Kelvin Grove State College
Encyclopedia
Kelvin Grove State College is located at Kelvin Grove
, Queensland
three kilometres from Brisbane’s central business district
and adjacent the Kelvin Grove campus of Queensland University of Technology
(QUT).
It formed in 2002 with the amalgamation
of Kelvin Grove State High School and Kelvin Grove State School and is one of the largest government educational institutions in Australia
. The school is recognised for its emphasis on the performing arts
, achievements in all facets of school life and its cultural diversity reflecting the experience of inner city
Brisbane communities.
The amalgamation was an initiative of the Government of Queensland
's Smart State initiative. The name was voted upon by students, staff and administration in 2001 from a selection of choices. Thus, the school became a P-12 (prep to year twelve) school for state enrolments. The amalgamation also created 3 sub schools; 'The Junior School' catering for grades prep to 5, 'The Middle School' catering for grades 6 to 9 and 'The Senior School' catering for grades 10 to 12.
In 2006 the school joined the Healthy State system and removed a large proportion of junk food
including all soft drinks.
All seven schools have had their share of success. Some limitations do apply to entry and testing may be required to gain entry. All these schools of excellence are an extra cost to the free education provided by a state school. Limited scholarships are available to some applicants.
Isaka Cernak
& Adam Sarota
who play for Brisbane Roar as well as Robbie Kruse
who plays for Melbourne Victory and Scott Higgins
who is signed for Gold Coast United in the A-league are former students with KGSC's Soccer Excellence.
David Williams (footballer)
is another former student of the Soccer Excellence. Williams now plays for The North Queensland Fury has one cap for the Socceroos (Australian National Team).
Kelvin Grove also has the largest Visual Art department in Queensland, with a dedicated art faculty and computer design laboratories.
Kelvin Grove music student Sarah Bakker has performed in numerous roles including the understudy in Phantom Of The Opera, the cast toured around Australia in 2008 and 2009.
Many QDSE dancers, vocalists, choir members and a select group of musicians have taken part in celebrations and concerts such as the Q150 Creative Generations concert at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.
Kelvin Grove has an excellent Instrumental Music Program. In 2009, the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble and Corelli Strings toured to Sydney. The head of Instrumental Music is Alisa Jones, who is a highly accomplished musician and has played an instrumental role in making the music program what it is today. The Percussion Ensemble perform regularly at school events and competitions throughout Brisbane.
The houses were originally based on the first letter surname, however, to even out the numbers in each house this has become less obvious. In previous years, members of Schools of Excellence were all placed in the same sporting house, however this was unfair on houses and the policy was scrapped. Recent years have been won exclusively by the Bowen house, regularly taking out both the Swimming Carnival and Athletics Day trophies, however Lutwyche and Herbert have won both trophies in the last two years. The names of the houses are all derived from important persons in the development of Queensland. Many suburbs near the school are also names after these persons, and so many students have come to believe that the houses are named after the suburbs.
The primary school used to have its own separate houses before amalgamation. They were Long (yellow), Bancroft (red) and Walker (Blue). Long and Walker were both long serving principals from the early years of KGSS, while Bancroft was a local person of importance.
Kelvin Grove, Queensland
Kelvin Grove is an inner northern suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia located approximately 3 km from the CBD. This hilly suburb takes its name from Kelvingrove Park in Glasgow, Scotland. It is primarily residential with tree-lined streets and some commercial and light industrial...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
three kilometres from Brisbane’s central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
and adjacent the Kelvin Grove campus of Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology is an Australian university with an applied emphasis in courses and research. Based in Brisbane, it has 40,000 students, including 6,000 international students, over 4,000 staff members, and an annual budget of more than A$750 million.QUT is marketed as "A...
(QUT).
It formed in 2002 with the amalgamation
Consolidation (business)
Consolidation or amalgamation is the act of merging many things into one. In business, it often refers to the mergers and acquisitions of many smaller companies into much larger ones. In the context of financial accounting, consolidation refers to the aggregation of financial statements of a group...
of Kelvin Grove State High School and Kelvin Grove State School and is one of the largest government educational institutions in 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...
. The school is recognised for its emphasis on the performing arts
Performing arts
The 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...
, achievements in all facets of school life and its cultural diversity reflecting the experience of inner city
Inner city
The inner city is the central area of a major city or metropolis. In the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland, the term is often applied to the lower-income residential districts in the city centre and nearby areas...
Brisbane communities.
The amalgamation was an initiative of the Government of Queensland
Government of Queensland
The Government of Queensland is commonly known as the "Queensland Government".The form of the Government of Queensland is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1859, although it has been amended many times since then...
's Smart State initiative. The name was voted upon by students, staff and administration in 2001 from a selection of choices. Thus, the school became a P-12 (prep to year twelve) school for state enrolments. The amalgamation also created 3 sub schools; 'The Junior School' catering for grades prep to 5, 'The Middle School' catering for grades 6 to 9 and 'The Senior School' catering for grades 10 to 12.
