St Cuthbert's College is a private (independent)

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their na ...

-based

day A day is the time period of a full rotation of the Earth with respect to the Sun. On average, this is 24 hours, 1440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds. In everyday life, the word "day" often refers to a solar day, which is the length between two so ...

and boarding school for girls aged 4 to 18 (Years 0 to 13), located in Epsom,

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

, New Zealand. The school was established in 1915 and has a roll of approximately 1300 students and is widely regarded as one of the best academically performing

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compu ...

s in New Zealand. In 2015, Metro Magazine stated that "the top academic results in Auckland, every year, are scored by St Cuthbert’s College" and the school has been awarded the title of Metro Magazine's Highest-Ranked Auckland Secondary School for Academic Achievement in 2013, 2014 (when the equivalent of 53 per cent of the Year 13 roll gained scholarships), 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2022. The school is affiliated with the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia (AGSA), the New Zealand Boarding Schools' Association (NZBSA), Independent Schools of New Zealand (ISNZ), and is an overseas member of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA). The school offers both the

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB ...

diplomas and the national NCEA qualification.

History

The college was established as the Auckland Presbyterian College for Ladies Ltd in 1915, when a group of Presbyterian elders purchased Mt Eden Collegiate, a

private school Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * Private (Ryōko Hirosue song), "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private ...

for girls, and appointed Miss Isobel Macdonald as the school's first principal. Miss Macdonald chose the motto, "By Love, Serve", and renamed the school St Cuthbert's College as the Trust Board suggested that a shorter and more distinctive name was required. The school is named after the

Northumbria la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria , common_name = Northumbria , status = State , status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...

n monk-bishop

Saint Cuthbert Cuthbert of Lindisfarne ( – 20 March 687) was an Anglo-Saxon saint of the early Northumbrian church in the Celtic tradition. He was a monk, bishop and hermit, associated with the monasteries of Melrose and Lindisfarne in the Kingdom of Nor ...

and, since 1918, it has celebrated St Cuthbert's Day annually in March. In 1925, the college moved to its present site in Epsom. In 1932, three school

houses A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air cond ...

were established, Dunblane,

Elgin Elgin may refer to: Places Canada * Elgin County, Ontario * Elgin Settlement, a 19th-century community for freed slaves located in present-day North Buxton and South Buxton, Chatham-Kent, Ontario * Elgin, a village in Rideau Lakes, Ontario ...

and

Melrose Melrose may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Melrose, Scottish Borders, a town in the Scottish Borders, Scotland ** Melrose Abbey, ruined monastery ** Melrose RFC, rugby club Australia * Melrose, Queensland, a locality in the South Burnet ...

, each named after places of significance in the life of St Cuthbert. In 1936, the winter uniform was changed to

Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regim ...

tartan, after the then principal, Lavinia Clouston, had seen the uniform at the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney. Black Watch tartan also has been the summer uniform since 1966.

School motto

The St Cuthbert's College

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mo ...

is "By Love, Serve". The motto was chosen to encourage students to share, respect the needs of others, accept different viewpoints and to live peacefully. The school verse comes from 1 Corinthians 13 chapters 1–13 and is consistent with "By Love, Serve", and students are constantly reminded to be "By Love, Serve".

Boarding

St Cuthbert's College accepts both

students and

boarding Boarding may refer to: *Boarding, used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals as in a: ** Boarding house **Boarding school *Boarding (horses) (also known as a livery yard, livery stable, or boarding stable), is a stable where ho ...

students. Boarding students from Years 7 to 13 live in one of St. Cuthbert's three boarding houses: Dunblane, Elgin or Melrose. The boarding community at St Cuthbert's College is very diverse. Boarders come from

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, the

Pacific Islands Collectively called the Pacific Islands, the islands in the Pacific Ocean are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of ...

and a range of other overseas locations, as well as from both urban and rural New Zealand. An increasing number of boarders are local students living between Karaka and the North Shore.

Curriculum

Academic

The college offers both the NCEA and the IB qualifications. In 1999 a Thinking Skills programme was introduced based on Art Costa's Habits of Mind. Senior management credit this programme for the college's continuing ranking as one of New Zealand's top schools.

Physical education

Physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explora ...

is compulsory for all students from Years 1 to 11. Students are also given the opportunity to pitch themselves against other top athletes in local, regional and national tournaments as part of the college's Athlete Pathway Programme. Over 90 per cent of senior students participate in extra-curricular sporting activities.

Kahunui

In Year 10, the students take part in a four-week experience at Kahunui, a large outdoor living space in the

Bay of Plenty The Bay of Plenty ( mi, Te Moana-a-Toi) is a region of New Zealand, situated around a bight of the same name in the northern coast of the North Island. The bight stretches 260 km from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runaw ...

bush, where the girls participate in physical activities as well as academic work that is taught by practical applications (e.g. maths is covered in budgeting and English through creative writing journal entries). During their time at Kahunui, the girls are divided into groups of eight students and they are expected to live in and manage their own residence. The outdoor programme includes overnight sea kayaking and tramping trips.

