Santa Sabina College

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Coordinates: 33°52′39″S 151°5′42″E / 33.87750°S 151.09500°E / -33.87750; 151.09500
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Santa Sabina (disambiguation).

Santa Sabina College
Junior School Heads Association of Australia
  • Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia
    • Brother schoolSt Patrick's College, Strathfield
    Websitewww.ssc.nsw.edu.au
    Map

    Santa Sabina College (abbreviated as Santa, Santa Sabina or SSC) is a multi-campus

    Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia; students are educated in the Dominican tradition. Established in 1894, Santa Sabina has a non-selective enrolment policy and as of 2007 catered to approximately 1,400 students.[3]

    The College is owned by the Congregation of Dominican Sisters of Eastern Australia and the Solomon Islands

    Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA)[7] and an affiliate member of the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools (AHIGS).[8]
    The College Principal is Paulina Skerman.

    History

    Eight Dominican sisters arrived from Ireland in 1867, to establish schools for Catholic children in New South Wales. Subsequently 3 hectares (6.5 acres) of land and a house in Strathfield were purchased from a wine-grower, Harold Lindeman. Santa Sabina College was established on this site in January 1894, with seven day students. The first three boarders were enrolled in April of that same year.[9]

    Although the College saw its first student matriculate in 1906, it was not officially recognised as a secondary school until 1912, with the passing of the New South Wales Bursary Act. Organised sport was first introduced in 1918, with Tennis the most popular sport at the time.[9]

    In 1936, Santa's most prominent building, Holyrood—originally built as Illyria by industrialist

    Second World War.[10] This purchase provided the school with a sports ground and additional classrooms.[9]

    In 1991 the campus was used as the backdrop for the Australian TV series Brides of Christ.[11]

    1996 saw the establishment of the Out of School Hours Centre (OOSH), and in 1997, a property at Tallong was purchased for outdoor education. In 1998, Mary Bailey House was opened as an Early Childhood Centre, and in 2002 classes for Years 6 and 7 commenced at the middle school campus, Martin De Porres.[9]

    Santa Sabina is recognised as an employer of choice for women by the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency.[12]

    Principals

    The following individuals have served as Principal of Santa Sabina College:

    Ordinal Officeholder Term start Term end Time in office Notes
    1 M. Bertrand Walsh 1894 1894 0 years [8]
    2 M. Pius Collins 1895 1900 4–5 years
    (1) M. Bertrand Walsh 1901 1906 4–5 years
    (2) M. Pius Collins 1907 1913 5–6 years
    3 M. Teresa Casey 1914 1922 7–8 years
    4 M. Philippa Byrne 1923 1924 0–1 years
    5 M. Gonsalvo Byrne 1925 1929 3–4 years
    6 M. Benignus Baker 1930 1930 0 years
    7 M. Concepta O'Donohue 1931 1935 3–4 years
    (4) M. Philippa Byrne 1936 1941 4–5 years
    8 M. St John Hewit 1954 1960 5–6 years
    9 M. St Luke McKervey 1961 1964 2–3 years
    10 Diana Woods (M. Julie) 1965 1967 4–5 years
    11 Anne Banfield (M. Joseph) 1968 1970 1–2 years
    (10) Diana Woods (M. Julie) 1973 1973 0 years
    12 Mary Britt (M. Reginald) 1971 1972 0–1 years
    13 Delma Richardson (M. Leo) 1974 1979 4–5 years
    14 Rosemary Lewins 1980 1986 5–6 years
    15 Judith Lawson 1987 2007 19–20 years
    16 Kate Clancy 2008 2012 3–4 years
    17 Maree Herrett 2012 2019 11–12 years
    18 Paulina Skerman 2020 – 3–4 years

    The current principal, Ms Skerman was previously, the principal at an independent, Catholic, girls’ secondary day and boarding school for 5 years.[13] She is a member of the Australian Heads of Independent Schools and the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia. In 2017, she was named as a Finalist in the Telstra Business Women’s Award for leading growth and inclusivity through innovation.[13]

    Campus

    The College comprises five

    Middle and Senior Years). Santa Maria del Monte also takes boy students from Kindergarten to Year 4,[14] with most boys then continuing on to St. Patrick's College
    to complete their schooling.

