St Pius X College, Sydney

St Pius X College (abbreviated as Pius) is an independent Roman Catholic single-sex primary and secondary day school for boys, located in Chatswood, a lower North Shore suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

This article is about the school in Sydney, Australia. For other uses, see St. Pius X (disambiguation).
Street View of Front Entrance to college, Taken in 2020

St Pius X College
Entrance to the College, pictured in 2014
Location
St Pius X College
Australia
Coordinates33°47′41″S 151°11′0″E
Information
Former nameChristian Brothers Chatswood
TypeIndependent single-sex primary and secondary day school
MottoLatin: Fide et Labore
(Through Faith and Hard Work)
Religious affiliation(s)Christian Brothers
DenominationRoman Catholic
Patron saint(s)Saint Pius X
Established1937 (1937)
Educational authorityNew South Wales Department of Education
OversightDiocese of Broken Bay
PrincipalMr John Couani
Staff~84[1]
Years5-12
GenderBoys
Enrolmentc. 1,100[2] (2007)
Colour(s)Blue and gold         
NicknamePius
Affiliations
  • Independent Schools Association
  • Junior School Heads Association of Australia
Websitewww.spx.nsw.edu.au

Located in the heart of the Chatswood central business district, the school is relatively close to Westfield Shopping Centre and Chatswood railway station. It is operated under the auspices of the Trustees of the Christian Brothers and is situated within the borders of the Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay. The College was ranked 101st in the State for the 2005 Higher School Certificate marks, up from 108th the previous year. More recently, in 2013, the school again improved its rank to 73.[3] It is a member of the Independent Schools Association (ISA) and the Junior School Heads Association of Australia.

The college operates as two separate schools: "The Junior School" catering for boys in Years 5 and 6, "The Senior School" catering for boys in Years 7 to 12.

History

St Pius X College started in 1937 as Christian Brothers Chatswood,[4] initially going to the Beginner level, with the first Leaving Certificate class graduating in 1941.

St Pius X College used to be a co-educational school, partnered with Mercy College, however during the 20th century the partnership ended and each school became single sex.

A major improvement in the 1990s was the development of Oxford Falls as an educational complex. Named the Treacy Centre, the facility comprises a variety of sports fields and venues as well as a number of meeting places and classrooms. In the late 1990s the college undertook extensive renovations and rebuilding. Later, during the late 2000s a new building was built, it includes; meeting rooms, stands, basketball courts and can facilitate stage plays (Pius Talent Show).

"Fide et Labore" is written on the shield, which is Latin for "By Faith and Labour". The current principal is John Couani, the first lay person to be principal at the school.

The college has recently implemented an E-Learning program, which provides students with personal learning devices, specifically the Microsoft Surface Pro 6 across the school. These computers act as learning aids and hold student text books.

Extra-curricular activities

Sport

The school participates in rugby, cricket, football, basketball, tennis, softball, swimming, squash and athletics.

Debating and public speaking

The college also participates in debating and public speaking. It is a member of the Catholic Schools Debating Association, the largest debating competition for schools in New South Wales and has since 2015 participated in the Sydney Debating Network. It enters students into the Legacy Youth Public Speaking and Plain English Speaking Competitions annually. In 2015 the 11 A debating team were runners up in the CSDA debating competition and were awarded the prestigious Aggregate Senior shield for winning the most debates out of any school in the competition. Following this in 2016 the 12 A team were Grand Final winners of the CSDA Senior Opens debating competition winning the Michael Robson Shield as champions of the Senior Competition.[5][6]

Music

Music has also always been a large part of extracurricular involvement at St Pius. The various bands include concert bands, jazz bands and guitar ensembles. In order to gain entry to any band, a student must audition. In order to gain access to the Senior Jazz Band and Senior Concert Band, genChouirerally a high level of skill is required in the instrument of which a student plays.

The bands and choir often play for the school as well at the Twilight Concert held every term. The twilight concert generally begins with the choir. After the choir have performed, the ensembles usually play next and after which, the Jazz and Concert Bands begin to play. The school has also recently been involved with competitive hissing but no words on a performing group as of yet.

Performing Arts is an integral part of the College curriculum and students at St Pius X have every opportunity to make the performing arts an involved part of their lives, through participation in many different types of music and drama activities.

Robotics

St Pius X College has the largest active robotics club in Australia with over 100 members. The school's robotic club takes part in robotics competitions. The two major annual competitions are the RoboCup and First Lego League (FLL). The club consists of members from years five through to twelve. Acceptance is usually granted through the robotics lessons held in class during year five, however, entry to the club in later years can also be granted through applying directly to the robotics coordinator.

Outdoor education

St Pius's Outdoor Education program facilitates personal development and teamwork through camps, excursions and overnight experiences. Outdoor Education is offered to all students, these experiences enhance learning, build relationships and respect, develop leadership and teamwork, as well as resilience as boys overcome fear and adversity as they push outside their comfort zones. Connection with nature also provides a platform for spiritual growth and experience.

Highlights of the Outdoor Education Program include:

  • Milson Island camp (Year 5)
  • Camp Wombaroo (Year 6)
  • Ski trip (Year 7)
  • The Great Aussie Bush Camp (Year 8)
  • Huntington House Terrigal (Year 9)
  • Immersions to Walgett and Bowraville (Year 10)
  • Snowy Hike (Year 11, the 100 km 6-day trek is a 30 + year tradition at the College)
  • Bush Retreat to Tallow Beach (Year 12)
  • Duke of Edinburgh practice hikes and expeditions
  • Kokoda preparation
  • Warrumbungles expedition

Mock trial

Students in Year 11 have the opportunity of entering the Mock Trial Competition conducted by the Law Society of New South Wales. During the competition the College's 'legal team' competes against other schools defending and prosecuting 'mock' cases involving assault, larceny, and negligence. Students take on the roles of barristers, clerks, court officers, magistrates, solicitors, and witnesses.

Notable alumni

See also

References
  1. St Pius X College Annual Report 2006 (accessed: 27 June 2007)
  2. Australian School Choice – St Pius X College (accessed: 27 June 2007)
  3. "HSC 2007: All Class" (304 KB) The Daily Telegraph. (20 December 2007).
  4. History of the College
  5. http://www.csda.nsw.edu.au/
  6. http://www.spx.nsw.edu.au/news-events/fx-articles.cfm?loadref=15&id=72
  7. The Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office (ACMRO) (accessed: 27 June 2007)
  8. Archdiocese of Sydney: Peter William Ingham (accessed: 27 June 2007)
  9. Diocese of Maitland-NewCastle: About our Bishop (accessed: 27 June 2007)
  10. "Mayor Pat Reilly never lost that loving feeling for Willoughby", obituary, The Age, 24 January 2014
  11. "Seize the opportunity". Elicia Murray. The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 April 2007 (Accessed 26 November 2009).
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