In 2006 the school joined the Healthy State system and removed a large proportion of junk food
Junk food
Junk food is an informal term applied to some foods that are perceived to have little or no nutritional value ; to products with nutritional value, but which also have ingredients considered unhealthy when regularly eaten; or to those considered unhealthy to consume at all...
including all soft drinks.
Motto
The school's motto is 'Pursuit of Excellence through Learning'. The old motto which appeared on the school emblem, 'Scientia ad Sidera' (Latin for 'knowledge to the stars'), was the Kelvin Grove State High School motto before amalgamation. The motto of Kelvin Grove State School, 'With all thy Might' remains an underlying principle of the school, and awards under the name of this motto are awarded for high levels of drive and passion, regardless of academic performance.Schools of Excellence
The college has six schools of excellence, which students can choose to extend their learning choices in a particular field. They are: (Year Levels available to)- Aviation (10-12)
- Dance (8-12)
- Golf (8-12)
- Music (10-12)
- Soccer (8-12)
- Tennis (6-12)
All seven schools have had their share of success. Some limitations do apply to entry and testing may be required to gain entry. All these schools of excellence are an extra cost to the free education provided by a state school. Limited scholarships are available to some applicants.
Isaka Cernak
Isaka Cernak
Isaka Aongor Cernak-Okanya , better known as Isaka Cernak, is an Australian football player who currently plays for as an attacking midfielder.-Early Life:...
& Adam Sarota
Adam Sarota
Adam Sarota is an Australian football player who plays for Utrecht in the Dutch Eredivisie.-Club career:Sarota was named National Youth League Player of the Year for 2008-2009...
who play for Brisbane Roar as well as Robbie Kruse
Robbie Kruse
Robbie Thomas Kruse is an Australian football player who currently plays as a forward for German side Fortuna Düsseldorf in the 2. Bundesliga and the Australian national team...
who plays for Melbourne Victory and Scott Higgins
Scott Higgins
Scott Higgins is a former Australian association football player who is currently a goalkeeping coach for Gold Coast United in the A-League...
who is signed for Gold Coast United in the A-league are former students with KGSC's Soccer Excellence.
David Williams (footballer)
David Williams (footballer)
David Williams is an Indigenous Australian professional football player who is currently playing for Hyundai A-League club Melbourne Heart.-Youth career:...
is another former student of the Soccer Excellence. Williams now plays for The North Queensland Fury has one cap for the Socceroos (Australian National Team).
Arts
The Performing Arts Department offers courses in drama, dance and music with links to QUT’s "Creative Industries" program. Students can also expand their performing arts studies with the following specialised programs:- Music "School of Excellence" program, with students able to study through the Conservatorium of Music during Year 12.
- Queensland Dance "School of Excellence" in partnership with Queensland BalletQueensland BalletThe Queensland Ballet, founded in 1960 by Charles Lisner OBE, is the premier ballet company of Queensland, Australia, and is based in Brisbane.- About Queensland Ballet :...
with the possibility of receiving a "Diploma in Dance"
Kelvin Grove also has the largest Visual Art department in Queensland, with a dedicated art faculty and computer design laboratories.
Kelvin Grove music student Sarah Bakker has performed in numerous roles including the understudy in Phantom Of The Opera, the cast toured around Australia in 2008 and 2009.
Many QDSE dancers, vocalists, choir members and a select group of musicians have taken part in celebrations and concerts such as the Q150 Creative Generations concert at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.
Kelvin Grove has an excellent Instrumental Music Program. In 2009, the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble and Corelli Strings toured to Sydney. The head of Instrumental Music is Alisa Jones, who is a highly accomplished musician and has played an instrumental role in making the music program what it is today. The Percussion Ensemble perform regularly at school events and competitions throughout Brisbane.
Sporting Houses
There are four sporting houses at KGSC which were also the sporting houses of KGSHS:- Petrie - Orange and Black
- Bowen - Yellow and Blue
- Herbert - Red and White
- Lutwyche - Purple and White
The houses were originally based on the first letter surname, however, to even out the numbers in each house this has become less obvious. In previous years, members of Schools of Excellence were all placed in the same sporting house, however this was unfair on houses and the policy was scrapped. Recent years have been won exclusively by the Bowen house, regularly taking out both the Swimming Carnival and Athletics Day trophies, however Lutwyche and Herbert have won both trophies in the last two years. The names of the houses are all derived from important persons in the development of Queensland. Many suburbs near the school are also names after these persons, and so many students have come to believe that the houses are named after the suburbs.
The primary school used to have its own separate houses before amalgamation. They were Long (yellow), Bancroft (red) and Walker (Blue). Long and Walker were both long serving principals from the early years of KGSS, while Bancroft was a local person of importance.