Jump to content

Melbourne Grammar School

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 203.25.82.46 (talk) at 23:18, 26 February 2007 (→‎Houses at Grimwade (Prep-6)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Melbourne Grammar School
File:Senior campus.JPG
Location
Map
Melbourne
,
VIC

Australia
Information
TypeIndependent all-male secondary; co-educational primary
MottoOra et Labora
'Pray and Work'
Established1858
FounderRev. Charles Perry
GradesP-12
Enrolmentc.2000
CampusUrban
Colour(s)Navy blue (navy blue, red & occasionally yellow on sporting livery)
AffiliationsAnglican Church, APSV
Websitewww.mgs.vic.edu.au

Melbourne Grammar School is an independent school in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, founded in 1858.

It is a member of the Associated Public Schools of Victoria. It is associated with the Anglican Church of Australia, and was formerly referred to as Melbourne Church of England Grammar School. The current headmaster is Paul Sheahan, a former Australian test cricketer.

Melbourne Grammar's Edwin Flack Park sports complex, named after Teddy Flack, an Old Melburnian and famous Australian athlete, was opened in 2004 and includes tennis, soccer, football, rugby and hockey fields. Edwin Flack was Australia's first athlete to compete in the Olympic Games.

The bluestone buildings at the senior campus are all on the Victorian Heritage Register. The school’s War Memorial Hall recently underwent a major renovation and in 2006 it won the RAIA National Architecture Awards - Lachlan Macquarie Award for Heritage, the top award in its category, at an awards show in Brisbane.

In recent years the school has been recognized for its approach to technology & IT in education. It is a requirement that all students from years 5 to 12 must have a laptop computer and much of the curriculum the students engage in takes place using these. In the Senior and Wadhurst campus all building are wireless networked to allow students easy access to the internet & the MGS portal, "a content management system for educational environments", made by the school, via which students obtain work, submit work, communicate with teachers, access house pages and forums and get school news and information on school sporting events.

Campuses

Aerial photo of Melbourne Grammar School and surrounds.

Houses

Houses at Senior School (9-12)

Students at each house has their own house tie, which has a differently striped tie according to the house colour.

  • Bromby - Est. 1914 - Named after the school's first Headmaster Dr. John Bromby. House Colour: Black. Logo: Panther
  • Bruce - Est. 1952 - Named after Lord Bruce, Captain of the school and Prime Minister of Australia from 1923~1929. House colour: Scarlet. Logo: Lion with 5-pointed star
  • Creese - Est. 2005 - Named after a highly influential Headmaster of the school Nigel Creese. House colour: Silver. Logo: Phoenix rising from the flames.
  • Deakin - Est. 1961 - Named after the second Prime Minister of Australia and school alumnus Alfred Deakin. House colour: Light Green and White. Logo: Crown with a knights arm holding an axe
  • Hone - Est. 1979 - Named after Headmaster Sir Brian Hone. House colour: Old gold, or orange. Logo: Eagle.
  • Miller - Est. 1961 - Named after Edward Miller, a student of the school. House colour: Magenta. Logo: Gnome
  • Morris - Est. 1914 - Named after Edward Morris, the school's second Headmaster and strong promoter of building the schools chapel. House colour: Maroon. Logo: Letter "M" with a dragon atop
  • Perry - Est. 1940 - Named after Bishop Perry, the first bishop of the Diocese of Melbourne. Boarding House. House colour: Royal Blue and White. Logo: Bishops hat
  • Ross - Est. 1914 - Named after the 'Ross brothers', exemplary students of the school. House colour: Dark Green. Logo: Fist clenching a wreath
  • Rusden - Est. 1914 - Named after G. W. Rusden, a well known Melbourne historian. House colour: Yellow. Logo: Wreath with letter "R"
Witherby Tower flying the aboriginal flag for reconciliation week .
  • School - Est. 1914 - Following the English tradition of naming their boarding house 'School House', which is situated next in the boarding precinct next to the Melbourne Grammar Senior School campus. House colour: Royal Blue. Logo: Flame
  • Witherby - Est. 1914 - On a cold winter night in 1875, a very sick young man Hubert Witherby arrived unannounced at the door of Headmaster Edward Morris. Unfortunately hospitality could not save Hubert and he died three weeks later. His father Mr. Witherby donated a sum of money to the school in thanks of their efforts. This donation materialized as the Witherby Tower, a bluestone clock tower located at the senior campus, arguably the schools most notable feature after the (also bluestone) Chapel of St Peter. House colour: Light Blue. Logo: Tower

Houses at Wadhurst (7&8)

  • Caffin (Yellow)
  • Cain (Light Blue)
  • Cuming (Dark Green)

There is also the Junior School boarding house Creswick House, which is not a house in itself. It's members consist of boarders who belong to one of Caffin, Cain or Cuming. The Junior boarding house was formerly known as Pasley House, after the building it was located in.

