Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools

Infobox Organization
name= Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools
image_border= AHIGSlogo.jpg‎
size=200px
headquarters=North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia flagicon|Australia
membership=30 member schools
language= English
general= Mrs Carol Bowern (Tara)cite web |url=http://www.ahigs.nsw.edu.au/DeskTopDefault.aspx?tabid=292 |title=AHIGS Executive Committee 2008 |accessdate=2008-03-17 |work=Committee Members|publisher=Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools]
formation= 1916
website= [http://www.ahigs.nsw.edu.au/ www.ahigs.nsw.edu.au]

The Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools (AHIGS), is an association for private girls' schools, based in North Ryde, a Lower North Shore suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Established in 1916 as The Association of Head Mistresses of New South Wales, today the Association enables inter-school aesthetic, cultural and sporting activities (through the Independent Girls' Schools Sporting Association) between 30 of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory's most exclusive independent and Catholic girls' schools.

AHIGS also exists for the purpose of encouraging communication and a bond of co-operation and collegiality among independent girls' schools and their "heads", and working towards advancing the cause of the education of girls through policy development on major issues of concern. The association actively represents its members and the interests of their schools at a political level, through lobbying governments and politicians.cite web|url=http://www.ahigs.nsw.edu.au/DeskTopDefault.aspx?tabid=291|title=Statement of Objectives|accessdate=2007-09-13|work=Objectives and Rules|publisher=Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools] Through AHIGS competitions, member schools and their students, are encouraged to value good sportsmanship, participation, team spirit and fairness above undue competitiveness and individualism.

Of New South Wales' thirteen female Rhodes Scholars (1904 to 2007), seven have attended an AHIGS School. [http://www.usyd.edu.au/registrar/rhodes/previous.shtml "NSW Rhodes Scholars"] — University of Sydney list, (retrieved 16 April 2007)]

chools

Members

Independent Girls' Schools Sporting Association

Twenty-eight member schools of AHIGS compete against each other in a number of sporting carnivals and termly sports through the Independent Girls' Schools Sporting Association (IGSSA). Secondary school girls compete in team and individual sports at school level and can be selected through IGSSA for state representative teams and higher competitions.

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 21 of its Member Schools.cite web |url=http://www.ahigs.nsw.edu.au/DeskTopDefault.aspx?tabid=295 |title=Archdale Debating |accessdate=2007-09-13 |work=Association of Heads of Independent Girls' 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 seven 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 The Women's College at the University of Sydney (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 for her part in getting nurses out of Singapore during World War II. In 1999 she was one of the first ten women to be granted Honorary Life Membership of Marylebone Cricket Club in England. Archdale was listed as an Australian Living Treasure in 1997.cite web |url=http://www.abbotsleigh.nsw.edu.au/index.cfm?page_id=EAFB7526-3474-DCCC-81B91D012E142B51 |title=HE (Betty) Archdale |accessdate=2007-09-13 |work=Abbotsleigh]

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 amongst 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) 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, 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 1990's 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, Faisandier was involved with the O'Shea Shield Competition in which about twenty schools from the lower North Island 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, debating, analysis and rhetoric. 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 twenty-five schools now participate. Students have the opportunity to perform in the areas of drama, debating, poetry, prose readings, current affairs and religious and ethical questions. The Festival is open to girls from AHIGS schools in years seven to eleven. [http://www.ahigs.nsw.edu.au/DeskTopDefault.aspx?tabid=294 AHIGS Festival of Speech] (accessed:21-06-2007)]

Winning schools

References

See also

* List of non-government schools in New South Wales

External links

* [http://www.ahigs.nsw.edu.au/ AHIGS website]
* [http://igssa.ahigs.nsw.edu.au Independent Girls' Schools Sporting Association]
* [http://archdale.info/ Archdale Debating Competition]