, motto_translation = Through Faith and Hard Work , established = , type =

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 ...

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 school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children and adolescents are given instructions during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compar ...

, denomination =

Congregation of Christian Brothers The Congregation of Christian Brothers ( la, Congregatio Fratrum Christianorum; abbreviated CFC) is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Blessed Edmund Rice. Their first school was opened in Waterford, Ireland, ...

, religious_affiliation =

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, oversight = Diocese of Broken Bay , trust = Edmund Rice Education Australia , affiliations = , educational_authority =

New South Wales Department of Education The New South Wales Department of Education, a department of the Government of New South Wales, is responsible for the delivery and co-ordination of early childhood, primary school, secondary school, vocational education, adult, migrant and hig ...

, gender =

Boys A boy is a young male human. The term is commonly used for a child or an adolescent. When a male human reaches adulthood, he is described as a man. Definition, etymology, and use According to the ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'', a boy is "a ...

, patron = Saint Pius X , slogan = , principal = Michael Ronchetti , location = , city = Chatswood, Lower North Shore,

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, state =

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 ...

, country = Australia , coordinates = , enrolment = , enrolment_as_of = 2007Australian School Choice – St Pius X College
(accessed: 27 June 2007) , years = 5– 12 , staff = ~84St Pius X College Annual Report 2006
(accessed: 27 June 2007) , colours = Blue and gold , homepage = St Pius X College (abbreviated as Pius) 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 ...

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and

for boys, located in Chatswood, a lower North Shore suburb of

, Australia. The school was established by the

in 1937 and is operated under the auspices of Edmund Rice Education Australia. Oversight of the school is provided by the Catholic Education Office of the Diocese of Broken Bay. Located in the heart of the Chatswood central business district, the school is close to Westfield Shopping Centre and

Chatswood railway station Chatswood is a railway station located in the Sydney suburb of Chatswood. It is served by Sydney Trains services; the T1 North Shore & Western Line and the T9 Northern Line, and the Sydney Metro's North West Line. History Chatswood stati ...

. In 2005, the College was ranked 101st in New South Wales for the Higher School Certificate marks, up from 108th the previous year. More recently, in 2013, the school again improved its rank to 73. It is a member of the Independent Schools Association (ISA) and the

Junior School Heads Association 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 Septem ...

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

History

St Pius X College started in 1937 as Christian Brothers Chatswood, 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 included meeting rooms, stands, basketball courts and can facilitate stage plays (Pius Talent Show). ''Fide et Labore'' is written on the shield, which is

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for "By Faith and Labour". In 2011, John Couani became the first

lay Lay may refer to: Places *Lay Range, a subrange of mountains in British Columbia, Canada *Lay, Loire, a French commune *Lay (river), France *Lay, Iran, a village *Lay, Kansas, United States, an unincorporated community People * Lay (surname) * ...

person to be principal of the school. The college has recently implemented an E-Learning program, which provides students with personal learning devices across the school, Using the Microsoft Surface Pro 4. then the Surface Pro 6, later using the Surface Pro 7 in 2021 and the Surface Laptop 5 in 2023. 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, chess 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.

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 The ''FIRST'' LEGO League Challenge (formerly known as ''FIRST'' LEGO League) is an international competition organized by '' FIRST'' for elementary and middle school students (ages 9–14 in the United States and Canada, 9–16 elsewhere). Each ...

. 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 Outdoor education is organized learning that takes place in the outdoors. Outdoor education programs sometimes involve residential or journey wilderness-based experiences in which students participate in a variety of adventurous challenges and out ...

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) * The Great Aussie Bush Camp (Year 7) * Ski trip (Year 8) * Workul Koo Terrigal (Year 9) * Immersions to Walgett and Bowraville (Year 10) * Snowy Hike (Year 11, the 100km 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

Jackson Bird Jackson Munro Bird (born 11 December 1986) is an Australian international cricketer. He has played for Australia in the past and currently plays first-class cricket for Tasmania. Bird is a fast-medium bowler. He is originally from Sydney and wa ...

Australian cricket player for the Tasmanian Tigers and the Hobart Hurricanes *

Josh Duinker Joshua Duinker (born 18 April 1989) is an Australian-Dutch former professional basketball player who last played for the Kumamoto Volters of the Japanese B.League . He has been a member of the Dutch national basketball team and holds a New Zeal ...

professional basketball player *

Ben Fordham Ben Fordham (born 29 November 1976) is an Australian journalist, sports reporter and radio presenter. Fordham currently hosts ''Ben Fordham Live'' on Sydney radio station 2GB. Career Fordham began his career on Sydney's 2UE radio station, for ...

journalist and broadcaster, Nine Network and 2GB * Peter Fricker former CEO Australian Institute of Sport *

Des Hasler Desmond John Hasler (born 16 February 1961) is an Australian professional rugby league coach, and a former professional rugby league footballer who played as and . He initially played for the Penrith Panthers, and then spent most of his playi ...

former rugby league footballer and coach of the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Manly Warringah Sea-Eagles * Michael Hooperrugby union footballer for the , Wallabies and Waratahs * Peter InghamAuxiliary Bishop of Sydney 1993–2001; Bishop of Wollongong 2001–presentArchdiocese of Sydney: Peter William Ingham
(accessed: 27 June 2007) * Luke Jonesrugby union footballer for the Melbourne Rebels *

David Kilcullen David John Kilcullen FRGS (born 1967) is an Australian author, strategist, and counterinsurgency expert who is currently the non-executive chairman of Caerus Associates, a strategy and design consulting firm that he founded. He is a professor a ...

strategist and counterinsurgency expert * Pat Mulroney Industrial Adventurer *

Martin Plaza Martin Edward Murphy (born 1 January 1956), commonly known by the pseudonym Martin Plaza, is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician and visual artist who is a founding member and vocalist and guitarist of the new wave band Mental As Anything. ...

founding member, vocalist and guitarist of Mental As Anything *

Greg Sheridan Gregory Paul Sheridan (born 1956) is an Australian foreign affairs journalist, author and Pundit, commentator. He has written a number of books on politics, religion and international affairs and has been the foreign editor of ''The Australian' ...

foreign affairs editor, ''The Australian'' newspaper * Peter ThompsonABC TV presenter * James Tuckerrugby union footballer *

Timm van der Gugten Timm van der Gugten (born 25 February 1991) is an Australian–Dutch international cricketer who made his debut for the Dutch national team in January 2012. He was born in Australia, and has also played for several teams in Australian domestic ...

cricket player for Netherlands, the Tasmanian Tigers and the Hobart Hurricanes * John Watkins former Deputy Premier of New South Wales, Minister for Transport, and Minister for Finance"Seize the opportunity"
''Elicia Murray''. ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

''. 21 April 2007 (Accessed 26 November 2009). * Francis Webbpoet

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Pius X College Catholic primary schools in Sydney Educational institutions established in 1937 Catholic secondary schools in Sydney Congregation of Christian Brothers secondary schools in Australia Boys' schools in New South Wales Junior School Heads Association of Australia Member Schools Independent Schools Association (Australia) Chatswood, New South Wales 1937 establishments in Australia Congregation of Christian Brothers primary schools in Australia