Dapto High School
Encyclopedia
Dapto High School is a high school located in Dapto
Dapto, New South Wales
Dapto is a southern suburb of Wollongong in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia, located on the western side of Lake Illawarra and covering an area 7.15 square kilometres in size...

, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, 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...

. It was opened in 1958 and has around 935 students enrolled. The current principal is Mr Andrew FitzSimons.

The high school celebrated its 50th year of teaching by having a whole school photo taken containing every student and faculty member. The picture was featured on the cover of the Illawarra Mercury
Illawarra Mercury
The Illawarra Mercury is the only daily newspaper in Wollongong, the third largest city in the State of New South Wales, Australia. It has been published since 1855, making it one of Australia's oldest newspapers...

. The High School held its 50th anniversary celebrations in May 2008.

Staff

Principal
  • Mr. Andrew FitzSimons (2004 - )

Replaced retired Principal Terry Birch, who left at the end of 2002. Arrived in mid 2004 to assume duty from relieving principal Al Voysey, who returned to role of Deputy Principal.

Deputy Principals
  • Mrs. Lynette Lanham (2009 - )

Transferred from Glenwood High School and replaced retired Deputy Principal Peter Johnson. Assume duty on the first day of Term 2, 2009.
  • Mr. Darcy Moore (2006 - )

Replaced DP Al Voysey who transferred to Vincentia High School at the end of Term 1, 2006. Assumed duty in Term 4, 2006. Responsible for years 7,9,11. Teacher of Advanced English Course, Year 11, 2009.

School ranking

On the basis of the 2007 New South Wales Higher School Certificate, Dapto High School was ranked number 602 out of a total of 673 schools whose students sat the HSC in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

. In 2007 Dapto High School students received 5 total credits from 87 Year 12 students who attempted 443 exams giving a 2007 success Rate of 1.13%. In 2006 6 total credits were gained from 472 attempts and the 2006 success rate was 1%.

These types of league table analyses have been criticised by statisticians as they do not allow for the nature of schools. For example, James Ruse Agricultural High School is a selective school whose students are in the top 5% of the state at the time of intake but do not achieve to that level in the HSC. League tables do not account for socio-economic factors either.

School-to-work program

In 2002, Dapto was the subject of a case study for its school-to-work program, which chronicled how the school innovated a centralized reporting program via school reports, which turned around an otherwise unsuccessful program and made the program a "whole new approach" which was recommended for other schools. As a result of this program the school's careers advisor, Steve Heinecke, was awarded the title of top careers advisor in New South Wales in 2005.

Fire

On 6 June 1999, a suspicious fire occurred at Dapto High School which caused about A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...

100,000 in property damage. Two girls, one 12 and one 13, were charged with arson.

Notable alumni

  • Dr. Kurt Lambeck
    Kurt Lambeck
    Kurt Lambeck is Professor of Geophysics at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. His current research interests include the interactions between ice sheets, oceans and the solid Earth, as well as changes in ocean levels and their impact on human populations.Lambeck is also...

    , Professor of Geophysics at the Australian National University
    Australian National University
    The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...

    , president of the Australian Academy of Science
    Australian Academy of Science
    The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The Academy is modelled after the Royal Society and operates under a Royal Charter; as such it is...

    .
  • Dean Young, rugby league
    Rugby league
    Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...

     player
  • Mathew Head
    Mathew Head
    Mathew Head is an Australian professional rugby league player for the St. George Illawarra Dragons. He previously played for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League and Hull in Super League. He primarily plays at half-back.-St. George Illawarra Dragons:Head's career has been plagued by...

    , rugby league player
  • Paul McGregor, rugby league player
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