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Scotch College, Perth

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Education

   Scotch College
   Sicut Patribus Sit Deus Nobis
   (May God be with us as He was with our forefathers)
   Established    1897
   School type    Independent
   Principal/
   Headmaster     Rev. Andrew Syme
   Location       Perth, WA, Australia
   Campus         Swanbourne
   Enrollment     approx. 1,100
   School colours Maroon, blue and gold
   Homepage       www.scotch.wa.edu.au

   Scotch College is an independent school for boys, situated in
   Swanbourne, Western Australia, Australia. The school is a member of the
   Public Schools Association (PSA) and is now a Uniting Church school,
   although it was founded in 1897 by the Presbyterian Church of
   Australia. The school in recent years has undertaken the International
   Baccalaureate's Primary Years and Middle Years programmes.

   Scotch has a large campus in Swanbourne and an outdoor education centre
   in Dwellingup. The campus in Swanbourne consists of a high school for
   years 8-12, a junior school for years Pre-Primary to Grade 7, a
   boarding house and sports grounds. The school has over 120 boarding
   students.

   Scotch College describes learning as "more than an academic issue; it
   is a 'total picture' which provides a balance between a student's
   intellectual, physical, emotional, relational and spiritual needs".

History

Foundation

   Scotch College owes its foundations to a conversation at a dinner
   party, where the parents of a 12-year-old boy, Mrs. Jane Alexander,
   complained that there was an absence of a Presbyterian school for boys
   in Perth. She offered Rev. David Ross, the minister representing the
   Presbyterian Church in Western Australia, £500 to establish Scotch
   College. Alexander announced the establishment in December 1896, and
   when founded, the school was originally named The Alexander Scotch
   College. The Alexander Scotch College original location is now used by
   the Perth Trades Hall with the school now located in Swanbourne.

   In 1905, the college became a founding school of the Public Schools
   Association, showing it to be by that time a well-regarded independent
   school, and entitling it to take part in the most competitive schoolboy
   sporting competitions in Western Australia.
   Collegians House, the administration building.
   Enlarge
   Collegians House, the administration building.

World War One to World War Two

   During World War I, 475 boys enlisted to defend the empire as part of
   the Allied forces. This number represented over 50% of all Scotch
   alumni at the time. A roll of honour is present in Collegians House,
   the administration building, featuring the names of all past Scotch
   College students who had volunteered to fight.

   In 1939, the Head Masters' Conference approached the Commonwealth
   Government for financial assistance due to low staff salaries, the
   standard of the school's science facilities and the lack of money the
   school possessed. When gifts of money to the school became
   tax-deductible in 1954 (provided donations were for the purpose of
   either repaying debt on buildings or helping to fund new building
   projects), people found they had more incentive to donate to schools.
   This led to Scotch, among other schools around Australia, beginning
   fund-raising appeals within the school community.

Post War

   Even before donations were made tax-deductible, an appeal to fund an
   old-boys memorial for those who served in World War II raised £9,000 by
   1950. When the school's council, the town in which Scotch resides in,
   inquired about the cost for a memorial hall to sit 650 people, they
   were shocked to discover it would cost around £30,000. A fete organized
   in 1953 raised £2,500. Another fete was arranged and appeals to both
   old-boys and parents raised the total raised to £17,500. Despite lack
   of funds, David Brisbane, a council member since 1945, laid the
   foundation stone for the hall in early 1957. Although donations to
   schools over £1 had been tax-deductible since 1954, it was not until
   January 1957 that the Taxation Department informed the school that all
   donations towards the new Scotch College Building Fund would be
   tax-deductible. The appeal committee launched a major appeal raising
   £23,000 for the Memorial Hall.

   The Memorial Hall was opened by Sir Charles Gairdner, Governor of
   Western Australia at the time, on October 19, 1957, the same year as
   the school's Diamond Jubilee. The opening led to a further £30,000 in
   promised donations, although the actual amount received was below this
   figure. Eventually the cost of the hall led to the school having to be
   provided a £25,000 overdraft from the ASB Bank; this lead to an
   increase in school fees. The total cost of the Memorial Hall was
   £48,864 and the appeal raised £45,700. Gordon Gooch, who has a sports
   pavilion at the school named after him, met the shortfall.

1970 to 1990

   In 1971, after observing the May 1968 French riots, a group of year 12
   boys organised a "schoolboy strike" on the regulations of hair length,
   after the issue had been simmering for several months. The strike
   involved 60 boys refusing to return to class after the lunch bell,
   despite threat of expulsion, which led the headmaster to arrange an
   assembly for all boys after losing his temper. The ringleader of the
   strike, Cary Kallis informed the Nine Network newsroom to announce the
   strike. However, Kallis informed several students which led to news of
   the strike quickly spreading around the school. After being threatened
   by a teacher with expulsion, Kallis quickly called Channel 9 again,
   pretending to be a teacher, by say "The strike has been cancelled and
   the boys have been disciplined". As mentioned above, the strike still
   went ahead.

   In 1984, Scotch acquired Moray, the school's new outdoor education
   centre where students would be able to attend camps. This was purchased
   after the school had considered, for over a decade, the possibility of
   acquiring a site for a school camp. The Parents' Association gave
   support to the project and the school purchased the 164-acre property
   through a mortgagee sale for $220,000. It was named Moray after a
   province in Scotland where Clan Murray originated (the Moray camp site
   is adjacent to the Murray River).

   The Scotch College foundation was established in 1986 when Judge Robert
   Keall was chairman of the college. The foundation raised $1.1 million
   within six months to partly fund a new Physical Education Centre.
   Robert Keall opened the $2.25 million centre on March 29, 1988.

Recent Years

   The school recently announced plans to construct a new hall for
   assemblies and other functions. This joins other new plans such as the
   redesign of the Arts and Technology classrooms and a new sporting oval.
   Building started in March 2006 and is scheduled to finish in 2007. The
   main new building will be a new hall, named the Dickinson Centre, after
   Scotch's previous headmaster, the late WR Dickinson. On February 20,
   2006, Headmaster Revd Andrew Syme, announced that college was in
   negotiation with a builder about the final price. Construction started
   on Friday March 3, 2006, which was the first day of the Labour long
   weekend.

   Over the Labour long weekend the college hosted the Golden Pride
   Children's Choir from Tanzania in the boarding house and on March 7,
   2006, the choir performed to the year 10s and several other classes.
   The Choir continued to perform at WOMADelaide and then at the
   Commonwealth Games Cultural Festival.

   A memorial service was held for the late WR Dickinson, the 5th
   headmaster of Scotch College, at 3pm on Wednesday the 10th of May,
   2006. A pavilion was erected on the Scotch playing fields, and the
   School and Pipeband formed a guard of honour for the Dickinson family
   members and the funeral cortege as they arrived.

Curriculum

   Scotch offers a wide range of subjects in its academic curriculum. All
   students in years 8-10 study one language other than English — either
   French or Indonesian — through the International Baccalaureate's Middle
   Years Programme (MYP). The MYP also requires students in years 9 and 10
   to do a year-long personal project. For this project, boys can choose a
   topic of their choice, provided that the topic relates to the Areas of
   Interaction.

   Scotch awards several scholarships based on academic merit to students,
   but under agreed PSA rules no member schools may award sports
   scholarships. Entrance scholarships at Scotch are based on the results
   of scholarship examinations. In year 11 there is a scholarship open to
   boy of former alumni (P.C. Anderson Memorial Old Boy's Scholarship). To
   be considered boys must have several references and sit an interview.

   The Gordon Gooch Entrance Scholarship can be sat by any boy entering
   year 8. The John A. Gooch Scholarship is similar to the Gordon Gooch
   Entrance Scholarship, but can only be sat by boys entering the senior
   school directly from the junior school.

