Como Secondary College

Como Secondary College is an independent public co-educational specialist high day school, located in Como, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Established in 1969, the College caters for approximately 850 students from Year 7 to Year 12 with specialist programs delivered across academic talent, golf, hockey, and music.

Como Secondary College
Location
Como, Perth, Western Australia

Australia
Coordinates32°00′12″S 115°52′13″E
Information
TypeIndependent public co-educational specialist high day school
MottoAchieving and celebrating our personal best
Established1969 (1969)
Educational authorityWA Department of Education
PrincipalDigby Mercer
Years7-12
Enrolment850
Campus typeSuburban
Colour(s)Navy blue and white   
Websitewww.como.wa.edu.au

History

The College is located on land that was part of the former Collier Pine Plantation, an area of approximately 364 hectares (900 acres), planted in 1925 by the WA Forests Department.[1]

The College was constructed in 1968, with the first classes commencing in February 1969. The College is open to students of ages 12 to 18 (Year 7 to Year 12). It currently has nearly 900 students attending classes, and often take Rotary exchange students from overseas on school exchange.

College life

The diversity of the student population is broadened by the contributions of an International Students' program at the school and by students who come from all over the metropolitan area and regional Western Australia to be part of one of the specialist programs. Many regional students choose to board in the nearby Rotary House, located in Victoria Park.

The College offers international tours in hockey, golf and music and the opportunity of travel to different international destinations with the World Challenge community service and humanitarian expedition every two years, with recent expeditions taking students to Borneo (2012), India (2014), and Laos and Cambodia (2016).

Approved specialist programs

The College, as part of the Department of Education, offers multiple specialist programs in the fields of music, hockey, golf, and academics (EMITS).

EMITS

The EMITS (Enriched Mathematics, Information Technology and Science) programme, which is a selective programme available by application, testing and interview. The EMITS students are placed in a streamed class for all core curriculum areas for the first three years and then progress seamlessly to the year eleven and twelve mainstream program. The College has developed a strong relationship with Curtin University – Western Australia’s largest and most multicultural university. The College's EMITS program challenges its students everyday to think about the world around them and how they might improve it.[2]

Golf

The Golf Academy is one of the most successful school programmes in Australia - with a string of local, state, and national titles and achievements to its credit. Over 16 professional golfers including Matt Jager, Kristie Smith and Hannah Green have graduated from the program, and the Academy holds five Australasian titles, five national teams’ titles,[3] and thirteen state teams’ titles.[4][5] The Como Golf Academy has won a number of state, national and international titles and has had a significant number of state and national representatives as well as State and World Champions amongst its ranks.

  • 2005-06 Trans Tasman Secondary Schools Teams Championship
  • 2004-06 & 2008 Australian Secondary Schools Teams Championship[6]
  • World Schools Golf Challenge[7] in Adelaide 2009, Stellenbosch 2011, Hua Hin 2013

Hockey

The Hockey Program is Australia's best school hockey program (and most certainly Western Australia's best school program) - with both boys'[8] and girls'[9] teams dominating competitions in Western Australia every year. The College's Hockey Academy has won numerous State School Championship Titles.

  • 2000-2009, 2011-12, 2013-2017 David Bell Cup (Open Boys) Champions[10]
  • 1995, 1997, 2000-02, 2004-05, 2007-11, 2016-17 Buchanan Cup (Open Girls) Champions[11]
  • 2006-08, 2010-14, 2017 Ross Meadows Shield (Year 7-9 Mixed) Champions[12]

On 18 August 2017, the Como Hockey Academy set a Guinness World Record[13] for the Largest Hockey Lesson. The Lesson included 618 participants.[14]

Music

The College's Contemporary Jazz program is regarded as a hub for creativity and musical development, giving its students a creative environment to learn and develop skills that will enrich their musical experience. The program caters for varying genres, with its main focus on Contemporary and Jazz music, with ensembles ranging from Contemporary groups, Jazz Big Bands of varying skill, to both junior and senior Concert Bands. The program boasts highly regarded teachers, many of whom have years, even decades of professional experience in a wide array of musical forms. The program has produced many fine musicians who have gone on to study at WAAPA (Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts), the West Australian Conservatorium of Music at UWA, and other highly regarded musical institutions, with some current/past students even accepted into playing in the states most prestigious youth music institutions; WAYJO (West Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra, and WAYSO (West Australian Youth Symphony Orchestra).

The College's "School of Contemporary Music" program regularly competes in music festivals in Melbourne and Sydney.

Catchment area

As defined by the School Education Act 1999, the Intake Area[15] for Como Secondary College covers the entire suburbs of South Perth, Como, Manning, Salter Point, Karawara, Waterford and Wilson,[16] with the feeder primary schools of Como, Collier, Manning, Wilson and Curtin.

15% of the student enrolments are from beyond the local catchment, attending the school's specialist studies programs.

Notable alumni

See also

References
  1. William, J; Moore, S; Warren, C (2005). "1919 to 1935: A pivotal period for the forests of the south west of Western Australia" (pdf). Murdoch University. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  2. "Como Secondary College". Education and Training International. Archived from the original on 5 April 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  3. "History & Honour Roll – Australian Secondary Schools Teams Championship" (PDF). Golf Australia.
  4. "School Sport WA – Interschool Secondary Golf". School Sport WA.
  5. "School Sport WA – Golf WA Secondary Schools Championship". Golf WA.
  6. "History & Honour Roll – Australian Secondary Schools Teams Championship" (PDF). Golf Australia.
  7. "World Schools Golf Challenge Championship". Golf Australia.
  8. "School Sport WA – Interschool Hockey Secondary Boys". School Sport WA.
  9. "School Sport WA – Interschool Hockey Secondary Girls". School Sport WA.
  10. "School Sport WA – Interschool Hockey Secondary Boys". School Sport WA.
  11. "School Sport WA – Interschool Hockey Secondary Girls". School Sport WA.
  12. "School Sport WA – Interschool Hockey Secondary Boys". School Sport WA.
  13. "Como Hockey World Record".
  14. "Como Secondary College Hockey Academy Smashes World Record". Southern Gazette.
  15. "Local Intake Area Como Secondary College". Schools Online.
  16. "School Education Act 1999 - Declaration of local-intake areas for schools with secondary students" (PDF). Western Australian Government Gazette. 29 December 2006. pp. 5861–5862. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
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