Association Of Heads Of Independent Girls' Schools
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The Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools (AHIGS), is an Australian association for
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
girls' schools, founded in
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. Established in 1916 as The Association of Head Mistresses of New South Wales, the Association decided to trade as Independent Girls' Schools Association (IGSA). The Association in 2022 comprised 32 member schools, enables inter-school
aesthetic Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy,'' , acces ...
,
cultural Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...
and sporting activities between
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
and the
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's independent and
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girls' schools. AHIGS also exists for the purpose of encouraging
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and a bond of
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and
collegiality Collegiality is the relationship between colleagues, especially among peers, for example a fellow member of the same profession. Colleagues are those explicitly united in a common purpose and, at least in theory, respect each other's abilities t ...
among independent girls' schools and their "heads", and working towards advancing the cause of the
education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
of girls through
policy Policy is a deliberate system of guidelines to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an or ...
development on major issues of concern. The association actively represents its members and the interests of their schools at a
political Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...
level, through
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s and
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s. Through AHIGS competitions, member schools and their students, are encouraged to value good
sportsmanship Sportsmanship is an aspiration or ethos that a sport or activity will be enjoyed for its own sake, and with proper consideration for wikt:fairness, fairness, ethics, respect, and a sense of fellowship with one's competitors. A "sore loser" r ...
, participation, team spirit and fairness above undue competitiveness and
individualism Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote realizing one's goals and desires, valuing independence and self-reliance, and a ...
. Of New South Wales' fifteen female Rhodes Scholars (1904 to 2009), eight have attended an AHIGS School.


Schools


Members


Former members


History

At the Women's Club on 8 November 1916 a group of eight Headmistresses formed ''The Association of Head Mistresses of New South Wales'', with Miss Edith Badham (SCEGGS Darlinghurst) elected as Foundation
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
. The eight founding schools were: *Abbotsleigh, Wahroonga *Normanhurst School, Ashfield (no longer exists). *Kambala, Rose Bay *Meriden School, Strathfield *Methodist Ladies' College, Burwood *The Presbyterian Ladies' College, Croydon (now Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney) *Ravenswood School for Girls, Gordon *The Sydney Church of England Girls' Grammar School (now SCEGGS Darlinghurst) Eligibility for membership was eventually offered to a further 24 girls' schools. In 1945, a national association was formed, and AHIGS New South Wales heads served as Presidents of that organisation as follows: *1950–1952 Miss D. Knox (PLC Pymble) *1959–1962 Miss P. Bryant (Frensham) *1975–1978 Miss B. Chisholm (SCEGGS) *1985 Miss K. McCredie (Abbotsleigh). The national organisation was disbanded on 26 August 1985 when the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia was founded. AHIGS first admitted male heads of girls' schools to membership from 1973 however, so far no male member has been elected to the position of President.


Presidents of the New South Wales association


Independent Girls' Schools Sporting Association

The thirty-two members' schools of AHIGS are eligible to participate and compete against each other in a number of sporting carnivals and interschool sports through IGSA Sport (formerly known as IGSSA). Secondary school girls compete in team and individual sports at school level and can be selected to represent IGSA Sport as part of the NSWCIS and All Schools sporting pathways.


Archdale debating competition

The Archdale Debating Competition is a competition conducted by the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools for the benefit of students from 24 of its members' schools. Established in the early 1970s, it is an annual competition conducted over two terms (typically between March and August), with each member school entering a team into each of the divisions. The Archdale Shield is awarded to the school which performs best across the whole competition. The award is determined through an overall points score after the conclusion of the final round. The competition is named in honour of Helen Elizabeth (Betty) Archdale (August 21, 1907–January 11, 2000), former principal of The Women's College at the
University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...
(1946–1957), and former headmistress of Abbotsleigh (1958–1970). Betty Archdale was also a talented cricketer, captaining the English women's cricket team in 1934 and 1935. In 1944 Archdale was awarded an
Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
for her part in getting nurses out of
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during
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. In 1999 she was one of the first ten women to be granted Honorary Life Membership of
Marylebone Cricket Club The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's, Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London, England. The club was the governing body of cricket from 1788 to 1989 and retain ...
in
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. Archdale was listed as an Australian Living Treasure in 1997.