   Students entering year 8 in 2006 are eligible for one of several music
   scholarships. Students entering will need to be playing at a high level
   as the scholarship is selected through auditions. It also takes into
   account the results of his most recent music examination. This includes
   the results in both the theory and practical section.

Middle school structure

   In 2003, the school changed the years 8 through to 10 learning
   structure after the school became an International Baccalaureate
   certified school. Students in these years study two languages, a maths,
   a science, an arts, a technology, a humanities and Physical Education
   subject.
   Boys working in the Media Studio
   Enlarge
   Boys working in the Media Studio

   Students in Years 9 and 10 have the option of choosing which technology
   and arts classes they take for either the year or semester. There are
   two art classes; 2D and 3D art. The former comprises drawing and
   painting; the latter, pottery and other sculpture art. Drama is another
   class identified as an art by the MYP, and students learn many
   techniques, including improvisation and comedy. Music is also an art
   class and students can create their own music on computer programs like
   Super Duper Music Looper.

   For technology classes there are several options. In metal work, boys
   will build many different metallic objects, including cricket stumps.
   Wood work has boys making objects out of wood. In recent years boys
   have made tiny CO[2] powered dragsters. The 'understanding technology'
   class is popular, as students create electronics and dancing robots. In
   recent years, the technology department has talked about wanting
   students to create a solar powered car. The main reason this has not
   been undertaken is because of cost. Information Systems and 3D
   modelling are two different subjects. Boys are taught in the computer
   lab and use the computers to create architectural designs and
   databases.

   In year 10, students have the option of doing media studies and/or
   business and enterprise. Media studies has boys create their own movie
   and critically analyse feature films in the form of essays. In business
   and enterprise, students will create their own share portfolio on the
   Australian Stock Exchange website. This is an imaginary game however
   and no real money is involved.

   In years 9 and 10, boys do a personal project, as part of their MYP
   education. This starts midway through year 9 and finishes a year later,
   midway through year 10. One year, a boy raised over $100,000 for his
   personal project and donated it to the local women's refuge. However,
   parents and boys have been very critical of the personal project as
   boys are required to hold meetings discussing their progress during
   class time. They are also critical of the fact that only the essay at
   the end of the project is marked, not the project itself.

   A similar structure was introduced to the junior school when they
   joined the IB Primary Years Programme, becoming the only school in the
   Western Australia certified to teach the programme.

Senior school curriculum

   As Scotch does not offer the IB Diploma Programme to senior students,
   students in Years 11 and 12 have the option of undertaking either
   Tertiary Entrance Exam subjects or wholly School-assessed subjects;
   students select these subjects in Year 10. Many choose to sit the
   Tertiary Entrance Exam so they can attend university to further their
   education. The top student for each subject is awarded a prize on
   speech night, and the Year 12 student who finishes top of their year is
   awarded Dux.

   Every two years, the school has a tour to France for French language
   students in Years 11 and 12. These tours run for around two weeks and
   allow boys to stay with a French family, giving them the chance to
   experience native French.

   Scotch students have been consistently gaining high marks in their TEE
   exams. This was continued in 2004 with two students awarded General
   Exhibitions as well as three boys receiving Certificates of
   Distinction. A further eleven boys were awarded Certificates of
   Excellence. A total of ten Scotch boys were given Tertiary Entrance
   Ranks (TERs) of 99 or above and 29 boys received TERs of 95 or above.

   In 2005, Scotch graduate Adrian Khoo received the Beazley Medal,
   awarded to top student in the state, for his TEE results. As in 2004,
   two students were awarded General Exhibitions. Subject Exhibitions were
   awarded to three students for 5 overall subjects. Eleven boys received
   Certificates of Excellence and six boys were awarded Certificates of
   Distinction for 11 subjects overall. A total of nine TERs above 99 were
   received while 30 boys received a TER of 95 or higher.

