St Virgil's College 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 * Independe ...

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 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

primary and secondary

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 comp ...

for boys, located over two campuses in

Austins Ferry Austins Ferry is a residential locality in the local government area (LGA) of Glenorchy in the Hobart LGA region of Tasmania. The locality is about north of the town of Glenorchy. The 2021 census recorded a population of 2,395 for Austins Fe ...

and Hobart,

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

, Australia. Established in 1911 by the

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, Irela ...

, the College has a non-selective enrolment policy and caters for approximately 680 students, from Years 3 to 10, with 120 at the junior campus and 480 at the senior campus. St Virgil's is affiliated with 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 Septe ...

(JSHAA), the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), and is a member of the Sports Association of Tasmanian Independent Schools (SATIS). Oversight of the school is administered by the

Archdiocese of Hobart The Archdiocese of Hobart is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Australia located in Hobart and covering Tasmania, Australia. Immediately exempt to the Holy See, the area covered was initially ...

, Tasmanian Catholic Education Office, and the school is a member of Edmund Rice Education Australia.

History

St Virgil's College was formally opened on 22 January 1911 by The Christian Brothers. Leo Doyle was the first student admitted to the college. At is foundation the college was a boarding school for boys located in Barrack Street, Hobart. The boarding section of the college was closed in 1970 and since then St Virgil's College has been a

only. In 1962, another campus was opened in

, offering junior secondary grades (Grades 7–9) on a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the ...

side property of 30

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100- metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is ...

s. In 1991, three Grade 10 streams were also added. 2012 marks the 50 year celebrations for the campus. The Barrack Street campus then expanded for students from Grades 7–12 until 1994 when, under the Southern Secondary Schools Restructuring Plan, the campus no longer accepted enrolments for Grade 7. At the end of 1994, Grades 8, 11 and 12 ceased to run at the Barrack Street campus, and all secondary grades were moved to the Austins Ferry campus. This allowed

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, offerin ...

(Grades 11 and 12) to be established on the Barrack Street site. Grades 9 and 10 still ran in 1995, and only Grade 10 was offered in 1996. After 1996, St Virgil's College ceased to operate any of its classes on the Barrack Street campus. From then on, Grades 7–10 were all taught at the Austins Ferry campus, and because of the discontinuation of Grades 11–12, many students moved on to the newly formed Guilford Young College for their pre-tertiary years. In August 1995, permission was granted for St Peter's School to become the St Virgil's College Junior School from 1996 onwards. The Junior School now accommodates boys from Grades 3–6 and operates on the old St Peter's School site in Patrick Street. The current Principal of St Virgil's College is John Franzin, who was appointed in 2022. Damian Messer left the college in 2021 to carry out other goals and explore different paths. In 2009, Christopher D. Smith left the college to carry out higher duties. Franzin is now the full-time principal, with Daniel Lapolla as the Vice-Principal teacher of the college, who replaced Heidi Senior in 2021. In 2019, it was announced that St Virgil's College would expand from a Year 3-10 school to a kinder to Year 12 school. Works are currently underway to develop both the Hobart and Austins Ferry sites in order for the school to cater for the new students by 2023.

Curriculum

St Virgil's College offers a broad

curriculum In education, a curriculum (; plural, : curricula or curriculums) is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to ...

, with the areas of

literacy Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, hum ...

and

numeracy Numeracy is the ability to understand, reason with, and to apply simple numerical concepts. The charity National Numeracy states: "Numeracy means understanding how mathematics is used in the real world and being able to apply it to make the be ...

of high importance. Emphasis is also placed on the languages,

science Science is a systematic endeavor that Scientific method, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of Testability, testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earli ...

social sciences Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the o ...

and

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 ...

. The College places the most emphasis on its teaching of

religious education In secular usage, religious education is the teaching of a particular religion (although in the United Kingdom the term ''religious instruction'' would refer to the teaching of a particular religion, with ''religious education'' referring to te ...

, which is central to every student's studies.

Co-curriculum

Sport

St Virgil's College is a member of the Sports Association of Tasmanian Independent Schools (SATIS). Much importance is placed on sport at St Virgil's College. All students are encouraged to participate in at least one sport during their time at the college. The college has had much success on the sporting field throughout its history. Most recent is the college's domination of the Tasmanian State and Southern School's

Athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competiti ...

