Oakhill College
Oakhill College is a fee-paying independent Roman Catholic comprehensive co-educational secondary day school, located in Castle Hill, a suburb in the Hills District of the Greater Western region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
| Oakhill College | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 33°43′25″S 151°1′12″E / 33.72361°S 151.02000°ECoordinates: 33°43′25″S 151°1′12″E / 33.72361°S 151.02000°E |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent comprehensive co-educational secondary day school Boys only Years 7-10 Co-educational Years 11-12 |
| Motto | Latin: Deo Duce (With God as our leader[1]) |
| Religious affiliation(s) | De La Salle Brothers |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1936[2] |
| Founder | De La Salle Brothers |
| Educational authority | New South Wales Department of Education |
| Chairman | John Puleo |
| Principal | Br Steve Hogan fsc |
| Employees | 207 |
| Years | 7–12 |
| Enrolment | c. 1,800 (2020) |
| Colour(s) | Maroon and gold |
| Affiliation | Independent Schools Association |
| Website | oakhill |
Founded in 1936, the College is run by the De La Salle Brothers[2] in the tradition of Saint Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, and currently caters for approximately 1,800 students from Years 7 to 12.
Oakhill College is a member of the Independent Schools Association.[3]
History
The De La Salle Brothers purchased the Oakhill property in 1932. The College commenced in August 1936 with four male students, increasing to 30 in 1937 when there were 10 day and 20 boarding students. The College served the then rural area of "The Hills",[4] and grew slowly until in 1953, its enrolment reached 100.
In 1974 the decision was taken to phase out the boarding school and, in 1976 Oakhill College became a co-educational senior school.[4] In the year 2006, the 100th year of the Brothers in Australia was celebrated with a mass at St Mary's Cathedral.
The property was initially used as a training college for brothers; the school came later. The training college for brothers evolved into a training college for Catholic lay teachers, which was then merged into the Australian Catholic University in the 1980s, which then became the Castle Hill campus of the ACU.[citation needed] Finally, in the 1990s, the ACU decided to consolidate their campuses in Sydney, and abandoned their Castle Hill facility, which then reverted to the De La Salle brothers.[citation needed] Since then, the original training college has been extensively renovated, named the De La Salle Building and forms part of the College.
Oakhill College is governed by a Board of Directors.
Facilities
The Mackillop Commons is the newest addition to the College campus. The Centenary Sports Centre was built during the course of 2006, and was opened in late November 2006. It has a 25-metre pool, classrooms, cemetery, Chapel, tennis courts, Drama Theatre, green room, agriculture centre, farm, hall, kitchen, canteen, Library, Uniform Shop and a gym. The main part of the centre is a double basketball court, which is also used for College assemblies and connects to the Benildus Hall.
Co-curricular
The College offers a large range of co-curricular activities, such as: Show Team, Debating, Public Speaking, Coding Club, Chess Club, Basketball, Rugby, Rugby 7s, Football, Tennis, Touch Football, Cricket, Hockey, Athletics, Netball, Swimming, Drama Club, Choirs, Music Ensembles, Duke of Edinburgh, Art Club, Science Club and Mathematics Enrichment. Oakhill College conducts a major musical every two years, and a junior musical every alternate year, open to any student within the required year groups. Additionally, Year 10 and 12 respectively stage plays in the later part of the school year, with the cast and crew composed entirely of drama students, whose performance is graded and forms part of their assessment mark. Past productions have included:
Senior Musicals (Open to whole College) Every ‘even’ year:
- 1996 - Chess
- 2002 - Les Misérables
- 2004 - Hooked
- 2006 - Jesus Christ Superstar
- 2008 - All Shook Up
- 2010 - Paris
- 2012 - Cats
- 2014 - Miss Saigon
- 2016 - Starlight Express
- 2018 - Strictly Ballroom
- 2020 - Urinetown: The Musical
- 2022 - Les Misérables
Junior Musicals (Years 7-9) - Every ‘odd’ year:
- 2011 - Smike
- 2013 - Tin Pan Ali
- 2015 - Bats
- 2017 - Boys Own McBeth
- 2019 - Oliver!