Novell computer system

   Scotch College has not followed the trend among other Australian
   independent schools of making laptops compulsory for students. The
   school has an intranet which is available on any computer with internet
   access; the login page is located on the Scotch website. Students are
   able to use email, store files and view assignments using the intranet,
   as each student and teacher has their own individual account to access
   the intranet site. The computers run on Windows XP and use a Novell
   client.

   Over the 2005-06 summer vacation, the intranet was upgraded. The
   upgrade included changing the layout of the intranet to a more visually
   aesthetic design and making page links more prominent on the page.
   Novell GroupWise, the school email system, was also upgraded during the
   same period. Like the intranet, GroupWise is now also more aesthetic to
   the eye. Teachers also have their own email and intranet accounts. The
   system is sometimes referred to as the "portal".

Scotch student life

   Scotch offers a comprehensive extra-curricular activities program for
   students. The school also has boarding facilities for students who live
   in rural areas of Western Australia, as well as international students.
   The major components of the program are sport, music and the Arts.
   Students in years 10-12 may participate in FESA Cadet programs.

Boarding

   All boarding students are members of Keys House, one of the ten houses
   at Scotch. All of the boarders live in residential houses, including
   the new Keys House block, which was finished in 2001, with their house
   head, who lives on site. Boarders' meals are served in the Dining hall,
   which is in close proximity to all boarding facilities. Boarders also
   have 24 hour access to medical services. In 2006, international
   students were required to pay an extra $5,700 in lieu of Government
   Subsidies and extra administration costs.

   On weekends boarders will often do a variety of activities that staff
   arrange. They also use the nearby Indian Ocean as well as Challenge
   Stadium and Subiaco Oval. Boarders in years 10, 11 and 12 will also
   participate in sport on a Saturday morning.

   A boarding tradition at Scotch is walking the entire Bibbulmun Track.
   Boys walk sections of the track each year. This is not a compulsory
   event, however. In 2005, the year 12 boarders gave a presentation about
   the walk. The Archbishop of Perth was present and gave a memorable
   speech, which included the line "Trenton Warburton [the Year 12 who
   recently completed track] and I had a good blow on the beach together".
   He was talking about bagpipes.

Moray

   In the junior school and years 8 and 9 in the senior school, students
   will camp for several days, depending on their age, at Moray near
   Dwellingup. Moray, close to the Murray River, is set in Australian
   bush. Moray allows students to camp either outside, under swags, or
   inside cabins. Students here will learn about safety, the ecosystems
   and how native Aborigines lived in the area. They will also learn how
   to be more independent by cooking their own food and setting up their
   own swag. Students will also do activities on the Murray River such as
   kayaking or canoeing, climbing an outdoor rock wall, climbing a
   telephone pole, and doing a suspended ropes course.

   The Cadets also use Moray for a weekend camp. The cadets do activities
   design to improve self confidence like the rock wall or the leap of
   faith were cadets jump from a telephone pole and try and grab a plastic
   wire. They are suspended from falling use a wire. One night over the
   weekend the cadets do a "night stalker" game where the senior cadets
   try and prevent the junior cadets from reaching a certain point. The
   seniors use torches to try and identify cadets.

House System

   The pastoral care system is based on a House structure which deals with
   all matters relating to a student's well-being or curriculum needs.
   Each student is placed in a House Tutorial Group that is overseen by a
   House Tutor for each of the 10 Houses. Most House Tutorial Groups have
   three students from each year level in that house. A House contains
   students from Years 8 to 12. Each House is led by one Head of House.
   The members of each House are led by House Captains and Co-Vice
   Captains. The Houses meet on a regular basis.

   The House Tutor and Heads of House work as a team to monitor the
   academic and personal progress of each student in the House Tutorial
   Group and House. Generally, the House Tutor is the first and main point
   of contact between the parent and the School. For more serious issues a
   Head of House is usually contacted.

