Ku-ring-gai High School

Ku-ring gai High School
Looking towards the school from the front lawns, shows the administration block (Tagore) and surrounds
Looking towards the school from the front lawns
Address
Ku-ring-gai Creative Arts High School
Bobbin Head Rd,
North Turramurra, New South Wales, 2074
Australia Australia
Coordinates 33°41′31″S 151°09′11″E / 33.692°S 151.153°E / -33.692; 151.153Coordinates: 33°41′31″S 151°09′11″E / 33.692°S 151.153°E / -33.692; 151.153
Information
Type Public, Selective Creative Arts, Secondary, Day school
Motto Harmony in Diversity
Established 1965 (1965)
Founder Bill Eason
Principal Terri-Anne Kamasz [1]
Grades 7-12
Enrolment ~600
Campus Main
Houses Churchill, Lincoln, Curie, Tagore
Colour(s)      Maroon      Navy      Green
Mascot Polar Bear
Alumni Catherine Jinks[2]
Website www.kcahs.nsw.edu.au

Ku-ring-gai High School (KHS), formerly Ku-ring-gai Creative Arts High School (1996-2016) is a co-educational, state government high school. Situated in North Turramurra, on the Upper North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, beside the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park.

School catchment area and student selection

As a New South Wales public high school, KCAHS has to accept all students living in its catchment area. The catchment covers locations in Ku-ring-gai and Hornsby councils, including Dangar Island.[3]

The school also accepts, if there's space, those who "demonstrate outstanding ability and commitment in the creative arts in either dance, music, drama and/or visual arts ",[4] as well as their siblings. Students who apply for enrolment under this criterion are required to provide a portfolio demonstrating this ability.[4]
The school has also begun taking a large number of international and exchange students and is part of the International Students Program of the NSW Department of Education.[5]

Campus and facilities

The school features one of the last remaining bini domes (dome shaped hall)[6] called the "Margret Preston Hall" and is one of the few public schools in NSW with a full sized hockey field.

History

The school opened its doors in February 1965 with its first group of year 7 students. KHS was the first of a second wave of new co-educational high schools built in the Sydney suburbs.

The school's first headmaster was Bill Eason, who promoted ideas of internationalism and peace, and later went on to found the Australian Independent School at North Ryde. During his time as headmaster, the school featured a large aviary in the front of the grounds. Bill Eason promoted an international outlook at the high school as well his other love: poetry. Students were exposed to many different types of poetry in his poetry classes and in general English classes. The first groups of students learned one of the poems of Rabindranath Tagore, "Mind Without Fear", from Gitanjali. The four houses, which are still part of the school today, and the names of the four original classroom buildings were set in 1965 - Churchill, Curie, Tagore, and Lincoln. Bill Eason selected these notable historical figures for their contributions in world leadership, science, poetry, and humanitarianism. The school colours were originally brown and gold.

Ku-ring-gai was a local high school until 1996 when Mrs B. Peatie became the headmistress and requested permission from the Department of Education to become selective in creative arts. This request was granted, and at that time there were only a few hundred students. Since then, there has been an increase in students at Ku-ring-gai, with numbers at one point rising to 900. In 2015 it celebrated its 50th year and in 2016 reverted to the name "Ku-ring-gai High School".

Creative Arts

Creative arts groups

The school has the following official performance groups:

  • The Ku-ring-gai Singers (choir)
  • Senior Vocal Ensemble
  • Wind Ensemble
  • Junior Jazz Band
  • Senior Jazz Ensemble
  • Drama Ensemble
  • Dance Ensemble

Student members of the school choir as well as a number of dancers are selected to perform at the Arts Unit's Schools Spectacular[7] each year.[8] The school's singers, instrumentalists, and dancers frequently participate in Arts Unit events, eisteddfods, and external performances.

Musicals

The school regularly hold musicals, usually biennially:

Notable alumni

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.kcahs.nsw.edu.au/our-school/our-teachers
  2. 1 2 http://www.kcahs.nsw.edu.au/our-school/our-facilities KCAHS Website, Facilities
  3. ↑ http://www.kcahs.nsw.edu.au/images/stories/our_school/in_area_street_list.xls List of in Catchment Streets (school website)
  4. 1 2 http://www.kcahs.nsw.edu.au/our-school/enrolment-and-fees School Website Enrolment Page
  5. ↑ http://www.detinternational.nsw.edu.au/schools/locator/sv/?section=school.show&code=8416
  6. ↑ http://www.binisystems.com/nswcover.html
  7. ↑ http://www.schoolsspectacular.com.au/2009/index.php?page=participating-choir Schools Spectacular Website, Massed Choir schools
  8. ↑ http://www.schoolsspectacular.com.au/2009/index.php?page=featured Schools Spectacular Website, Featured Artists Schools

Another reference used is two of the current year seven students (2018)

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