St Mary's College is a Kinder to Year 12

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 ...

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 compa ...

for girls (and boys to Year 2), located on the northern city fringe of Hobart,

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, Australia. Although predominantly a girls’ school, St Mary's accepts both boys and girls until Grade 2, and currently caters for approximately 900 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 Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th ce ...

to Year 12. It is located on the grounds of St Mary's Cathedral, next to the Junior School campus of

St Virgil's College St Virgil's College is an independent Catholic primary and secondary day school for boys, located over two campuses in Austins Ferry and Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Established in 1911 by the Congregation of Christian Brothers, the College has ...

. Boys who attend St Mary's for Kindergarten to Year 2 generally transfer to

Junior School Campus located just next door. St Mary's College is a member of the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australia. In 2008 St Mary's College celebrated its 140th birthday as a school of the

Presentation Sisters The Presentation Sisters, officially the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, are a religious institute of Roman Catholic women founded in Cork, Ireland, by the Venerable Honora "Nano" Nagle in 1775. The Sisters of the congre ...

. Its slogan to celebrate this year was "St Mary's College. A proud past. A strong future".

History

St Mary's

College A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...

was founded by the

in 1868, and although students are no longer exclusively taught by

sisters A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...

of the order, they still administer the college. Originally there were two schools on the present-day campus - St Columba's (a free primary school for the poorer community) and Mt St Mary's. The two were eventually merged. The original

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglic ...

and school-rooms are still on-site today. Although it is primarily an all-girls school, until the opening of

in 1911, the college catered for boys in senior grades as well. The college only taught Preparatory to Grade 12 until 1996, when the Kindergarten was opened. Until the 1990s the college's Principal was always a member of the order, but the last of the

to be Principal was Sister Barbara Amott. Sister Barbara has been a teacher and active member of St Mary's College for many years, and has been Principal on several occasions. The current Principal is Helen Spencer.

Curriculum

St Mary's College is currently implementing the Australian Curriculum in grades Prep-10. All subjects are compulsory in grades 7 and 8. In grades 9 and 10, students choose a certain number of elective subjects, as well as having core subjects. In Grade 11/12, students choose subjects which must add up to a minimum of 700 hours per year. Many of these subjects are prerequisites for university courses.

Co-curriculum

The school offers a variety of after-school activities in both sporting and arts areas. Sports include

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 ...

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players p ...

, soccer, and

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...

. The rowing boat shed is jointly own by St Mary's College, St Virgil's College, and

Guilford Young College Guilford Young College is a Roman Catholic senior secondary college, with campuses located in the Hobart suburbs of Glenorchy and Hobart City in Tasmania, Australia. The College provides education to students in Year 11 and Year 12, offer ...

, and is located in Newtown Bay. Other activities include the Junior and Senior School Choirs, the Senior Choral Group, the Senior Concert and Jazz bands, St Vincent de Paul Society,

Debating 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 ...

, and Public Speaking. In the past, the college held a biannual Arts Festival, which went for the three days before Hobart Show Day. During this week the students were allowed to choose from a variety of activities that included making jewellery, painting murals, and learning to belly dance. The Long Lunch, a picnic lunch on the school lawns, happened every arts festival, as did "KickArts", a competition in which other local schools entered their rock bands.

Sport

St Mary's College is a member of the

Sports Association of Tasmanian Independent Schools The Sports Association of Tasmanian Independent Schools (SATIS) is a group of sixteen schools in Tasmania (Australia), Tasmania, Australia formed by AHISA Tasmania (Australia), Tasmania to conduct sporting competitions for member schools. NSATIS ...

(SATIS).

SATIS premierships

St Mary's College has won the following SATIS premierships. * Athletics (2) - 2011, 2012 * Basketball (2) - 2014, 2016 * Hockey (4) - 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 * Netball (2) - 1991, 1992 * Rowing (2) - 2010, 2011 * Softball (2) - 1999, 2009 * Swimming (3) - 1988, 1989, 1990

Religion

St Mary's College is located next to St Mary's Cathedral. The College celebrates the Catholic liturgical year by attending Mass.

References

External links

St Mary's College Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary's College Catholic secondary schools in Hobart Presentation Sisters schools Girls' schools in Tasmania Educational institutions established in 1868 Catholic primary schools in Hobart Junior School Heads Association of Australia Member Schools 1868 establishments in Australia Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia