St Rita's College, Clayfield
Encyclopedia
St Rita's College is a Catholic
, all-girls high school located in Clayfield, Queensland
, Australia
.
The school was founded in 1926 and follows in the tradition of the Presentation Sisters
, and currently educates approximately 800 girls from grades 8–12.
The school's motto is Latin, Virtute Non Verbis, which translates to English as Actions Not Words.
, Sister Alice Kennedy and Sister Mary Madden, and was established as a kindergarten through to senior school on 27 September 1926. The initial enrolment consisted of 16 students with kindergarten - grade 3 being co-ed and grade 4 - senior girls only. Boarders were accepted from all grades.
By 1960 the primary school grades of St Rita's had been closed, due to the opening of St Agatha's Primary School. By 1970 St Rita's College no longer offered a boarding facility to its students.
Eloise Amberger - Olympian, Synchronised Swimming
Judi McCrossin - Writer (The Secret Life of Us
)
Zara McKenna - Fashion Designer
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, all-girls high school located in Clayfield, Queensland
Clayfield, Queensland
Clayfield is an inner-northern suburb of Brisbane, located approximately from the CBD. Clayfield is bordered to the north by Nundah, to the East by Ascot and Hendra, to the west by Wooloowin and to the South by Albion....
, 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 was founded in 1926 and follows in the tradition of the Presentation Sisters
Presentation Sisters
The Presentation Sisters, also known as the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary are an order of Roman Catholic women founded in Cork, Ireland by Nano Nagle in 1775....
, and currently educates approximately 800 girls from grades 8–12.
The school's motto is Latin, Virtute Non Verbis, which translates to English as Actions Not Words.
History
St Rita's College was founded by two Presentation SistersPresentation Sisters
The Presentation Sisters, also known as the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary are an order of Roman Catholic women founded in Cork, Ireland by Nano Nagle in 1775....
, Sister Alice Kennedy and Sister Mary Madden, and was established as a kindergarten through to senior school on 27 September 1926. The initial enrolment consisted of 16 students with kindergarten - grade 3 being co-ed and grade 4 - senior girls only. Boarders were accepted from all grades.
By 1960 the primary school grades of St Rita's had been closed, due to the opening of St Agatha's Primary School. By 1970 St Rita's College no longer offered a boarding facility to its students.
School buildings
The school is home to many buildings, both beautiful and architecturally advanced for its time. These include:- Aqua Rosa Centre: In 2003, the Acqua Rosa Centre was completed – a 25 m x 25 m x 2 m heated pool. Not only is this building state of the art, but it is also aesthetically pleasing. The foyer houses the stained glass windows depicting St Rita’s life as well as the structured glass windows that depict the logo and emblem of each House. The pool itself is inlaid with a stain glass rose. In the beautiful landscaped gardens rests one of the blocks from the old pool.
- Eirene Centre: Construction of the Eirene Centre with its multi-purpose hall, Art classrooms, Film and TV classrooms and function room was completed in 2000. This building also housed a 120,000 litre tank to store storm water from the extensive roof. This water is being used to irrigate the grounds.
- Kennedy Centre: Built in 1938, the Kennedy centre is named after one of the founding sisters of the school and the school's first principal, Sr Alice Kennedy, the centre contains multi-purpose classrooms.
- Nagles Centre: Constructed during the 1970s, the Nagles centre, named after Nano NagleNano NagleHonora "Nano" Nagle founded the "Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary" in Ireland . Of the many schools founded by the Presentation Sisters - a number are named after Nano Nagle.- Family background and historical context :The time of Nagle's birth was one of dark sorrow for...
, houses 4 science laboratories. 1 Junior Science laboratory, 1 Chemistry laboratory, 1 Biology laboratory and 1 multi-purpose laboratory. The centre is also home to many of the school's science pets. - Presentation Centre: Built in 1995, the Presentation Centre houses the school's Pantry, Computer Laboratories, Hospitality Rooms and Library.
- Sacred Heart Centre: Built in 1964, the Sacred Heart centre contains the school's reception as well as 10 multi-purpose classrooms and a state of the art Physics laboratory.
- Stanley Hall: Built in the late 1880s, and originally the only building on the school's grounds, it was once used to accommodate the 14 nuns that lived at the school in the Presentation Convent. During 2009 the school's nuns chose to move to a more convinent residence, therefore the Convent is not currently in use.
- Trinity Centre: Constructed in the early 1980s the Trinity centre houses the school's auditoriums, concert hall, music room, band room and drama rooms. The centre takes its name from the Father, Son and Holy Spirit Trinity.
Notable alumnae
Sr Elvera Sesta - Principal of St Rita's College - 2008Eloise Amberger - Olympian, Synchronised Swimming
Judi McCrossin - Writer (The Secret Life of Us
The Secret Life of Us
The Secret Life of Us was a television drama series set in the beachside suburb of St Kilda, Melbourne, Australia. The series was produced by Southern Star Entertainment and screened in Australia from 2001 to 2005 on Network Ten and on Channel 4 in the UK...
)
Zara McKenna - Fashion Designer