. The college's athletics team have won the SATIS (Sports Association of Tasmanian Independent Schools) Boy's junior title 10 years in a row, and the Southern SATIS title 10 years in a row as well. Other sports on offer at St Virgil's include

canoe polo Canoe polo, also known as kayak polo, is one of the competitive disciplines of kayaking. The sport is also known simply as "polo" by its players and supporters. Each team has five players on the pitch (and up to three substitutes), who compete ...

, cross-country,

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

, football,

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 ...

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 at ...

, soccer,

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball c ...

, touch football,

water polo Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with t ...

, basketball, rugby, badminton, squash,

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' ( sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' ( iceboat) or on ''land'' ( land yacht) over a chose ...

, and athletics.

Music

The college has two teacher-coordinated stage bands accommodating players of different skill levels. St Virgil's also offers individual and small group instrumental tuition for those wishing to acquire the skills to excel further than a band setting can allow them. The college also has the facilities to accommodate students wishing to start their own

rock band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two gui ...

. The St Virgil's College Senior

Stage Band In opera, a ''banda'' (Italian for ''band'') refers to a musical ensemble (normally of wind instruments) which is used in addition to the main orchestra and plays the music which is actually heard by the characters in the opera. A ''banda sul palco' ...

has won numerous awards for its efforts at various

eisteddfod In Welsh culture, an ''eisteddfod'' is an institution and festival with several ranked competitions, including in poetry and music. The term ''eisteddfod'', which is formed from the Welsh morphemes: , meaning 'sit', and , meaning 'be', means, a ...

s around Hobart. The Senior Band specialises in the areas of contemporary rock,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

, blues and

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 ...

music. The band often performs at school fairs, school productions and masses. In late 2005, the Senior Band, along with the jazz quartet, toured

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

, performing at various schools and other venues. It is currently organizing and arranging plans to go on a similar tour of Melbourne in 2007. The Senior Stage band has also taken part in many St Virgil's school musicals. The band currently has between 10 and 15 members, and mainly features the

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standar ...

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrat ...

and

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

( alto,

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors i ...

and baritone), with a rhythm backing (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

and keyboard).

Other co-curricular clubs

St Virgil's College also offers a wide range of co-curricular activities outside of sport and music. Most notably a robotics club who participated in the FIRST Lego League and the FIRST Tech Challenge in 2020. St Virgil's College also offers a chess club. This was founded in 2018 and made the Australian national championships in 2020.

House system

As with most Australian schools, St Virgil's utilises a

house system The house system is a traditional feature of schools in the United Kingdom. The practice has since spread to Commonwealth countries and the United States. The school is divided into subunits called "houses" and each student is allocated to on ...

. The school houses are: *Doyle — Blue *Dwyer — Green * Hessian (formerly Virgilian House) — Red *Joyce (formerly College House) — Yellow

Notable alumni

An alumnus of St Virgil's College is known as an 'Old Virgilian' and may elect to join the school's alumni association, the Old Virgilians' Association. The Association was established in 1916 as a way for Old Virgilians to meet regularly and keep in touch with news about the college. Some notable Old Virgilians include: ;Entertainment, media and the arts * Anthony Ackroyd – comedian and writer * Geoff "Jeff" Hook – Tom Lewis – author, military historian and naval officer * Toby Leonard Moore">Tom_Lewis_(author).html" ;"title="artoonist * Tom Lewis (author)">Tom Lewis – author, military historian and naval officer * Toby Leonard Moore – actor * Don Sharp – film director * Peter Damian Williams – author and military historian ;Military * Major General Michael Crane (general), Michael Crane – Commander of all Australian Forces in the Middle East area of operations (

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

) ;Politics, public service and the law * Henry Cosgrove – Judge of the Supreme Court of Tasmania * William Cox –

Governor of Tasmania The governor of Tasmania is the representative in the Australian state of Tasmania of the Monarch of Australia, currently King Charles III. The incumbent governor is Barbara Baker, who was appointed in June 2021. The official residence of the ...

