St Brigid's College

Infobox Aust school private
name = St Brigids College


motto = "Virtus Sola Nobilitat"
("Virtue Alone Enobles")
established = 1929
type = Private, Co-educational (Years K-7), Single-sex (Years 8-12)
denomination = Roman Catholic
slogan =
key_people = Amelia Toffoli (principal)
fees =
city = Lesmurdie
state = W.A
country = Australia flag|Australia
enrolment = ~1200
num_employ = ~110
revenue =
products =
colours = Green & gold
homepage = [http://www.stbrigids.wa.edu.au www.stbrigids.wa.edu.au]

St Brigid's College is an independent Roman Catholic, day and boarding school for girls in Lesmurdie, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia.

The campus consists of a girls high school for years 8-12 and a coeducational junior school for years K-7, sporting grounds, and boarding facilities for 137 students. The college has strong ties with Mazenod College where many male students attending St Brigid's Primary School continue their education.

History

St Brigid's College was founded in 1929 by the Sisters of Mercy as an extension of the West Perth convent and college also named after Saint Brigid of Kildare. Construction of the original buildings commenced in 1913 for Archibald and Maude Sanderson, and were used as a private day and boarding school for approximately 20 students [Sanderson, H.: "Lesmurdie: A Home in the Hills." The Nine Club, 1979] .

In 1919, at the end of World War I, the buildings were sold to the Red Cross for use as a hospital [cite web|url=http://www.stbrigids.wa.edu.au/pages/about_history.asp|title=SBC History|author=St Brigid's College, Lesmurdie|year=2006|accessdate=2007-09-10] . In April 1929, the property was purchased by the Sisters of Mercy. This new school opened on April 21, 1929, with Mother Teresa Rielly and seven sisters providing education to 35 boarding students and 3 day students.

Campus

St Brigid's College is located in the suburb of Lesmurdie, which is atop the Darling Scarp in Perth, Western Australia. The school falls into the South Ward of the Shire of Kalamunda.

The campus has been progressively extended over its history as funds and space have become available. A Sisters Convent and Chapel was constructed in 1965 as an addition to the original building, which has been listed with the Heritage Council of Western Australia. [cite web|url=http://register.heritage.wa.gov.au/viewplace.html?place_seq=1261&offset=1&view=location|title=Heritage Council of Western Australia|author=Heritage Council of Western Australia|year=2006|accessdate=2007-09-10] This was followed in 1990 with the construction of a 157-person Boarding House to the rear of the campus.

The McAuley Wing was constructed in 1999 as a dedicated Technology, Science and Art building. The building is also used by the Senior School as form rooms when not in use for other classes.

The latest addition to the college is the Sister Mary Rose Fitness Centre, completed in 2002, which houses an indoor heated swimming pool, sprung dance floor and fitness equipment. The facility is available for paid use by the public.

Community Service

St Brigid's contributes to the community through a number of community service activities including school-wide projects such as fundraising and food drives on behalf of charities. Students in years 7 to 12 are also involved in a service-learning program called "Mercy In Action - Making A Difference", which encourages the spirit of mercy as espoused by Catherine McAuley, the founder of the Sisters of Mercy. This program reqires students to complete a number of community service hours each year as part of their Religious Education study. Some of the suggested activities in Years 11 and 12 are blood donation, Red Cross soup patrol, peer mentoring and assisting community organisations. [St Brigid's College, Lesmurdie: "Mercy In Action - Making A Difference" St Brigid's College, 2006]

House system

The College houses are named after significant persons in the history of the College and the Sisters of Mercy: [cite web|url=http://www.stbrigids.wa.edu.au/pages/about_history_mercysisters.asp|title=About SBC - History - Mercy Sisters|author=St Brigid's College|year=2006|accessdate=2007-09-10]
*McAuley - Blue - named after Venerable Catherine McAuley, founder of the Sisters of Mercy;
*Watson - Red - named after Mother Bridget Watson, the Congregational Superior who purchased the original buildings from the Red Cross;
*Reilly - Purple - named after Mother Teresa Reilly, who was the Mother of the original Sisters working at the school;
*Docherty - Green - named after The Docherty family, who provided much needed support for the boarding school, as well as establishing the expansive lawns which provide greenery to much of the campus;
*Shine - Yellow - named after Sister Phillip Shine, noted for her contribution to the musical education of the students.

See also

* Mazenod College, Western Australia - St Brigid's brother school
* List of schools in Perth
* List of schools in Western Australia
* List of schools in Australia
* List of boarding schools

References

External links

* [http://www.stbrigids.wa.edu.au St Brigid's Website]