Luther College (Victoria)

Infobox Aust school

name = Luther College

| motto = "Unctio eius Docet
"The Holy Spirit is Our Sex God"
established = 1964
type = Independent
principal = Adrian Wiles
campus = Plymouth Rd
enrolment = ~1000 students
city = Croydon
state = VIC
country = Australia
colours = Red, white, blue
homepage = [http://www.luther.vic.edu.au/ www.luther.vic.edu.au]

Luther College is a co-educational independent secondary school of the Lutheran Church of Australia located in the inner-eastern suburb of Croydon in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It maintains a close relationship with the Outer Eastern Lutheran Church parish of the Lutheran Church of Australia, which congregates in the school's chapel facilities. It provides education for years 7-12. Some year 10 and all year 11 and 12 students undertake the VCE program.

History

Opened in 1964, Luther College is a school of the Lutheran Church of Australia, named for the father of the Lutheran Church, Dr. Martin Luther, a 16th century German theologian.

Beginning as a boarding school with students from remote regional areas of Victoria making up a large percentage of its enrolment, the school grew to become popular with International students. However after a decline in International enrolments and worries about the growth of the student body in relation to the school's facilities, the boarding program ended in the late nineties, with the boarding house facilities being demolished or adapted into classrooms.The school now admits small numbers of students from remote areas who take part in a home-stay program, residing with the families of local students.

Campus

The campus has altered considerably since the school's opening in 1964.

Several houses originally owned by the College and formerly lived in by its chaplains, boarding students and boarding-house supervisors have been converted into office blocks, including what is now the school's Ministry Centre.

The school's facilities also comprise three sporting ovals, four basketball courts and four tennis courts which can be converted into a half-sized hockey court, and often doubles as a soccer field during lunchtimes.

Religious education

As a school of the Lutheran Church of Australia, Luther College students participate in mandatory religious education classes in years 7-12.
* In years 7-8, these classes are known as "Christian Studies" and students develop basic Biblical knowledge and discuss theological issues.
* In year 9, students participate in one semester of "Christian Studies" (see above) and one semester of "Social and Voluntary Service" classes. In these classes students learn about world issues including poverty and human rights. All students must then undertake three days of community service in an approved institution.
* In year 10, the program focuses on personal and spiritual development.
* In years 11 and 12, students undertake one of two VCE courses, either "Religion and Society" which focuses on world religions and the influence of religion on modern world culture, or "Religious History" which charts the development of Christianity throughout history. While neither course contributes to the ENTER score, both are assessed VCE subjects awarded either a "Satisfactory" or "Non-satisfactory" grade on the student's VCE transcript.

All students from all year levels attend a chapel service in the school's chapel four days out of the week. On Wednesday, students participate in a devotion in their homegroup classes.

The school's campus contains a special Ministry Centre which contains the offices of the school's three chaplains as well as the school counsellor. Students can go to the Ministry Centre at any time of the day to seek advice or counselling.

IT program

Luther College is a notebook computer school. The notebook program was commenced in 1995, with a pilot class of 30 Year 10 students. At the end of the year, the school council voted to commence the notebook program for all year 10 students, commencing from 1996 onwards. More recently, the program was extended to year 9 students.

School houses

There are four houses operating within the school. These are further divided into form classes, also known as home groups, which hold meetings every morning to distribute news and information. They include 5-8 students from every year level. The four houses are:
* Birt - named after Birt's Hill which adjoins the College campus to the east. House Colour: Blue.
* Cheong - named after Cheok Cheong who arrived in 1899 to develop land in the local area. House Colour: Red.
* Nelson - named after Nelson Hill, located between the Maroondah Highway and Mt Dandenong Road. House Colour: Yellow.
* Wicklow - named after Wicklow Hill, at 207 m above sea level the highest ground in Croydon. House Colour: Green.

The four houses compete annually for a school trophy. The events in which the houses compete are:
* Athletics carnival, where the houses compete in a number of track and field events.
* Swimming carnival, in which the houses compete in various races and aquatic events.
* Cross-country carnival, a long-distance run through the College campus and the surrounding suburb of Croydon, Victoria.
* Performing Arts festival, which takes place bi-annually, in which the houses compete by performing a half-hour segment which includes choral, ensemble and dance pieces
* House Drama, where the four houses direct, produce and perform plays, traditionally written by students
* Public Speaking, One member from each House in every year level speaks for 3-5 minutes depending on their year level on a topic of their choice, and are then awarded points on their presentation which are transferred to their house.
* House sports, where members of the four houses are divided into teams by year level and compete in different team sports, such as volleyball, soccer, softball and basketball.

All of the above events are considered voluntary, with the exception of the cross-country which is mandatory for all students, and house sports which are mandatory for all students.

Involvement with Good Shepherd Lutheran Primary School

Both Luther College and The Good Shepherd Lutheran Primary School are private schools, as well as schools of the Lutheran Church of Australia. Both their campuses are located in Croydon, separated by two sporting ovals.

The schools share many of their facilities, including the sporting ovals, as well as the Luther College chapel which is used by the primary school for special occasions. The schools have very similar uniforms, and until 2004 their physical education uniforms were almost identical.

As many as 80% of Good Shepherd students attend Luther College after the completion of year 6, due to the school's close proximity and affordable fees. Due to this, students of the schools share a close relationship. Many Collegiates undertake work experience or voluntary service placements at Good Shepherd, and both schools often present chapel services for each other.

There has been speculation since Good Shepherd's inception that the schools will one day join to become one college that provides education for all students years prep-12, as other private Church schools including Methodist Ladies' College and Yarra Valley Grammar have successfully done, but there has been no official acknowledgement of this proposal from either school at any time.

Extra-curricular activities

The following are extra curricular activities and are options to all students:
* Multimedia group – teaches students how to use a variety of programs such as Flash, Adobe Photoshop and 3D Studio Max and how to create stop motion and machinima films.
* Middle + Senior School Fora – organises charity events for the school (years 7-9) e.g. Red Nose day, Y B Blue day, and other free dress days for different causes.
* Chapel Tech – in morning service, these students are responsible for any audio-visual requirements
* RAW – a group that is held once a week and is a Christian environment for anyone who wants to go along to talk.

The following music ensembles are optional providing the required level of skill is demonstrated
* Choral
* Chamber Singers
* String Orchestra
* Friday Strings
* Stage Band
* Symphonic Band
* Concert Band
* Cello Ensemble
* Flute Ensemble
* Guitar Ensemble

Luther College prides itself in its strong volleyball program. Students from all year levels participate in both indoor and beach volleyball. In 2008, Luther College sent a senior girls volleyball team to New Zealand to compete in their national schools volleyball competition.

Notable Alumni

* Australian golfing champion Aaron Baddeley who still attends annual Golf Days held at the school.
* Australian Olympic sailor Sarah Blanck
* Amateur Pilot Lachlan Hare featured on Channel 9 news after a young Indian Pilot was killed during instruction. Lachlan was credited for his heroic actions towards helping the accident victim. [http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-AU&brand=ninemsn&playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:917b9ae7-4a60-4c8e-94bd-189c3fa4b552&showPlaylist=true&from=channelinline&fg=news]
* Australian Paralympic women's wheelchair basketballer Kathleen O'Kelly-Kennedy

References