   Students are either put in a randomly selected house or into the house
   of any alumni they are related to. Houses compete against each other in
   sports such as inter-house athletics and academic contests like
   debating. Students march to assembly on Friday mornings in their house
   and are marked on their performance by the cadets.

   The house that wins the most points over all inter-house competitions
   is awarded the staff trophy. This includes the larger inter-house
   events like athletics, cross-country and swimming as well as some
   smaller competitions like lightning chess and indoor soccer.

   For Year 8 and 9 Students in winter, they also have Middle School house
   games, in which a house can participate in 3 out of the 4 possible
   choices of Hockey, Football, Soccer and Touch Rugby, this usually takes
   place in weeks where there are byes in the Public Schools Association
   (PSA) sports competition. Due to the large size of Keys House, for MS
   games they are separated into Keys 1 and Keys 2, in order for everyone
   to compete.

Sport

   Scotch College teams regularly compete in the PSA sports competitions.
   The students of the college play or compete in association football,
   athletics, Australian rules football, badminton, basketball, chess,
   cricket, cross country, golf, field hockey, rowing (see Head of the
   River), rugby union, sailing, surfing, swimming, tennis, water polo and
   volleyball.
   The Gooch Pavilion on the sports fields.
   Enlarge
   The Gooch Pavilion on the sports fields.

   In 2004, Scotch won two premierships for PSA competition, in hockey
   (co-Premiers) and in surfing. 2005 was a unsuccessful year for the
   college in PSA sport winning only the hockey competition. The school
   managed three runner-up positions however in cricket, rugby union and
   tennis.

   Sport is compulsory for all students in the high school; teams usually
   train twice a week. Matches are held on a Thursday for the junior
   school, Friday for years 8 and 9, and Saturday for years 10 to 12.

   Occasionally, tours are arranged for sports teams. Recent tours
   included the Australian rules football team visiting Melbourne, and a
   hockey tour of South Africa. The most recent tour was the rugby union
   tour of France in April of 2006. Athletics, cross country and swimming
   are all major inter-house games and almost every student competes.

The Arts

   Scotch offers students an opportunity to participate in the annual
   school production. Recent productions include Bugsy Malone, Grease, A
   Clockwork Orange, Blood Brothers and Holes.

   Street dance is another extra-curricular activity being offered at
   Scotch. It is an urban-based dance program in which students
   choreograph dance routines and perform them in concerts. The school
   regularly competes at the annual ACHPER dance festival, and has
   performed well in this festival in recent years, leading to an
   invitation to participate in the more prestigious ACHPER Gala Night.

   Scotch has two poetry prizes awarded each year; the Raven Senior Poetry
   Prize for Years 11 and 12 and the Raven Junior Poetry Prize for Years
   8, 9 and 10. The winning piece along with several other pieces of
   student poetry and art are published in the annual school publication,
   The Reporter. Raven prize winners are presented an awarded on speech
   night. There are also two annual prose prizes; the Raven Senior Prose
   Prize and the Raven Junior Prose Prize. Like the poetry prizes, the
   winning pieces are published in The Reporter and the writer presented
   with an award on speech night.

Music

   Scotch gives students the chance to learn instruments during class time
   in the senior school. Students may also join the pipe band if their
   playing skills and marching skills are of a high standard. The pipe
   band traditionally lead the school in marching.

   In recent years there have been several pipe band and music tours. In
   April 2006, the pipe band toured the United States. The band played in
   the Virginia International Tattoo in that period It was be the pipe
   band's fourth international tour and its second time participating in
   an International Tattoo of that magnitude. The first was the Nova
   Scotia Tattoo in 2000.

   All students in the senior school are eligible to play in the school's
   bands.

   The school's music bands are the Dixieland Band (Horns and Brass),
   String Orchestra, Big Band 1 (guitar, drums, brass), Big Band 2
   (guitar, drums, brass), Middle School Concert Band (years 6 to 10),
   Chamber Strings, Concert Band (brass and drums), Wind Ensemble (with
   Presbyterian Ladies' College), Vocal Ensemble, Brass Ensemble, Guitar
   Ensemble.