Headmistresses/Principal

* Isobel MacDonald 1915-1921 * Lavinia Clouston 1921-1948 * Violet Wood 1949-1968 * O.J. Holland 1969-1989 * Frances J. Compton 1989-1995 * Lynda J. Reid 1996-2016 * Roz Mexted 2017 * Justine Mahon 2018–present

Notable alumnae

Alumnae Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...

of St Cuthbert's College are commonly referred to as Old Girls, and may elect to join the school's alumnae association, the Old Girls' Association. Some notable St Cuthbert's Old Girls include: * Bianca Babarich-Bacher – Joint winner, New Zealand Young Sailor of the year, Women's 420 sailing

world champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

and

Halberg Halberg may refer to: People * Chuck Halberg (born 1942), American lawyer and politician * Franz Halberg (1919–2013), American-Romanian scientist and one of the founders of modern chronobiology * Jonny Halberg (born 1962), Norwegian author a ...

finalist. * Alexandra Brewis Slade – anthropologist/social scientist. * Christine Fletcher – former Member of Parliament for Epsom and Mayor of Auckland * Philippa Gower – World Record holder and Olympic backstroker in the 1950s * Julia King – field hockey player, member of Black Sticks Women (2011–) * Roseanne Liang – film director *

Vicki Lin Vicki Lin (born 1984) is a New Zealand television presenter and actor who has appeared on Being Eve and What Now. She joined What Now alongside Tāmati Coffey. Lin co-hosted Studio 2 (New Zealand), Studio 2 between 2007 and 2009. She did not r ...

– presenter on Studio 2 * Katherine Faith (Willow) Macky – one of New Zealand's leading composers of folk-style music and songs (also attended Iona College) * Stacey Michelsen – field hockey player, member of Black Sticks Women (2009–) (also attended Kamo High School) *

Kim Noakes Kimberley Noakes (now Archibald; born 3 October 1982) is a New Zealand field hockey player who competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Noakes was born in Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in ...

– New Zealand Black Sticks * Dr Margaret Orbell - author, editor and academic *

Suji Park Suji Park (born 1985) is a Korean-New Zealand ceramic sculptor and artist. In 2015, she was Artist in Residence at McCahon House in Auckland, New Zealand. Park was born in Seoul, Korea, and moved to New Zealand with her family when she was 12 ye ...

– Korean-New Zealand artist * Polly Powrie – sailor, Olympic gold medallist (2012 London) *

Lucy Talbot Lucy Talbot (born 26 April 1989) is a New Zealand field hockey player. She has competed for the New Zealand women's national field hockey team (the ''Black Sticks Women'') since 2009, including for the team at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. In M ...

– field hockey player, member of Black Sticks Women (2009–) * Rose Carlyle – author *

Renee Liang Renee Wen-Wei Liang (born 1973) is a New Zealand paediatrician, poet, essayist, short story writer, playwright, librettist, theatre producer and medical researcher. She has been the recipient of several awards for her services to arts, science ...

- paediatrician, poet, essayist, short story writer, playwright, librettist, theatre producer and medical researcher *

Pamela Allen Pamela Kay Allen (née Griffiths; born 3 April 1934) is a New Zealand children's writer and illustrator. She has published over 50 picture books since 1980. Sales of her books have exceeded five million copies. Early life and family Born in ...

– author and winner of the Margaret Mahy Medal for children's literature * Ann Gluckman - author, travel writer, and copresident of the Auckland Council for Christians and Jews *

Katie Doar Katie Doar (born 11 September 2001) is a New Zealand field hockey player, who plays as a midfielder. Personal life Katie Doar was born and raised in Whangārei. She has an elder sister, Madison, who has also represented New Zealand in field ...

- New Zealand field hockey player, member of Black Sticks Women- 2019 *

Madison Doar Madison Doar (born 29 June 1999) is a New Zealand field hockey player for the New Zealand national team. She participated at the 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup The 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup was the 14th edition of the Women's Hockey Worl ...

- New Zealand field hockey player, member of Black Sticks Women- 2017 * Sulu Tone-Fitzpatrick - New Zealand Netball player, member of the Silver Ferns 2011, 2018 - present

Cultural references

In the '' bro'Town'' première episode "The Weakest Link" (2004), one of the schools competing in the high school quiz challenge is named "Saint Cuthersan's College", a combination of both St Cuthbert's and the nearby Diocesan School for Girls.

References

External links

St Cuthbert's College Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Cuthbert's College, Auckland Boarding schools in New Zealand Educational institutions established in 1915 Girls' schools in New Zealand Presbyterian schools in New Zealand Primary schools in Auckland Secondary schools in Auckland Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia 1915 establishments in New Zealand