, Marnie, is a few kilometres from Rylstone, New South Wales, next to the Wollemi National Park. The property includes a cottage with accommodation for 10 people. It has served as a base for Duke of Edinburgh expeditions.

Sport and school partnerships

Chatswood is also, a member of the NS5 (North Shore 5) Secondary Schools partnership, alongside Killara High School, Ku-Ring-Gai Creative Arts High School, Saint Ives and Turramurra High School. Chatswood sport runs within the region that encompasses Turramurra, Killara, Pennant Hills, Cherrybrook Technology, St Ives, Carlingford and Galston High School. Within this area and in regional and state competitions, Chatswood has experienced dominant successes in European Handball, Ultimate Frisbee and Football among the Kuringai zone.

Extracurricular activities

• Concert Bands
  • Levels One and Two
• Stage Band
• Jazz Combo
• String Orchestra
• Senior Strings
• Cello Ensemble
• Guitar Ensembles
• Choir
• Musicals
• Plays
• Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme
• Inter-School Christian Fellowship (ISCF)
• Debating
  • Junior and Senior Teams
• Public Speaking
• Dance
• Chess
• (SRC) Student Representative Council
• ISCF (Inter-School Christian Fellowship)
• Sydney Law School's Mock Trial Competition
• Fundraising activities
  • Legacy Day
  • Daffodil Day
• High Resolves
  • Global Leadership Program
  • YEAH (Youth embracing Australian Homelessness)
  • Feed the world FTW
  • SIK Social Inclusion
• Peer Support
  • Mentoring and Creating Connections initiative
• Leadership/Prefect body
  • Including School, Vice, International, Welfare, Creative Arts and Sport Captains

Notable alumni

• Gordon McClymont, agricultural scientist received the Order of Australia medal for his work in sustainable agriculture
• Carl Scully, former New South Wales Government minister
• Mark Taylor, former captain of the Australian cricket team
• Darren Percival, The Voice Australia runner up 2012
• James Ashcroft (Barton), Drummer, 1927 (band)
• Gia Carides, actor
• Jennifer Fleming, ABC Presenter, journalist and author
• Liam Burrows, musician and singer

See also

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

External links

• Chatswood High School Webpage
• Chatswood High School Music Webpage
• NSW Department of Education and Training: Chatswood High School