- 2021 - School of Rock
Year 10 Plays (October) -
- 2008 - The Sting
- 2009 - Billy Budd
- 2010 - A Few Good Men
- 2011 - Rusty Bugles
- 2012 - Lord of the Flies
- 2013 - Twelve Angry Men
- 2014 - Alone it Stands
- 2015 - Animal Farm
- 2016 - Two Weeks With The Queen
- 2017 - The 39 Steps
- 2018 - Journey's End
- 2019 - The Changing Room
- 2020 - Chariots of Fire
Year 12 Plays (February) -
- 2010 - Amadeus
- 2011 - The Government Inspector
- 2012 - The Imaginary Invalid
- 2013 - Rumours
- 2014 - Shakespeare in Hollywood
- 2015 - Black Comedy
- 2016 - And Then There Were None (play)
- 2017 - The Bourgeois Gentleman
- 2018 - Romanoff and Juliet
- 2019 - Servant of Two Masters
- 2020 - A Midsummer Night's Dream
- 2021 - Rehearsal For Murder
- 2022 - Cosi
Other - Notable Study Pieces:
- Dream
- latemail.com
- Così
- Treasure Island
- Man Alive
- The Importance of Being Earnest
- The Removalists
- Norm and Ahmed
Pastoral care
Pastoral care at Oakhill involves classroom based programs in Years 7 and 8 and a House system from Years 9–12. The Houses include:
- Benildus House — (Gold). Named after Saint Brother Bénilde Romançon (1805–1862); Feast Day: 13 August.
- La Salle House — (Red). Named after St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle (1651–1719), the founder of the De La Salle Brothers; Feast Day: 15 May.
- Miguel House — (Purple). Named after St Brother Miguel Febres Cordero (1854–1910); Feast Day: 9 February.
- Mutien House — (Green). Named after St Brother Mutien-Marie Wiaux (1841–1917); Feast Day: 30 January.
- Solomon House — (Blue/Light Blue). Named after Blessed Brother Solomon LeClercq (1745–1792), martyr, France. Feast Day 2 September.
- Turon House — (Navy Blue). Named after Eight Brothers martyred 8 October 1934 in Turón, Spain. Feast Day 9 October.
Notable alumni
Academia, business, public service and politics
- Dominic Perrottet - 46th Premier of New South Wales (Finished studies at Redfield College Dural)
- Greg Whitby - Executive Director of Schools, Catholic Education Office
Media, entertainment and the arts
- Brian Castro, novelist and essayist (also attended St. Joseph's College, Hunters Hill)[5]
- Dan Ilic, Comedian, broadcaster, filmmaker, host of Hungry Beast[6]
- Steve Le Marquand, actor[7]
- Tim Rogers, vocalist/guitarist and primary songwriter of Australian alternative rock band You Am I at the Sydney Theatre Company
- Ben Quilty, Australian painter[8]
- Tara Rushton, Fox Sports Football TV Host, model and actress (KateModern)
- Doris Younane, actress (McLeod's Daughters)[7]
Sport
- Lachlan Anderson, a professional rugby player and Rugby 7s Olympian
- Katherine Bates, an Australian Olympic cyclist[7]
- Grant Brits, an Olympic swimmer, bronze medallist in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay at 2008 Beijing Olympics
- Bart Bunting, a dual Gold Medallist at 2002 Winter Paralympic Games, Salt Lake City, USA[9]
- Catherine Cox, netball player and commentator [10][11]
- Nicholas Fitzgerald, a football player with the Melbourne City F.C.
- Harrison Goddard, an U20 Melbourne Rebels, U20 Wallabies
- Kieren Jack, an AFL player with the Sydney Swans
- Brandon Jack, an AFL player with the Sydney Swans
- Luke Keary, a professional rugby league footballer
- Jason Baitieri, a professional rugby league footballer
- Julian Khazzouh, a NBL basketball player
- Andrew Ogilvy, a basketball player
- Ryan Papenhuyzen , professional rugby league footballer
- Jordan Thompson, a professional tennis player
- Steven Ugarkovic, a football player with the Newcastle Jets
- Julia Wilson, an Olympic rower[7]
Source:[12]
See also
References
- ^ . College Information. Oakhill College. 2007. Archived from the original on 6 February 2008. Retrieved 24 February 2008.
- ^ a b . New South Wales. School Choice. 2007. Archived from the original on 30 August 2007. Retrieved 24 February 2008.
- ^ . College Information. Oakhill College. 2007. Archived from the original on 6 February 2008. Retrieved 24 February 2008.
- ^ a b (PDF). College Information. Oakhill College. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 24 February 2008.
- ^ "Biographical details". Biographical and contact information. Brian Castro. from the original on 21 July 2008. Retrieved 24 February 2008.
- ^ Ilic, Dan. "Great work from my old High School!". Twitter. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Oakhill College's most outstanding students". Hills Shire Times. www.dailytelegraph.com.au. 23 August 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
- ^ "Archibald Prize winning painter Ben Quilty gives advice on how to succeed as an artist". The Sydney Hills Focus. 2 April 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- ^ "Oakhill College alumni awarded". Hills Shire Times. 3 April 2012. from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
- ^ "Queen Cox holding court". www.smh.com.au. 13 June 2010. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ "Oakhill College Volume Six, Friday 30th April 2021". www.oakhill.nsw.edu.au. 30 April 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- ^ "Oakhill College's most outstanding students". Hills Shire Times. www.dailytelegraph.com.au. 23 August 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
External links
- Oakhill College Website