Glenunga International High School

Glenunga International High School
Location
99 L'Estrange St Glenunga, SA 5064 Australia
Coordinates	34°56′57″S 138°38′06″E / 34.9493°S 138.6351°E / -34.9493; 138.6351Coordinates: 34°56′57″S 138°38′06″E / 34.9493°S 138.6351°E / -34.9493; 138.6351
Information
Type	Public
Motto	Labor omnia vincit (Latin for Work conquers all)
Established	1903 (as the Preparatory School for the SA School of Mines and Industries)[1]
Principal	Wendy Johnson
Faculty	144[2]
Enrolment	1750
Information	+61 8 8379 5629
Website	www.gihs.sa.edu.au

Glenunga International High School (informally known as Glenunga or GIHS) is a publicly funded school in Adelaide, South Australia. It is located approximately four kilometres south-east of the Adelaide city centre in the suburb of Glenunga, between L'Estrange and Conyngham Streets, adjoining the major thoroughfare Glen Osmond Road. The school serves the surrounding suburbs of the cities of Unley, Burnside and the Adelaide Hills.

Glenunga maintains a strong academic reputation,^[3] and is one of only three South Australian schools to offer the Ignite program for gifted students. Other innovations include a late start on Wednesday mornings.

With students from 76 different countries of birth, and incoming international exchanges, it is a highly multicultural school. It is the largest secondary school in the South Australian public system on a single site.^[4]

History

The school was established in 1903 from the defunct Adelaide Agricultural School (founded 1897 with Andrew Ferguson as headmaster) as the Preparatory School for the South Australian School of Mines and Industries. It was renamed the Junior Technical School in 1914 and then Adelaide Technical High School in 1918.^[1] The school and the Old Scholars Association marked 1998 as the centenary year.

It was located at the School of Mines building (which houses Brookman Hall — named for benefactor George Brookman) on the corner of North Terrace and Frome Road, now part of the City East campus of the University of South Australia. The school population outgrew the campus, so in 1964 it was relocated to its current location in Glenunga, and was renamed Glenunga High School in 1974. It adopted its current name upon the introduction of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in 1990–91 with the aid of The Honourable Greg Crafter,^[5] a development which was instigated to help save the school from closure due to dwindling student numbers. With enrolments rising, GIHS has subsequently attracted substantial government funding and construction projects, most notably the technology and science wing extensions, a new administration block, and a performing arts centre; since 2005 there have been various additional changes to the facilities, such as extra rooms.

In 2013, development began for a new $10 million building to accommodate the growing number of students.^[6] This new building was accompanied by the renovation of the Music, Sciences and Art departments, as well as a new library. The development upgrades were completed in 2014.^[7]

Student life

Glenunga International High School hosts an array of extracurricular groups, many of which are student-run. These include the Student Forum, musical theatre and other interest clubs, a variety of community service organisations, International and Environment Clubs, as well as various sporting teams.^[8]

Glenunga International High School is home to an active student voice organisation, which underwent a number of changes in 2006–2007. These included the composition of a new constitution for the Student Forum, and the introduction of the Prefect system.^[9]

Academic performance

Glenunga continues to foster some of the brightest students in the state, including but not limited to Shabab Rahman, who completed Year 12 Mathematical Studies as a freshman in 2012,^[10] and Dangyi (Donna) Peng, who achieved a perfect score in the IB at the age of 16 in 2017.^[11]

In 2016, 20 students across both diplomas achieved an ATAR of 99 or more—a score in the top 0.95% of students nationwide for that year.^[12]

Notable staff members

• Daniel Becker — Sciences teacher, current^[13]
• Dave Dallwitz — Art teacher, c. 1954–1964^[14]
• Ivor Francis — Art teacher, 1944–1947^[14]
• Doru Frîncu (Francu) — P. E. teacher, 2009–current^[15]
• Sam Kellett — English teacher, 2013–2014^[16]
• Geoff Kemp — English and Drama teacher, current^[17]
• Joe Scalzi — Social sciences, 2008–2010^[18][19]
• Rex Wright — P. E. teacher, 2011–current^[20]

Notable alumni-cum-staff members

• Paul Mildren — Member of the Australian baseball team;^[21][22] P. E. teacher, 2015–current^[23]

Notable alumni and alumnae

• Peter Badcoe — Victoria Cross recipient. Killed in action during the Vietnam War^[24]
• Mark Brindal — Politician^[25]
• Stanley Browning — Actor^[26]
• Leanne Choo — Australian representative at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics in badminton^[27][28][29]
• Bruce R. Davis — Electronics engineer^[30]
• Maurice de Rohan — Engineer, Agent General for South Australia^[31]
• Norm Duncan — VFL footballer with South Melbourne^[25]
• William Henzell — Represented Australia at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics in table tennis^[32]
• Finegan Kruckemeyer — Playwright^[33]
• Harry Medlin — Deputy Chancellor of the University of Adelaide^[34]
• Vince Monterola — CEO of the SA Country Fire Service^[35]
• Ong Teng Cheong — President of Singapore, politician, architect, town planner^[36]
• Kevin Peek — Classical/rock guitarist^[37]
• Reg Sprigg — Geologist, conservationist^[38]
• James Cyril Stobie — Inventor of the Stobie pole^[39]
• Alfred Traeger — Inventor of the pedal radio^[40]
• Cameron Wood — AFL footballer with the Brisbane Lions (2005–2007), Collingwood Football Club (2008–2012), and Carlton Football Club (2014–2016)^[41]

Adelaide Agricultural School:

• Sir Richard Layton Butler
• A. E. V. Richardson

Dux of school by year

References and notes

External links

• Glenunga International High School Website
• Blue and Gold Alumni Association