Great Southern Grammar is an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

non-denominational Christian Nondenominational Christianity (or non-denominational Christianity) consists of churches which typically distance themselves from the confessionalism or creedalism of other Christian communities by not formally aligning with a specific Christian d ...

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works * ...

and

secondary Secondary may refer to: Science and nature * Secondary emission, of particles ** Secondary electrons, electrons generated as ionization products * The secondary winding, or the electrical or electronic circuit connected to the secondary winding i ...

day and boarding school, located in the Great Southern regional town of Kalgan, Western Australia between the King River and the

Kalgan River The Kalgan River is a river in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. Geography The river is long and, along with the King River, drains into Oyster Harbour. The lower 9 km of the river take the form of a drowned river valle ...

. The school is situated approximately East of Albany, a regional centre south-southeast of

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

. The campus has a total area of bordered by Nanarup Road to the north,

Oyster Harbour Oyster Harbour is a permanently open estuary, north of King George Sound, which covers an area of near Albany, Western Australia. The harbour is used to shelter a fishing fleet carrying out commercial fishing and the farming of oysters and mus ...

to the south, Johnston Creek to the west and the Kalgan River to the east. The school is non-selective, and caters for boys and girls from age four (Kindergarten) through to age eighteen (Year 12). Students attend the school predominantly from Albany and the Great Southern, but also from other parts of Australia and internationally, with a current boarding population of ~140. The school is known colloquially as "the School of the Sea". In 2009 the school was ranked at number 10 in Western Australia, based on results of its Year 12 students.

History

Foundation

Great Southern Grammar was founded in 1996 by a development committee of those interested in forming an independent school in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. After opening in rented premises at Mount Melville in 1999 with 36 students, the school relocated to the Lower Kalgan

campus A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a college campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls, student centers or dining halls, and park-like se ...

in 2000. The school catered for Year 8 to 10 students when it first opened. In his address at the opening of the school, local

Noongar The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the so ...

elder, Aiden Eades stated, "The school grounds are of special significance to local Noongars, with the

Kalgan Zhangjiakou (; ; ) also known as Kalgan and by several other names, is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hebei province in Northern China, bordering Beijing to the southeast, Inner Mongolia to the north and west, and Shanxi to the southw ...

and the

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

rivers meeting close by. Never forget that this is Noongar land but you are welcome to use it, especially for something like education."

Growth

In 2002 the

Junior School A Junior school is a type of school which provides primary education to children, often in the age range from 8 and 13, following attendance at Infant school which covers the age range 5–7. (As both Infant and Junior schools are giving Primary E ...

opened which catered for students from

Kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

to Year 6. The

Middle School A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

continued to operate for students in Year 7 to Year 9 and the

Senior School A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

continued to cater for students from Year 10 to Year 12. The Senior School building was extended to include an extra six classrooms in 2004. The construction company, Wauters Enterprises, won a construction excellence award from the Master Builders Association. The new

building, including new

classroom A classroom or schoolroom is a learning space in which both children and adults learn. Classrooms are found in educational institutions of all kinds, ranging from preschools to universities, and may also be found in other places where education ...

s, music facilities and science laboratory was opened in 2009. The building was awarded as the best commercial building for the Great Southern Region in 2009.

Liz Constable Elizabeth Constable (born 2 December 1943) is a former Independent member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, firstly representing the seat of Floreat after winning it at a 1991 by-election following the resignation of Andrew Mens ...

, the Minister of Education, visited the school in 2010 in recognition of the school's strong performance in the

TEE A tee is a stand used in sport to support and elevate a stationary ball prior to striking with a foot, club or bat. Tees are used extensively in golf, tee-ball, baseball, American football, and rugby. Etymology The word tee is derived from the ...

examinations in 2009 where the school ranked in the top ten of the state. The new senior boarding wing, ''Michaelmas House'', named after the island of same name in

King George Sound King George Sound ( nys , Menang Koort) is a sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Named King George the Third's Sound in 1791, it was referred to as King George's Sound from 1805. The name "King George Sound" gradually came into use ...