    The Strathfield campus includes a 33-metre (108 ft) outdoor swimming pool, six tennis courts, three ovals and a chapel. In 2002, a Middle School was established for students in Years 6 and 7. In 2005 The Aquinas Centre was opened, featuring a library, lecture theatre and student services facility.

    Co-curricular activities

    Debating

    The College debating activities include: The Archdale Competition for Years 7 to 12, against twenty similar type independent girls' schools; the AHIGS Festival of Speech; the Catholic Schools' Debating competition; Schools' Speaking competition; the Catholic Schools' Speaking competition; the Junior Legacy Speaking competition; Senior Plain English Speaking competition; and the Rostrum Voice of Youth Competition.[15]

    Middle and Secondary School students participate in social debates with schools such as St Gregory's College, Campbelltown, Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview, and St Vincent's College, whilst the Primary and Middle School debate MLC School and PLC Sydney.[15]

    Debating and

    Public Speaking is also offered through inter-house competitions.[15]

    Arts

    Santa Sabina is seen as the sister school to St Patrick's College. As such the two schools combine drama classes to stage shows, and musicals.[16]

    Sport

    The sporting program at Santa Sabina includes: School sporting clubs, Saturday and midweek competitions, gala days, and representative opportunities up to national level. Each year the College takes about 2500 sports registrations for approximately 85 sports competitions and activities across 22 sports.[17]

    Notable alumni

    Notable staff

    Gallery

    Wikimedia Commons has media related to Santa Sabina College.
    • Lauriston
      Lauriston
    • A sculpture in the College grounds, pictured in 2007
      A sculpture in the College grounds, pictured in 2007
    • A College building, pictured in 2007
      A College building, pictured in 2007
    • Holyrood
      Holyrood
    • Brunyarra
      Brunyarra

    See also

    References

    1. ^ "2020 Fee Schedule".
    2. ^ "Annual Report 2006" (PDF). About Us. Santa Sabina College. 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 August 2007. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
    3. ^ "Overview". About Us. Santa Sabina College. 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
    4. ^ "Governance and Policies". ssc.nsw.edu.au.
    5. ^ "Directory of Schools for the Archdiocese of Sydney. Head Nun Kate is a charming lady with quite the personality which resonantes with her work in the community". Our Parishes. Archdiocese of Sydney. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
    6. ^ "AHISA Schools". New South Wales. Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia. November 2007. Archived from the original on 13 July 2007. Retrieved 19 June 2007.
    7. ^ "JSHAA New South Wales Directory of Members". New South Wales Branch. Junior School Heads' Association of Australia. 2007. Archived from the original on 17 January 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
    8. ^ a b "Heads of New South Wales Independent Girls' Schools". About AHIGS. Association of Heads of Independent Girls Schools. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
    9. ^ a b c d e f "Our History". About Us. Santa Sabina College. 2007. Archived from the original on 2 September 2007. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
    10. ISBN 0-9597340-1-5
      .
    11. ^ Brides of Christ
    12. ^ "Santa Sabina College" (PDF). Organisational Profile. Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
    13. ^ a b "Meet the Principal - Santa Sabina College". www.ssc.nsw.edu.au. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
    14. ^ Santa Maria del Monte Archived 5 August 2012 at archive.today
    15. ^ a b c "Debating". Co-Curricular. Santa Sabina College. Archived from the original on 21 July 2006. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
    16. ^ College Musicals Archived 22 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine
    17. ^ "Sport Overview". Sport. Santa Sabina College. Archived from the original on 14 July 2006. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
    18. ^ "Cynthia Mitchell". Stories. Violet Foundation Supporting Meningococcal. 2007. Archived from the original on 6 May 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2008.
    19. ^ ANNE SCHOFIELD AM GIFTS EXTRAORDINARY PERSONAL JEWELLERY COLLECTION TO POWERHOUSE MUSEUM Retrieved 7 October 2023.

    External links

    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Santa_Sabina_College&oldid=1215585082"