Beaconhills
Encyclopedia
Beaconhills College is a co-educational, ecumenical
, independent school
providing education from early learning to preparatory to year 12. The college has three campuses. Little Beacons Learning Centre and the Valley Campus located in Pakenham
and the Village Campus is situated in Berwick
, Victoria
, Australia
.
Beaconhills was established in 1982 by the Anglican and Uniting Churches to serve the education needs of the Christian community in the greater Pakenham area. The College celebrated its silver jubilee
in 2007.
in 1980. By March 1981 a Steering Committee had been established with Mr John McConchie appointed as Chairperson. The Steering Committee called a public meeting at the Pakenham Hall on 11 March 1981 where the proposal to establish an ecumenical, co-educational, low-fee secondary school was ratified in the presence of some 250 people.
In 1981, as the Steering Committee continued to hold public meetings seeking support for the new school, a 13 acres (52,609.2 m²) site on Toomuc Valley Road, Pakenham was purchased and portable classrooms obtained from St. Catherine's School
in Toorak
, and Mr Frank Millet was appointed as founding principal. On 3 February 1982 Beaconhills Christian College opened with 34 students and five staff. A dedication service was held at St. James Church on 28 March 1982. Mr Frank Millet led the College as principal until 1988 by which time the College community had grown to include 388 students and a teaching staff of 30. Mr John McConchie, having led the Steering Committee, was Chairperson of the Board until 1986.
Today, Beaconhills College spans three campuses and has over 3200 students enrolled between early learning, preparatory and year 12.
) and SIS (Southern Independent Schools) associations.
Ecumenism
Ecumenism or oecumenism mainly refers to initiatives aimed at greater Christian unity or cooperation. It is used predominantly by and with reference to Christian denominations and Christian Churches separated by doctrine, history, and practice...
, independent school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
providing education from early learning to preparatory to year 12. The college has three campuses. Little Beacons Learning Centre and the Valley Campus located in Pakenham
Pakenham, Victoria
Pakenham is a satellite suburb of Melbourne on the edge of the West Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia, south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is Cardinia Shire. At the 2006 Census, Pakenham had a population of 19,644...
and the Village Campus is situated in Berwick
Berwick, Victoria
Berwick is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Casey. At the 2006 Census, Berwick had a population of 36,420....
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Beaconhills was established in 1982 by the Anglican and Uniting Churches to serve the education needs of the Christian community in the greater Pakenham area. The College celebrated its silver jubilee
Silver Jubilee
A Silver Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 25th anniversary. The anniversary celebrations can be of a wedding anniversary, ruling anniversary or anything that has completed a 25 year mark...
in 2007.
Inception
The idea to establish a local, independent, Christian school was conceived by a group of parishioners at St. John's Anglican Church in Upper BeaconsfieldBeaconsfield Upper, Victoria
Beaconsfield Upper is a town in Victoria, Australia, 45 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Cardinia...
in 1980. By March 1981 a Steering Committee had been established with Mr John McConchie appointed as Chairperson. The Steering Committee called a public meeting at the Pakenham Hall on 11 March 1981 where the proposal to establish an ecumenical, co-educational, low-fee secondary school was ratified in the presence of some 250 people.
In 1981, as the Steering Committee continued to hold public meetings seeking support for the new school, a 13 acres (52,609.2 m²) site on Toomuc Valley Road, Pakenham was purchased and portable classrooms obtained from St. Catherine's School
St Catherine's School, Toorak
St Catherine's School is an independent, non-denominational, Christian day and boarding school for girls, located in Toorak, an inner south-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
in Toorak
Toorak, Victoria
Toorak is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district located on a rise on the south side of a bend in the Yarra River. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington...
, and Mr Frank Millet was appointed as founding principal. On 3 February 1982 Beaconhills Christian College opened with 34 students and five staff. A dedication service was held at St. James Church on 28 March 1982. Mr Frank Millet led the College as principal until 1988 by which time the College community had grown to include 388 students and a teaching staff of 30. Mr John McConchie, having led the Steering Committee, was Chairperson of the Board until 1986.
Today, Beaconhills College spans three campuses and has over 3200 students enrolled between early learning, preparatory and year 12.
Village Campus
The Village Campus, situated on a 15 hectare site in Kangan Drive, Berwick, opened in 2003 with 356 students and 38 staff members. The initial student cohort spanned preparatory to year 7 and has grown each year in line with the progress of the senior-most students of initial cohort. 2008 marked the first year that the Village Campus offered a full preparatory to year 12 program, accommodating approx 1400 students.Sport
The Valley and Village Campuses compete in inter-school sports with other member schools of the GIS (Gippsland Independent SchoolsGippsland Independent Schools
Gippsland Independent Schools is an association of schools in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. The association organises many inter-school extracurricular competitions...
) and SIS (Southern Independent Schools) associations.
The Houses
The eight houses are named after individuals who have made significant contributions to Beaconhills College.| Clark House |
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|---|---|
| Creese House |
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| Leaver House |
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| McConchie House |
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| Millett House |
|
| Rich House |
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| Tregoning House |
|
| Woods House |
|
Inter-house Competition
The eight houses participate in inter-house competitions throughout the year. Inter-house activities include:- AthleticsAthletics (track and field)Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
- Cross CountryCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
- Debating
- Performing ArtsPerforming artsThe performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
- SwimmingSwimming (sport)Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
Uniform
Summer Uniform
The summer uniform is worn in the first and fourth terms. The summer uniform consists of a short sleeve white shirt, and grey pants or shorts for boys or the summer dress for girls.Winter Uniform
The winter uniform is worn in the second and third terms. The winter uniform consists of a long sleeve white shirt and tie, with grey pants for boys or grey kilt with navy blue stockings for girls.School Blazer
The Beaconhills blazer is navy blue with the College Crest embroidered in gold on the chest pocket. While the blazer may be worn all year, it is an explicit requirement on formal occasions or when students represent the College in public, including travel to and from the College.Future developments
Beaconhills has plans to continue development of the Village and Valley campuses over the next five years:| 2008 |
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| 2009 |
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| 2009 |
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| 2010 |
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| 2007 |
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| 2008 |
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| 2009 |
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Alumni
Notable Old Collegians include:- Bill GrangerBill GrangerBill Granger is a self-taught cook, restaurateur and food writer, based in his native Australia, but also working internationally.-Career:In the late 1980s, Granger relocated from Melbourne to Sydney to study art. He found inspiration in the city's lifestyle, light and harbour views. He worked...
, cook, restaurateur and food writer - Pippa BlackPippa BlackPippa Black is an Australian actress. From 2005 to 2009, Black played Elle Robinson in the soap opera Neighbours. Black played Tonya in the NBC series Outsourced from 2010 to 2011.-Career:...
, actress in Australian soap opera NeighboursNeighboursNeighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
See also
- List of schools in Victoria
- List of high schools in Victoria
- Victorian Certificate of EducationVictorian Certificate of EducationThe Victorian Certificate of Education or VCE is the credential awarded to secondary school students who successfully complete high school level studies in the state of Victoria, Australia. Study for the VCE is usually completed over two years, but it can be spread over a longer period in some cases...