, was opened at the commencement of Term One in 2010. The new multi-purpose sports facility, partially funded by the

Building the Education Revolution Building the Education Revolution (BER) is an Australian government program administered by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) designed to provide new and refurbished infrastructure to all eligible Austral ...

program, featuring two

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

courts and a synthetic surface, was completed and opened in June 2010 during the school's Foundation Day ceremony. The school won the Best School Grounds category for the region in the

Keep Australia Beautiful The Litter Act 1979 was an act passed by the Western Australian Government to prevent littering. It helped to set up the Keep Australia Beautiful Council (W.A.). See also * Litter in Australia References Law of Australia Australian Publi ...

Council's awards for 2010. Opening the new music building in April 2011, the school had new spaces for music lessons, a

recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enoug ...

, storage for equipment and a direct connection to the existing hall that is used for drama lessons and performances. A new senior school building was opened in 2012 with additional classrooms and undercover areas, the new building was named the ''Pratten Centre'' after Peter Pratten, one of the School founders and chair of the School council.

Principals

The founding headmaster of the school was

Reverend The Reverend is an style (manner of address), honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and Minister of religion, ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and c ...

Stephen Lee who accepted the position in 1999. He left the school in 2003 to become the principal of Methodist Ladies College. The second headmaster was Peter Welch who managed the school from 2004 to 2007. Stuart Marquardt joined the school from

Sunshine Coast Grammar School The Sunshine Coast Grammar School is a private Christian school located in Forest Glen, a town on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. The school has a student body of over 1200, from prep to grade 12. The school was established in 1997. It is owne ...

in 2007 as the school's third headmaster. Marquardt left the school in 2016 to take up a position as the principal of

Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School , motto_translation = Let Your Light Shine , established = , type = Independent co-educational early learning, primary, and secondary day school , denomination = Anglicanism , religious_affiliation = Anglican Diocese of Grafton , ...

, in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. Upon Marquardt's departure in 2016, the school changed the title of the leadership position from 'headmaster' to 'principal'. The current principal is Mark Sawle, who joined the school in 2016 from Aquinas College.

Affiliations and associations

The school is affiliated with the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), the Australian Boarding Schools' Association (ABSA),

Independent Primary School Heads of Australia The Independent Primary School Heads of Australia (IPSHA) formerly Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA), is an incorporated body representing the heads of independent primary schools in Australia. Officially established in Sept ...

(IPSHA), and the Association of Independent Schools in Western Australia (AISWA).

Academics

The school appears regularly in the top 50 schools for the

Western Australian Certificate of Education The Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) is the credential awarded to students who have completed senior secondary education (Year 11 and Year 12) in the state of Western Australia. It is the Western Australian graduation certifica ...

. Ranked as the top school in the Great Southern region in 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008 and 2007. In 2009 the school was also ranked as the top regional school in the state.

House system

The house system is a support system for the pastoral care of students. The School is divided into four different houses: Baudin, Camfield,

Mokare Mokare (c. 1800 - 26 June 1831) was a Noongar Aboriginal man from the south-west corner of Australia, who was pivotal in aiding European exploration of the area. Life Mokare was from the Minang clan of Noongar people. He had at least two ...

and Wilson. The four houses compete in interhouse competitions including

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

and cross country. Other competitions such as debating and tug of wars are also held. OBA2

Expedition program

The school has a long association with

Outward Bound Outward Bound (OB) is an international network of outdoor education organizations that was founded in the United Kingdom by Lawrence Holt and Kurt Hahn in 1941. Today there are organizations, called schools, in over 35 countries which are att ...

and have conducted compulsory expeditions in all levels of the Middle school and Year Ten in the Senior School. Commencing in 2009 the school only Year 9 and Year 10 students have attended compulsory Outward Bound expeditions with an optional program being available for Year 11 students. The expeditions are conducted in the

D'Entrecasteaux National Park D'Entrecasteaux National Park is a national park in Western Australia, south of Perth. The park is named after the French Admiral Bruni D'Entrecasteaux who was the first European to sight the area and name Point D'Entrecasteaux in 1792. The pa ...

and

Walpole-Nornalup National Park Walpole-Nornalup National Park is a national park in the South West (Western Australia), South West region of Western Australia, south of Perth. It is famous for its towering karri and tingle trees. Eucalyptus jacksonii, Red tingle trees are un ...

with students being accompanied by a staff member and an outward bound instructor.

