Hunters Hill High School

Infobox Aust school
name = Hunter's Hill High School


motto = "Opera Ad Maiora"
(Latin:"Work for Higher Endeavour")
established = 1958
type = Public, Co-educational, Secondary, Day school
principal = Ms. J.M. Felton
city = Hunter's Hill
state = New South Wales
country = Australia flagicon|Australia
coordinates = coord|33|49|56|S|151|8|54|E|display=inline,title
campus = Suburban
enrolment = ~585 (7–12)cite web |url=http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/schoolfind/locator/?section=showRecord&code=8207 |title=Hunters Hill High School |accessdate=2008-03-04 |work=School Locator |publisher=New South Wales Public Schools]
colours = Blue and Grey color box|#0000FFcolor box|#808080
homepage = [http://www.huntershd-h.schools.nsw.edu.au huntershd-h.schools.nsw.edu.au]

Hunter's Hill High School (HHHS) is a public, secondary, co-educational, day school, located in Hunter's Hill, a suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is situated on the Lane Cove River, near the Figtree Bridge.

Established in 1958, HHHS was the first co-educational high school in Sydney.fact|date=March 2008 Today the school is a comprehensive high school catering for approximately 585 students from Years 7 to 12, with most residing in the inner western suburbs and lower North Shore.

Hunter's Hill High School is a school of the New South Wales Department of Education and Training (DET), and prepares students for the School Certificate (Year 10), and the Higher School Certificate (Year 12).

History

The first Principal, Mr. J.S.Rae, was responsible for the initial intake of 368 students and a staff of twenty. In Form 1, the equivalent of Year 7 today, classes went from 1A to 1M with as many as 48 students to a class.

The school colours chosen were two shades of blue and grey with the motto "Opera Ad Maiora", which may be translated from Latin to "Work for Higher Endeavour". The sporting houses, reflecting the history of the area, were named after the ferries that originally carried patrons to the picnic grounds: Rawson, Napier, Ferguson and Carrington.By the time the school was officially opened on August 9 1962, by Sir Eric Woodward, the Governor of New South Wales, the enrolments had grown to 927 with a staff of 47. Classroom blocks had been built along with the senior block, including science laboratories, art rooms and general classrooms following in 1969. In 1973, Sir Eric Archibald Willis, then Premier of New South Wales, opened the new library plus further classrooms and laboratories.

To much controversy, the school was threatened with closure by the New South Wales Government in 2002, as part of its "Building the Future" plan.cite web |url=http://www.huntershd-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/news/Figleaf/index.htm |title=Extensive Coverage |accessdate=2008-03-04 |work=News |publisher=Hunters Hill High School] The school had been chosen for closure due to the number of competing private and selective schools in the area, and thus a drop in enrollments over recent years. It was estimated that the school could be sold for over AU$55 million.cite news| first = Erika| last = Zimmer| title = Australia: Sydney schools to close despite widespread opposition| url = http://www.wsws.org/articles/2001/jul2001/edu-j03.shtml| work = News & Analysis| publisher = World Socialist Web Site| date = 2001-07-03| accessdate = 2008-03-04] Teachers and students protested against the sale, and in 2002, following the commencement of the "Save Hunters Hill High School Act 2002", drafted by Kerry Chikarovski,cite web|url= http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/PARLMENT/nswbills.nsf/d2117e6bba4ab3ebca256e68000a0ae2/67ed2b63eac2db76ca256c29003d3b3c/$FILE/b02-415-p01.pdf|title= Save Hunters Hill High School Bill 2002|accessdate= 2008-03-04|last= Chikarovski|first= Kerry |year= 2002|format= PDF|work= NSW Bills|publisher= Parliament of New South Wales] former New South Wales Opposition Leader, the decision was withdrawn just weeks before the planned closure date.

Campus

Hunter's Hill High School is located on a single campus, six hectares in size, in suburban Hunters Hill. The site features natural bushland, and sits on the southern shore of the Lane Cove River.

In 2000, the school's historic pavilion hall was burned down by arson, causing upset to local residents and the school community. Subsequently, the beginning of 2006 saw the new school hall completed.

Principals

Notable alumni

* Rose Byrne – Actress
*Byram Johnston OAM – Former president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Australia
* Jessica Napier – Actress
* Holly Throsby – Musician

References

* [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/07/03/1025667001569.html Inquiry rules against plan to close schools] , "The Sydney Morning Herald", 3 July 2002 (retrieved 29 July 2006).
* [http://www.theage.com.au/news/gig-previews--reviews/holly-throsby/2007/01/01/1167500052528.html Holly Throsby] , "The Age", 1 January 2007 (retrieved 19 July 2008).

ee also

*List of Government schools in New South Wales

External links

* [http://www.huntershd-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/ Hunters Hill High School Website]