St Leo's Catholic College is a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

systemic secondary

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

for boys and girls, located in the Upper North Shore suburb of Wahroonga in

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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 ...

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. Situated in the Diocese of Broken Bay, the high school currently has approximately 1000 students from

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Year 12 Year 12 is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. It is sometimes the twelfth or thirteenth year of compulsory education, or alternatively a year of post-comp ...

. The school's patron saint is Leo the Great, one of the early Popes of the Catholic Church.

History

The college was founded by the

Congregation of Christian Brothers The Congregation of Christian Brothers (; abbreviated CFC) is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Edmund Ignatius Rice, Edmund Rice. Their first school opened in Waterford, Ireland in 1802. At the time of its ...

on 25 April 1955 for the education of boys of Sydney's Upper North Shore. The first classes commenced in 1956 with 118 students in Years 3 to 6. By 1983, the Brothers were no longer able to staff the college and so its administration was passed to the Catholic Education Office, Sydney. Upon the departure of the Christian Brothers, the first lay Headmaster was appointed. The College became co-educational, with the first girls enrolling in Year 11 in 1983 and Year 7 in 1984. By 1987, the college had fully completed the integration of co-education. When the newly created Diocese of Broken Bay was formed, the College came under the jurisdiction of the Catholic Schools Office, Broken Bay. In the 1982, the College undertook an extensive building program including a multi-purpose hall and art and hospitality facilities. In 2002, a new Technology Centre was constructed. The multi-purpose Light of Christ Centre was opened in 2012. By the start of 2020, the College completed a $25 million building works program that included the new Mary MacKillop Centre for Creative and Performing Arts, Technology and Hospitality which includes a dance and drama theatre, commercial kitchens, TAS workshops, art gallery, visual art studios, specialty music, orchestra, and band rooms as well as other learning spaces. Other recently completed upgrades include renovation of the College Chapel, Aquinas Resource Centre including library and cafe, a new College entrance, and additional outdoor recreation spaces. In 2020, the College introduced new academic and sports uniforms for both junior and senior students, with a three-year transition period for the new uniform.

Campus and facilities

St Leo's is located on in the Upper North Shore suburb of Wahroonga and, in 2020, completed a $25 million building upgrade. Facilities include: * the new Mary MacKillop Centre for Creative and Performing Arts, Design, Technology and Hospitality, which includes a theatre, art facilities, kitchens, woodworking shops, and large meeting spaces * The Light of Christ Centre – a multipurpose complex for over 1000 people used for indoor sports, assemblies and a range of College functions and events * a Chapel * two full-sized sports ovals and three outdoor basketball courts * two large shaded outdoor recreational areas * an Aquinas Resource Centre (LIBRARY) including a library, study hubs, open learning areas, student cafe, and outdoor meeting area * a canteen.

House system

Each student is allocated to one of the eight College

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 condi ...

. Each house has a brother and or sister house which combine for certain occasions. The houses have been named in honour of Saints and other influential faith leaders: * Aquinas (green) * Bakhita (purple) * Chanel (dark blue) * Loyola (gold) * McAuley (light blue) * MacKillop (bronze) * Teresa (white) * Xavier (red)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Leo's Catholic College Educational institutions established in 1956 Wahroonga, New South Wales 1956 establishments in Australia Hornsby Shire Private secondary schools in Sydney Former Congregation of Christian Brothers schools in Australia Roman Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay

History

Campus and facilities

House system

See also

References

External links