St Virgil's College
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| "By Deeds not Words" | |
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| Established | 1911 |
| School type | Catholic primary and high school (boys only) |
| Locations | Austins Ferry, TAS, Australia |
| Year levels | 3–6 (Hobart)
7–10 (Austins Ferry) |
| Principal | Christopher D. Smith |
| School colours | Royal blue, green and gold |
| Website | www.stvirgils.tas.edu.au |
St Virgil's College is a Catholic primary and secondary school for boys located over two campuses in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
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[edit] History
St Virgil's College was formally opened on 22 January 1911 by the Christian Brothers. Its first campus was a boarding school for boys located in Barrack Street, Hobart. The boarding section of the College was closed in 1970 and since then St Virgil's College has been a day school only.
In 1962, another campus was opened in Austins Ferry, offering junior secondary grades (Grades 7–9) on a riverside property of 30 hectares. In 1991, three Grade 10 streams were also added.
The Barrack Street campus then expanded for students from Grades 7–12 until 1994 when, under the Southern Secondary Schools Restructuring Plan, the campus no longer accepted enrolments for Grade 7. At the end of 1994, Grades 8, 11 and 12 ceased to run at the Barrack Street campus, and all secondary grades were moved to the Austins Ferry campus. This allowed Guilford Young College (Grades 11 and 12) to be established on the Barrack Street site. Grades 9 and 10 still ran in 1995, and only Grade 10 was offered in 1996.
After 1996, St Virgil's College ceased to operate any of its classes on the Barrack Street campus. From then on, Grades 7–10 were all taught at the Austins Ferry campus, and because of the discontinuation of Grades 11–12, many students moved on to the newly formed Guilford Young College for their pre-tertiary years.
In August 1995, permission was granted for St Peter's School to become the St Virgil's College Junior School from 1996 onwards. The Junior School now accommodates boys from Grades 3–6 and operates on the old St Peter's School site in Patrick Street.
[edit] Current school
The current principal of St Virgil's College is Christopher D. Smith, who was appointed in 2001. He is the first lay principal the school has had; all previous principals have been Christian Brothers. The current enrolment at the school is approximately 480 students at Austins Ferry, and another 120 in Hobart.
[edit] Facilities
The College's buildings consist of specialist science, music, art, sporting, computer, woodwork and metalwork, food technology and learning support facilities. Plans are underway for expansions to the existing library.
Recent changes to the College's facilities include:
- The Joyce Performance Centre (2000)
- The Br. Jack Higgins' Wing (2004)
- The alterations/expansion of the Edmund Rice Hall (2005–2006)
- The naming of "Our Lady of Perpetual Help" Chapel (2006)
[edit] Academic
St Virgil's College offers a broad curriculum, with the areas of literacy and numeracy of high importance. Emphasis is also placed on the languages, science, social science and physical education. The College places the most emphasis on its teaching of religious education, which is central to every student's studies.
[edit] Sport
Much importance is placed on sport at St Virgil's College. All students are encouraged to participate in at least one sport during their time at the College.
The College has had much success on the sporting field throughout its history. Most recent is the College's domination of the Tasmanian State and Southern School's Athletics. The College's athletics team have won the S.A.T.I.S (Sports Association of Tasmanian Independent Schools) Boy's junior title 7 years in a row, and the Southern S.A.T.I.S title 6 years in a row.
Other sports on offer at St Virgil's include Canoe Polo, Cross-Country, Cricket, Football, Hockey, Rowing, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis, Touch Football, Waterpolo and sailing.
[edit] Music
The College has a vibrant music program, offering four teacher-coordinated stage bands of varying difficulty and individual and small group instrumental tuition for those wishing to acquire the skills to excel further than a band setting can allow them. The College also has the facilities to accommodate students wishing to start their own rock band.
[edit] The Senior Stage Band
The St Virgil's College Senior Stage Band has won numerous awards for its outstanding efforts at various eisteddfods around Hobart. The Senior Band specialises in the areas of contemporary rock, jazz, blues and Latin music. The band often performs at school fairs, school productions and masses. In late 2005, the stage band, along with the jazz quartet,toured Melbourne, performing at various schools and other venues.
The band currently has between 15 and 20 members, and mainly features the trumpet, trombone and saxophone (alto, tenor and baritone), with a rhythm backing (drums, guitar and keyboard).
[edit] The SVC Jazz Quartet
During the 2004-2005 period, the College showcased a successful jazz quartet that featured piano, alto saxophone, bass guitar and drums. The group won several awards at eisteddfods and were a key item at all venues where they performed, including many College events. The quartet dispersed when the older members moved on to Guilford Young College in 2006.
[edit] Traditions
[edit] College songs
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- St Virgil's Anthem
- A song which displays the pride and unity of the College community.
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- Edmund Rice Anthem
- A song that praises Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice, a Catholic missionary and founder of the Congregation of Christian Brothers.
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- SVC War Cry
- The official war cry of the College that can be heard at all sporting events and other important occasions.
[edit] College houses
- Doyle — Blue
- Dwyer — Green
- Hessian (formerly Virgilian House) — Red
- Joyce (formerly College House) — Gold
[edit] Alumni
Well known 'Old Virgilians' include:
- Adrian Doyle — Archbishop of Hobart
- Paul Lennon — Premier of Tasmania
- William Cox — Governor of Tasmania
- Michael Tate — Catholic priest and former Federal Justice Minister
- Michael Di Venuto — Tasmanian Tigers and Derbyshire County Cricketer
- Brodie Holland — AFL player for the Collingwood Magpies
- Steve Randell — Test Cricket umpire
- Simon Hollingsworth — 400m Hurdles 2X Olympian and 3X Commonwealth Games representative
- Scott Brennan — Australian Rowing Olympian and World Champion
- Sid Taberlay — Mountain Bike (Cross Country) Olympian