   The school offers several music scholarships for students in years 7 or
   8. These scholarships are in Voice, Cello, Trumpet, Violin and
   Trombone.

   The school song is God of Our Fathers which is to the tune of Highland
   Cathedral. The song is sung at the first and last assembly each term
   and the music is performed by two pipers and a snare drummer from the
   pipeband, along with a small brass support band.

Uniform

   The school badge on a blazer worn by students from Years 8 to 11.
   Enlarge
   The school badge on a blazer worn by students from Years 8 to 11.

   Scotch College, like most Australian independent schools, requires
   students to wear full school uniform at all times. There are currently
   two school uniforms - a summer and a winter.

   In summer, a khaki collared short-sleeved shirt is worn with light
   green shorts, house tie, green Scotch socks and black lace-up shoes. On
   the left breast pocket, above the school badge, a house braid is worn.
   In the junior school a Scotch coloured braid is worn whilst in Years 8
   to 11 the braid is their house colour; Year 12 students wear both
   braids.

   In winter a white long-sleeved collared shirt is worn, along with house
   tie, black belt, grey trousers, grey socks, black lace up shoes and a
   maroon blazer. Year 12s wear a striped blazer. A grey Scotch jumper may
   be worn over the shirt in both summer and winter uniforms.

   In October 2005, students voted on a whether to keep the summer uniform
   or to change it. The results of this election have not yet been
   released. One of questions on the ballot was if students wanted to wear
   ties. It is believed many students said no to wearing ties.

   The school may have fund raising "free dress" days where boys may wear
   what they choose to school if they donate $2 to a designated charity.
   Some free dress days have included "pretty in pink" and "football
   Friday" themes, with competitions at lunch break for best dress.

   Senior School students have two ties - a house tie and a school tie. On
   most days, students will wear the house tie. On special occasions, such
   as speech night the school tie is worn. House ties contain their
   respective house tartans.

   Students may also earn a colours tie or an honours tie. Colours ties
   are awarded to students who perform in an extra-curriculum activity
   such as making a firsts team. An honours ties are rare and are only
   awarded when a student performs very well in that sport and gives some
   voluntary service to the sport. The academic equal to a colours tie is
   an academic ties which are awarded to students who earn 5 academic
   excellence awards, with at least two being in year 11 or 12. These
   three ties may only be worn on a Friday.

Notable alumni

   Any leaver of Scotch College is called an Old Scotch Collegian
     * Drew Banfield - Australian Rules Footballer.
     * Mal Brown - Australian Rules Footballer.
     * Peter Evans - Olympic gold medallist in swimming.
     * Shawn Gillies - Cricketer.
     * Rowan Jones - Australian Rules Footballer (School Captain 1996).
     * Luc Longley — Basketballer.
     * Ashley McIntosh - Australian Rules Footballer.
     * Alistair Nicholson - Australian Rules Footballer (School Captain
       1995).
     * Rob Swire - Member of Pendulum
     * John Welborn — Rugby Footballer; first Western Australian to play
       for the Australian Wallabies.
     * John Inverarity - Cricketer, Educationist, Headmaster of Hale
       School.
     * Ralph Townsend - Educationist, successively Headmaster of Sydney
       Grammar School, Oundle School and Winchester College.
     * David Sadlier - Australia's ambassador to China at the time of the
       Tiananmen Square massacre
     * Geoffrey Kennedy - Judge
     * Terry Gale - Golfer
     * Ross Glendinning - Former Australian Rules Footballer and Brownlow
       Medallist
     * Mark Gale - Former Australian Rules Footballer with Fremantle and
       St. Kilda.
     * Mark Seaby - Australian Rules Footballer

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch_College%2C_Perth"
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