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St Pius X College, Sydney

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Coordinates: 33°47′41″S 151°11′0″E / 33.79472°S 151.18333°E / -33.79472; 151.18333
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This article is about the school in Sydney, Australia. For other uses, see St. Pius X (disambiguation).

St Pius X College
Entrance to the College, pictured in 2014
Location
Map
Chatswood, Lower North Shore,
Sydney
,
New South Wales

Australia
Coordinates33°47′41″S 151°11′0″E / 33.79472°S 151.18333°E / -33.79472; 151.18333
Information
Former nameChristian Brothers Chatswood
TypeIndependent primary and secondary day school
MottoLatin: Fide et Labore
(Through Faith and Hard Work)
Religious affiliation(s)Catholicism
DenominationCongregation of Christian Brothers
Patron saint(s)Saint Pius X
Established1937; 87 years ago (1937)
Educational authorityNew South Wales Department of Education
OversightDiocese of Broken Bay
TrustEdmund Rice Education Australia
PrincipalMichael Ronchetti
Staff~84[2]
Years offered5–12
GenderBoys
Enrolmentc. 1,100 (2007[1])
Colour(s)Blue and gold   
NicknamePius
Affiliations
Websitewww.spx.nsw.edu.au

St Pius X College (abbreviated as Pius) is an independent Catholic primary and secondary day school for boys, located in Chatswood, a lower North Shore suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The school was established by the Congregation of Christian Brothers in 1937 and is operated under the auspices of Edmund Rice Education Australia. Oversight of the school is provided by the Catholic Education Office of the Diocese of Broken Bay. Located in the heart of the Chatswood central business district, the school is close to Westfield Shopping Centre and Chatswood railway station.

In 2005, the College was ranked 101st in New South Wales for the Higher School Certificate marks, up from 108th the previous year.[citation needed] More recently, in 2013, the school again improved its rank to 73.[3] However, as of 2023 this rank has since fallen to 185th place.[4] It is a member of the Independent Schools Association (ISA) and the Junior School Heads Association of Australia.

The college operates as two separate schools: the "Junior School" catering for boys in Years 5 and 6, and the "Senior School" catering for boys in Years 7 to 12.

History

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Street View of Front Entrance to college, in 2020

St Pius X College started in 1937 as Christian Brothers Chatswood,[5] initially going to the Beginner level, with the first Leaving Certificate class graduating in 1941.

St Pius X College used to be a coeducational school, partnered with Mercy College; however, during the 20th century the partnership ended and each school became single sex.

A major improvement in the 1990s was the development of Oxford Falls as an educational complex. Named the Treacy Centre, the facility comprises a variety of sports fields and venues as well as meeting places and classrooms. In the late 1990s the college undertook extensive renovations and rebuilding. Later, during the late 2000s a new building was erected. It included meeting rooms, stands and basketball courts and can facilitate stage plays (e.g. Pius Talent Show).

Fide et Labore is written on the shield, which is Latin for "By Faith and Labour". In 2011, John Couani became the first lay person to be principal of the school.

In 2013, the school implemented an E-Learning program, which provides students with personal learning devices across the school,[6] using the Microsoft Surface Pro 4, then the Surface Pro 6, and later the Surface Pro 7 in 2021 and the Surface Laptop 5 in 2023. These computers act as learning aids and hold student text books.

Commencing construction in November of 2021, the Waterford Learning Centre, adjacent to the Chatswood Campus, is a major expansion to the College acting as a new learning centre for staff and students. Containing two levels, it will provide eight new classrooms that can be used as flexible indoor and outdoor learning spaces. It is estimated to cost approximately $8 million.[7]

Extra-curricular activities

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Sport

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The school participates in rugby, cricket, football, basketball, tennis, softball, swimming, squash, chess and athletics.[8]

A house system has existed at St Pius X from before 1952, involving four basic colours of red, green, blue, and gold. However, in 1952 the houses were named after four Christian Brothers and house war cries were introduced. In 2010, the school instituted new mottos and crests for the houses, creating the 'House Cup' as the annual internal trophy.[9]

House Colour Christian Brother
Barron   Patrick Barron
Purton   David Purton
Rice   Edmund Rice
Treacy   Patrick Treacy

Debating and public speaking

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The college also participates in debating and public speaking. It is a member of the Catholic Schools Debating Association, the largest debating competition for schools in New South Wales and has since 2015 participated in the Sydney Debating Network. It enters students into the Legacy Youth Public Speaking and Plain English Speaking Competitions annually. In 2015 the 11A debating team were runners up in the CSDA debating competition and were awarded the prestigious Aggregate Senior shield for winning the most debates out of any school in the competition. Following this in 2016 the 12A team were Grand Final winners of the CSDA Senior Opens debating competition winning the Michael Robson Shield as champions of the Senior Competition.[10][11]

Music

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Music has also always been a large part of extracurricular involvement at St Pius. The various bands include concert bands, jazz bands and guitar ensembles. In order to gain entry to any band, a student must audition. In order to gain access to the Senior Jazz Band and Senior Concert Band, generally a high level of skill is required in the instrument of which a student plays. [citation needed]

The bands and choir often play for the school as well at the Twilight Concert held every term. The twilight concert generally begins with the choir. After the choir have performed, the ensembles usually play next and after which, the Jazz and Concert Bands begin to play. The school has also recently been involved with competitive hissing but no words on a performing group as of yet.

