Taree High School

Taree High School, also known as THS is a high school based in the Taree CBD that services Taree and the Manning Valley. The school was the first of the three public high schools in the Taree area to be built, with the first building being opened in 1908. At the present moment, the school has approximately 1000 students.

A semesterised curriculum is used at the school, providing a variety of subjects and units.

The motto of the school is "Flumen Coronent Filii", which means "May your sons and daughters crown the river".

Timetable

Each school day is divided into five 60 minute periods. There are four lessons before lunch on Monday, Thursday and Friday. Lunch takes place at 1:35pm. On Tuesday and Wednesday, there are three lessons before lunch (which is due to sports) and lunch takes place at 12:35pm. 20 minutes of DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) is combined with roll marking and daily notices at 9:00am. Senior years are also allocated periods before and after school to cater for certain courses.

SRC and School Captains

Taree High School has a large Student Representative Council, made up of the school's captains and representatives from every year group within the school. The representatives are elected by their year group annually. School captains are also elected each year by their peers and teachers alike. The school holds an annual ANZAC Day assembly at the school and the captains prepare speeches for this. The SRC representatives organise school socials, write year reports for newsletters, run school assemblies, co-ordinate out of uniform days to raise money for charities and help in the canteen to reduce waiting lines. SRC meetings are held weekly where important topical issues within the school's agenda are discussed and debated on, with SRC representatives voicing their peers' opinions and ideas.

Current Principals and Head Teachers

• Mr P Bird - Principal
• Mr M Thompson and Mr G Myers - Deputy Principals
• Mr P Ryan - Head Teacher of English
• Mrs R Starke - Head Teacher of TAS
• Mr G Curtis - Head Teacher of Creative Arts
• Mr N Blanch - Head Teacher of Science
• Ms C Gray - Head Teacher of HSIE
• Mrs M Crozier - Welfare
• Mr M Crotty - Maths
• Mr P Ivers - P.E.
• Mr P Westley & Mrs S Hindmarsh - Admin
• Mrs Caulder - Special Education

Events

Taree High School holds a swimming carnival, an athletics carnival and cross country events every year. The four school houses are rewarded with points for every participant in each event. The house with the most points wins the carnival. A 'Music, Arts, Drama & Dance' concert, known as 'MADD', is held every year at the local Manning Entertainment Centre. Students of all years show their talent and perform. A 'Theatre Restaurant' evening is now held annually, drama students perform a show with a different theme chosen each year.

Achievements

• Taree High School has three debating teams: a years 7&8, 9&10, and a senior debating team, which made it to the regional level of the Premier's Debating Challenge NSW.
• Many students represent Taree High School in various sporting events, and the school encourages these students to further their talents in areas such as cricket, soccer, volleyball, basketball, tennis and countless more.

Facilities

• The school's canteen has various options for differing dietary needs, including select vegetarian meals. The canteen also assists in fundraising initiatives.
• Taree High School also includes a special education unit with its own head teacher and assisting aids.
• The school's 'senior' year 12 students have recently received a new outdoor area and common room for their benefit.
• Taree High School sports a full-size gymnasium for the benefit of PD/H/PE classes and various sporting teams.
• A drama room is also provided for students studying dance and drama, and it includes lighting, sound equipment and stage curtains.
• In addition to the gymnasium, a hall is located towards the front of the school and is used for socials and year meetings.
• The school owns an "ag-farm" for students studying agriculture.
• An Aboriginal resource room is located within the school and is designed to assist Aboriginal students with their learning.

In the Community

• THS students participate in the local "Vampire Shield" initiative, that is run annually by the local blood bank.
• Students march at the local ANZAC day parade that is held every year in Taree.
• SRC representatives join other local schools in discussing issues that affect all students of the local area, at Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) meetings, which are run by Greater Taree City Council.
• The school participates in NAIDOC week events.

Other Facts

• The school produces a magazine each year which is called 'The Torch'. Students can buy this magazine at the end of the year and it contains many students' work in the form of poems, stories, artworks, reports, etc.
• The 'MADD' concert is filmed every year by students and the videos and DVDs can be bought from the office of the school.
• A VIP student scheme was implemented to recognise the positive contribution made by students to the school, and the scheme encompasses various businesses of the Taree area.
• The school caters for exchange students from around the world. Japanese exchange students are billeted by students annually through the UNESCO program.
• The school has an active P&C committee that recently helped the school receive a grant from the government for cost saving duel flush toilets.
• The houses of the school are Manning, Murray, Hooke and Peel.

Alumni and Alumnae

• Mark Vaile - Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
• Les Murray - Famous Australian poet
• Nikki Bennett - Famous Australian actress and cabaret performer

External Links

• Taree High School - Official Website
• Department of Education & Training
• Taree High School Careers