Sport

The school participates in many sports in the local leagues including soccer, netball, hockey and basketball. The sporting uniform is navy blue and red, usually in horizontal stripes, although the design has changed through the years.

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

teams are entered into the Belt Up Cup carnival and the Smarter than Smoking carnivals and have achieved a good deal of success in their endeavour including winning the regional title in 2007 and 2008 for the Belt Up Cup. Country Week

Country Week Country Week or Country Senior High Schools Carnival is an annual multi-sport event carnival held in Perth, Western Australia between rural high schools from Western Australia. The carnival is organised by School Sport WA. The carnival includes ...

teams have been sent from the school since 2004 when the school sent 2 teams: boys'

and girls'

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifical ...

. The teams were composed of Year 12 students only and a total of 19 students and 3 teachers attended the carnival. More teams participated in the 2005 carnival with teams, again made up of Year 12 students only, for boys'

hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

and boys'

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

and girls'

attending. By 2006 teams were sent to represent the school in boys'

, boys'

and girls'

. This was the first year that the school sent students from both Year 11 and Year 12. GSG Cweek 2008 2

The 2007 school team consisted of Year 10,11 and 12 students and sports represented included boys' and girls'

, boys'

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

and girls'

. The school won two division shields in girls' A-grade

and boys' C-grade

. The 2008 carnival saw the school represented in the same sports as the previous year with the inclusion of a girls'

and a speech and debating team. The school won shields in boys' A-grade

, girls' A-grade

and girls' A-grade

. By 2009 the school team was composed of the same sports as in 2008, with shields being won in boys' A-grade

and boys' B-grade

. The school also came runner-up in the meritorious shield to Bunbury Cathedral Grammar. 2010 proved to be the school's most successful year at the tournament with teams representing all the sports taken in 2009 with the further addition of boys' and girls'

teams as well as a dance team. Shields were won in boys' A-grade

for the fourth year in a row and also in girls' A-grade

and by the

speech and debate Debate is a process that involves formal discourse on a particular topic, often including a moderator and audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for often opposing viewpoints. Debates have historically occurred in public meetings, a ...

team. The school also won the meritorious shield award for the first time. The school sent the same teams as for 2010 with the exception of dance but included a mixed touch rugby team to compete in the 2011 carnival. The speech and debate team was again successful as was boys' B-grade

. The school also came runner-up in the meritorious shield to

Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School (often denoted BCGS), is an independent school in Gelorup, Western Australia, a semi-rural suburb 10 kilometres south of Bunbury. Providing kindergarten, primary and secondary education, the school serves approx ...

In 2012 the school fielded its first

Australian Rules Football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

team in the competition, overall the school once again were runners up in the meritorious shield to the Western Australian college of Agriculture - Narrogin. In 2013 the boys' Volleyball team won the A-grade trophy and the girls' hockey team also won the A-grade title, overall the school came third in the meritorious shield. Equestrian The school has competed in the Western Australian Interschool

Equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: * Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes i ...

Championships since 2007. The team has been awarded Champion Secondary Dressage School in 2012, Reserve Champion Secondary Dressage Team in 2010, 2011, Champion Secondary Evening Team 2012 and Champion Secondary Showjumping Team in 2012. The equestrian team from the school has been awarded Champion Secondary Rural School in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 with many members of the team being have been invited to represent Western Australia at the National Championships in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.

References

External links

Great Southern Grammar
{{Authority control Private secondary schools in Western Australia Nondenominational Christian schools in Western Australia Educational institutions established in 1999 Boarding schools in Western Australia Great Southern (Western Australia) 1999 establishments in Australia Private primary schools in Western Australia