History

Although a number of AHIGS schools offered debating as an extracurricular activity from around the 1920s, it was not until the 1960s that inter-school debating became common among girls' schools. In 1971, following a debate between Abbotsleigh and a combined high schools team, the decision was made to form a debating organisation for independent girls' schools. This organisation was called 'ISSGDA', and it was made up of sixteen independent schools (girls' and
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 ...
) divided into four geographic areas for competition purposes. The first ISSGDA final was contested between Abbotsleigh and Moriah College (the only non-AHIGS school to compete) at Abbotsleigh. The
trophy A trophy is a tangible, decorative item used to remind of a specific achievement, serving as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are most commonly awarded for sports, sporting events, ranging from youth sports to professional level athlet ...
, which Miss Archdale had donated, was won by Abbotsleigh and presented by Miss Kathleen McCredie, the then headmistress of Abbotsleigh. From this point on, the competition became known as the 'Archdale Debating Competition'.


Archdale winners


Festival of Speech

The concept of a 'Festival of Speech' for the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools was first suggested in the early 1990s by Mr. Chris Faisandier, then Principal of Kincoppal-Rose Bay and a member of AHIGS. Formerly a Principal of Sacred Heart College in
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
, Faisandier was involved with the O'Shea Shield Competition in which about twenty schools from the lower
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of New Zealand participated. The purpose of the O'Shea Shield Competition was to encourage students to develop skills in the areas of
public speaking Public speaking, is the practice of delivering speeches to a live audience. Throughout history, public speaking has held significant cultural, religious, and political importance, emphasizing the necessity of effective rhetorical skills. It all ...
,
debating Debate is a process that involves formal discourse, discussion, and oral addresses on a particular topic or collection of topics, often with a moderator and an audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for opposing viewpoints. Historica ...
, analysis and
rhetoric Rhetoric is the art of persuasion. It is one of the three ancient arts of discourse ( trivium) along with grammar and logic/ dialectic. As an academic discipline within the humanities, rhetoric aims to study the techniques that speakers or w ...
. So popular was the competition and so high was the standard of presentation, that the winners of the O'Shea Shield were often featured on New Zealand television. With the support of the AHIGS membership, Mr Faisandier established the Festival of Speech (then known as the ''Independent Girls Schools Speaking Competition'') in NSW in 1996. The inaugural Festival, spanning Friday evening and all day Saturday, was hosted by Kincoppal-Rose Bay, won by Roseville College, and attended by fifteen schools. Today the Festival continues to be hosted annually by an AHIGS member school, and some thirty-two schools now participate. Students have the opportunity to perform in the areas of
drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
,
debating Debate is a process that involves formal discourse, discussion, and oral addresses on a particular topic or collection of topics, often with a moderator and an audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for opposing viewpoints. Historica ...
,
poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...
,
prose Prose is language that follows the natural flow or rhythm of speech, ordinary grammatical structures, or, in writing, typical conventions and formatting. Thus, prose ranges from informal speaking to formal academic writing. Prose differs most n ...
readings, current affairs and
religious Religion is a range of social- cultural systems, including designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relate humanity to supernatural ...
and
ethical Ethics is the philosophical study of moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches include normative ethics, applied e ...
questions. The Festival is open to girls from AHIGS schools in years seven to eleven.AHIGS Festival of Speech
(accessed:21-06-2007)


Winning schools


See also

*
List of non-government schools in New South Wales This is a list of non-government schools in the state of New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders ...


References


External links

*
Independent Girls' Schools Sporting Association

Archdale Debating Competition
{{AHIGS Schools Australian schools associations