Marist College Canberra

Marist College Canberra
Marist College Canberra
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Location
	Marr St, Pearce Australia, ACT; Australia
Information
Type	Catholic School
Motto	Servo Fidem - I Keep the Faith
Established	1968
Headmaster	Richard Sidorko
Grades	years 4 - 12
Colour(s)	Sky & Royal Blue
Website	http://www.maristc.act.edu.au/

Marist College Canberra is a Catholic school in the Marist tradition.

Like all Marist schools, they place strong emphasis on family, the first educators of the child. When a boy enrols at Marist, the entire family signs up; parents are urged to become part of our endeavour to promote his moral, intellectual, spiritual, emotional and physical growth.

Every boy at the College is treated as an individual and given the opportunity to excel at whatever level he is comfortable.

The College provides many opportunities for boys to develop physically and emotionally in line with their intellectual and moral growth. There is a long standing commitment to organised sport, to outdoor education and to an array of cultural pursuits. Every student is encouraged to avail themselves of as many of these opportunities as their time will allow and we welcome families as part of these endeavours also.

The Founder of the Marist Brothers said that he wanted his schools to produce good Christians and good citizens. Marist College Canberra is proud to be part of such a noble endeavour.

Background

The particular Marist flavour and character spring from the Founder of Marist education and of the Marist Brothers, Saint Marcellin Champagnat, who began his work last century in France. The origins of Marist College Canberra are to be found at the Rocks in Sydney. There in 1875, only three years after the foundation of the first Marist school in Australia, the Brothers began a Select School or High School with Brother Augustine McDonald as its first Principal. Such a school was quite an innovation for those days, when having even primary schooling made one well educated.

In 1887 the secondary school transferred to the eastern side of St Mary's Cathedral, since this was a more central location and provided more space. By 1910 however, the school premises were run down and this fact and other difficulties led the Brothers to construct new buildings on the heights of Darlinghurst, and "The High School" as it was commonly known, transferred there. Both at the Cathedral and at Darlinghurst the school flourished. Its students often gained brilliant results in the public examinations and its Old Boys were distinguished in many walks of life. By the 1960s however, demographics threatened the future of the school at Darlinghurst, while at the same time the National Capital was burgeoning and in need of Catholic schools. So the decision was taken to sell the property and to use the proceeds to transfer the school to Canberra.

Marist Canberra began in 1968 with primary classes. By 1973 the main secondary building and gymnasium had been completed and the first Marist senior class to complete the full secondary course at the College graduated in 1975. Since that time, Marist Canberra has grown to be one of the largest schools in the ACT. But not only is it large - it is also one of the most highly regarded and sought after.

With a history of over 120 years, and a local history of over 35 years, Marist College continues to maintain good things from the past, while ever anxious to embrace the new and contemporary. Marist enjoys strong support from its parent body and this support has enabled it to keep abreast of educational developments.

For the first century or so of its existence, most of the teachers were Brothers. These days, while there is still the presence of a few Brothers, the teaching and care of the students is mostly carried out by dedicated lay people who identify with the educational charism of Marcellin Champagnat and wish to see it preserved and enhanced.

Houses

House	Crest	Motto (Latin - English)	House Colours	House Charity	Champagnat Cup Wins
Conway	File:Conway crest.gif	Nil Desperandum - Never Give Up	Red - White	Canberra Blind Society
Crispin	File:Crispin crest.gif	Carpe Diem - Seize the Day	Red - Gold	SIDS – Red Nose Day	2005
Darlinghurst	File:Darlinghurst crest.gif	Qui Audet Vincit - Who Dares Wins	Red - Navy Blue	Epilepsy Association	2006
Haydon	File:Haydon crest.gif	Seges Est Metenda - Reap the Harvest	Blue - Green	Marymead
Mark	File:Mark crest.gif	Quae Seminaveris Metes - What You Sow You Shall Reap	Gold - Royal Blue	Red Shield Appeal
McMahon	File:Mcmahon crest.gif	Ut Vincas Contende - Strive to Conquer	Sky Blue - White	Legacy
Othmar	File:Othmar crest.gif	Si Fiet, Per Me Fiet - If It Is To Be, It Is Up To Me	Gold - Black	Starlight Children's Foundation
Patrick	File:Patrick crest.gif	E Pluribus Unum - Strength in Unity	Dark Green - Gold	CanTeen - Bandana Day - St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal - Parkinsons Association

Curriculum

As a school within the Australian Capital Territory, Marist College goes through a process of registration every five years. This procedure, carried out by a panel of experts on behalf of the ACT Department of Education, is mainly concerned with curriculum, although it also considers plant and physical resources. At its most recent registration, the panel concluded its report as follows: "Boys who attend this school will receive excellent care and an excellent education. "

Curriculum at Marist seeks to maintain a balance between religious and moral education, scholarship, sport and physical pursuits, and creative and practical activities. The College places strong emphasis on a broad, general education, which has sequential study in all the core areas of learning. It also aims to engage each student at the level of his learning readiness.

In 2006, Christopher Murphy, 12 Haydon, was awarded 100 for his UAI. He was the only person in the ACT to gain such a mark this year and his social endeavours combined with his studies show the true Maristian Spirit. It is interesting to note that this score stands as the 5th consecutive year that a boy fom Haydon house has achieved the top UAI for the college: an amazing benchmark to set.

Co-Curricular

Sports

Participation in sporting activities, particularly team games, is an important part of the life of every student at Marist. Students are provided with numerous sports to represent the College in.

Cricket
Rugby
Soccer
Basketball
Australian Rules Football
Hockey
Swimming
Track and Field
Gymnastics
Volleyball
Cross Country
Golf
Judo
Sailing
Snow Sports - skiing and snowboarding

Groups, Clubs and Societies

Extensive opportunities exist for students to become involved in the many groups that function within the College, sponsored by members of staff and by students. Some of the major groups include:

The College band, College orchestra, and various instrumental and vocal ensembles
The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme
Musicals and other stage productions
Toastmasters
Debating
The St Vincent de Paul Society
Amnesty International
Marist Justice and Solidarity
The Science Club
The Computing Club
The Chess Club
Community Service
Marist Miniatures
The Photography Club

Notable Alumni

Adrian Barich (West Coast Eagles)
Craig Bolton (Sydney Swans player)
Geoff Didier (Australian Wallabies representative)
Rob Egerton (Former Wallabies representative)
Paul McDermott (Host of Strictly Dancing)
James Meiklejohn (Delisted player for Sydney Swans)
Matt O'Connor (forer Wallabies representative)
Joe Roff (Retired ACT Brumbies and Wallabies representative)
Julian Salvi (Rising Brumbies player)
Simon Tripovich (National level cyclist)
Simon Thompson (Triathlete Runner)

External links