Houses at Grimwade (Prep-6)

  • Austin (Royal Red)
  • Grey-Smith (Light sea Blue)
  • Millear (Canary Yellow)
  • School (Grass Green)

Grimwade is a great school and lots of children should get involved.

Uniform

Following British public school tradition, the navy blue blazer is the most notable feature of the schools uniform, the blazer must be worn in public places during the winter months. Years 7, 8 wear light blue shirts without ties in summer (shirt must be tucked in) and join the year 9's and 10's in darker blue shirts with ties in winter, although years 9 and 10 wear these all year round and with house ties. Years 11 and 12 wear white and blue striped shirts and ties showing the color of a students house (all year 9-12s wear these all year round) with the exception of the school prefects and school captain who wear plain white shirts. It is cumpolsury that all students follow uniform regulations, this includes wearing the assigned Summer or Winter unform. During the winter months shorts are to be worn and socks are to be pulled up during the winter months navy blue trouseres and black socks are to be worn. These items may also be accompenied by a navy blue V- neck jumper with the schools monnogram on the left hand side (over breast), black lace up school shoes are to be worn, and during the summer months a hat is needed while paticipating in outdoor activities. There is also a required sporting uniform for all Melbourne Grammar School sports.

Academics

Melbourne Grammar offers its years 11-12 students the VCE, the main assessment program which ranks the students in the state. Melbourne Grammar School students performed well in 2004, with six students achieving the highest possible ENTER rank of 99.95. Only twenty-three in the state achieved this score. The mean enter of all Melbourne Grammar School students was in the low 90s.

In 2005, five Melbourne Grammar students achieved the maximum possible ENTER of 99.95; only 32 students in Victoria achieved this ENTER rank.[1]

In 2006, two Melbourne Grammar students achieved the maximum possible ENTER of 99.95, out of 35 students in the state.

Music

Melbourne Grammar is noted for its Orchestra, the Melbourne Grammar School Symphony Orchestra (MGSSO). Conducted by Martin Rutherford, this orchestra has been hailed as 'the best youth orchestra in Australia' and goes on tour internationally in December every year. Last year the Orchestra toured Malaysia and Singapore and in 2006 traveled to China, performing in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Guangzhou. The orchestra is usually made up of around 100 students, the vast majority attendants of the school. However, a small number of girls are in the orchestra who attended the co-educational junior school, Grimwade House, or have a brother at the school. Currently there are around 10 female members. All campuses have their own choirs and concert bands. The Chapel Choir is the oldest of any Victorian private school. It sings at the weekly eucharists and consists of about 30 members.

Theatre

Melbourne Grammar also has a prodigious theatre department, especially within the Senior Campus, which itself produces no less than four plays each school year. In Early March, "The Quad Play", most commonly a Shakespeare Play, but on occasion from other notable playwrights, is performed within the school's open air bluestone Quadrangle, and is open to years 9-12.

This is followed in May by the relatively newly performed "Autumn Play", for year 9 students only, commonly a Greek Play, such as Oedipus.

The "School Play", performed usually in August, is often the centrepiece of the year's theatrical calendar. Recent performances include Tim Winton's "Cloudstreet" in 2006, and "On the Twentieth Century" in 2005. These two performances were the first to take advantage of the newly renovated and restored Memorial Hall (see above), which features far improved staging facilities and backstage areas, enabling much more visionary and elaborate staging of performances. The next feature for the "School Play" will be the Tony Award winning musical "Guys and Dolls", in 2007.

The final performance for the year is the "Middle School Play" which is open to years 9-10 students, and often alternates year on year between a light-hearted professional play, and an individual piece of work by a year 9-10 student, or group of students. It is usually held in late October, near the end of the school year.

All of these plays are performed by the students of Melbourne Grammar, in conjunction with students from Melbourne Girls Grammar, whose campus is located nearby.

Staging is often designed by a contracted individual, with sets constructed jointly by staff and students, often both current and former. Often incredible things result, most commonly for the "School Play", such as the train constructed for "On the Twentieth Century" and the eight-metre diameter revolving circular stage constructed for "Cloudstreet". Some audience members were heard to question whether the train was motorized, as it was not at all evident that student crew were deftly moving the heavy sets.

All in all, the theatre at Melbourne Grammar is a very professional operation held together by hardworking staff and students, and many former staff and students, who give up much of their time every year to make productions work, and they are richly deserving of what always results.

Notable alumni

Headmasters

Wardhurst (headmasters)

References

  1. ^ Leung, Chee Chee (13 Dec 2005). "Public school trio make mark on VCE results". The Age.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Melbourne_Grammar_School&oldid=111192408"