Performing Arts is an integral part of the College curriculum and students at St Pius X have every opportunity to make the performing arts an involved part of their lives, through participation in many different types of music and drama activities.

Robotics

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St Pius X College has the largest active robotics club in Australia with over 100 members. The school's robotic club takes part in robotics competitions. The two major annual competitions are the RoboCup and FIRST LEGO League. The club consists of members from years five through to twelve. Acceptance is usually granted through the robotics lessons held in class during Year Five, however, entry to the club in later years can also be granted through applying directly to the robotics coordinator.

Outdoor education

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St Pius's Outdoor Education program facilitates personal development and teamwork through camps, excursions and overnight experiences. Outdoor Education is offered to all students, these experiences enhance learning, build relationships and respect, develop leadership and teamwork, as well as resilience as boys overcome fear and adversity as they push outside their comfort zones. Connection with nature also provides a platform for spiritual growth and experience.

Highlights of the Outdoor Education Program include:

  • Milson Island camp (Year 5)
  • Camp Wombaroo (Year 6)
  • The Great Aussie Bush Camp (Year 7)
  • Ski trip (Year 8)
  • Workul Koo Terrigal (Year 9)
  • Immersions to Walgett and Bowraville (Year 10)
  • Snowy Hike (Year 11, the 100km 6-day trek is a 30 + year tradition at the College)
  • Bush Retreat to Tallow Beach (Year 12)
  • Duke of Edinburgh practice hikes and expeditions
  • Kokoda preparation
  • Warrumbungles expedition

Mock trial

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Students in Year 11 have the opportunity of entering the Mock Trial Competition conducted by the Law Society of New South Wales. During the competition the College's 'legal team' competes against other schools defending and prosecuting 'mock' cases involving assault, larceny, and negligence. Students take on the roles of barristers, clerks, court officers, magistrates, solicitors, and witnesses.

Notable alumni

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See also: Category:People educated at St Pius X College, Sydney
  • Renzo Balboa – Postdoctoral Researcher for Computational and RNA Biology
  • Jackson Bird – Australian cricket player for the Tasmanian Tigers and the Hobart Hurricanes
  • Josh Duinker – professional basketball player
  • Ben Fordham – journalist and broadcaster, Nine Network and 2GB
  • Peter Fricker OAM – former CEO Australian Institute of Sport
  • Des Hasler – former rugby league footballer and coach of the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
  • Michael Hooper – rugby union footballer for the Wallabies and Waratahs
  • Peter Ingham – Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney 1993–2001; Bishop of Wollongong 2001–present[12]
  • Luke Jones – rugby union footballer for the Melbourne Rebels
  • David Kilcullen – strategist and counterinsurgency expert
  • Pat Mulroney – Industrialist and Adventurer
  • Martin Plaza – founding member, vocalist and guitarist of Mental As Anything
  • Greg Sheridan AO – foreign affairs editor, The Australian newspaper
  • Peter Thompson – ABC TV presenter
  • James Tucker – rugby union footballer
  • Timm van der Gugten – cricket player for Netherlands, the Tasmanian Tigers and the Hobart Hurricanes
  • John Watkins AM – former Deputy Premier of New South Wales, Minister for Transport, and Minister for Finance[13]
  • Francis Webb – poet

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Australian School Choice – St Pius X College (accessed: 27 June 2007)
  2. ^ St Pius X College Annual Report 2006 (accessed: 27 June 2007)
  3. ^ "HSC 2007: All Class" (304 KB) The Daily Telegraph. (20 December 2007).
  4. ^ "How your school ranked in the 2023 HSC". The Sydney Morning Herald. 14 December 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  5. ^ History of the College
  6. ^ "St Pius X College Annual Report 2013" (PDF). St Pius X College. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  7. ^ "Waterford Learning Centre". St Pius X College. St Pius X College. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  8. ^ "St Pius X College Senior Sport". St Pius X College. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  9. ^ "House Competition". St Pius X College. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  10. ^ "Catholic Schools' Debating Association - public speaking and debating for high school students in New South Wales catholic school". Archived from the original on 5 July 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  11. ^ "Latest News". www.spx.nsw.edu.au. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
  12. ^ Archdiocese of Sydney: Peter William Ingham (accessed: 27 June 2007)
  13. ^ "Seize the opportunity". Elicia Murray. The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 April 2007 (Accessed 26 November 2009).
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