* Anthony Fletcher – former member of the Legislative Council * Peter Heerey – Justice of the

Federal Court of Australia The Federal Court of Australia is an Australian superior court of record which has jurisdiction to deal with most civil disputes governed by federal law (with the exception of family law matters), along with some summary (less serious) and indic ...

* Pierre Hutton – diplomat * Gintaras Kantvilas – scientist ( lichenologist) & state public servant *

Paul Lennon Paul Anthony Lennon (born 8 October 1955) is a Labor Party politician. He was Premier of Tasmania from 21 March 2004 until his resignation on 26 May 2008. He was member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly for the seat of Franklin from 1990 unt ...

– 42nd

Premier of Tasmania The premier of Tasmania is the head of the executive government in the Australian state of Tasmania. By convention, the leader of the party or political grouping which has majority support in the House of Assembly is invited by the governor of T ...

* Doug Lowe – 35th Premier of Tasmania * Kenneth Lowrie – former member of the Legislative Council and Glenorchy

Alderman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members them ...

Albert Ogilvie Albert George Ogilvie (10 March 1890 – 10 June 1939) was an Australian politician and Premier of Tasmania from 22 June 1934 until his death on 10 June 1939. Ogilvie was the elder son of James Ogilvie. He was educated at St Patrick's C ...

– 28th Premier of Tasmania ;Religion * Adrian Leo Doyle – Archbishop of Hobart * Michael Tate – Catholic priest and former Federal Justice Minister ;Sport * Scott Bowden – Olympic mountain bike rider and road cyclist * Scott Brennan – Australian rowing Olympic gold medallist and world champion * Sean Clingeleffer – cricket player; Tasmanian wicketkeeper *

Sam Darley Sam Darley (born 15 February 1993) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Greater Western Sydney Giants and Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL He was one of the 's. Darley made his debut ...

– Australian rules footballer *

Michael Di Venuto Michael James Di Venuto (born 12 December 1973) is an Australian cricket coach and former first-class cricketer who represented both Australia (in One Day Internationals) and Italy. The bulk of his first-class cricket career was spent playing ...

– cricket player for the Tasmanian Tigers and Derbyshire County *

Brodie Holland Brodie Holland (born 3 January 1980) is a former professional Australian rules footballer and model best known for his playing days at the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League. Brodie Holland is also known for his media ...

– Australian rules footballer for Collingwood Magpies * Simon Hollingsworth –

400 metre hurdles The 400 metres hurdles is a track and field hurdling event. The event has been on the Olympic athletics programme since 1900 for men and since 1984 for women. On a standard outdoor track, 400 metres is the length of the inside lane, once a ...

2X lympian and 3X Commonwealth Games representative; Rhodes Scholar * Caleb Jewell – cricket player for North Hobart, Tasmanian Tigers and Hobart Hurricanes * Oliver O'Halloran – youngest person to fly around world solo, unassisted, completed in 2017 * Jack Riewoldt – Australian rules footballer for Richmond Tigers * Sid Taberlay – Olympic mountain bike rider *

Ted Terry Edward Richard Terry (4 June 1904 – 5 March 1967) was an outstanding all-round Tasmanian schoolboy athlete. He was an accomplished professional sprinter, and he also played Australian rules football in Tasmania before moving to the mainlan ...

— outstanding schoolboy athlete, winner of the 1925

Burnie Gift The Burnie Gift is a professional footrace held in Burnie, Tasmania during an annual sports carnival, held on a grass track at West Park Oval West Park Oval is an Australian Rules football, cycling and athletics venue located on the shores of ...

, and – Australian rules footballer for St Kilda Saints *

Tristan Thomas Tristan Thomas (born 23 May 1986 in Brisbane) is an Australian track and field athlete specialising in the 400 metres hurdles.Peter Toogood – former Australian amateur golf champion

References

External links

St Virgil's College Website

Catholic Education Tasmania

Department of Education Tasmania
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Virgil's College Catholic primary schools in Hobart Catholic secondary schools in Hobart Educational institutions established in 1911 Congregation of Christian Brothers secondary schools in Australia Boys' schools in Tasmania Junior School Heads Association of Australia Member Schools 1911 establishments in Australia Congregation of Christian Brothers primary schools in Australia