Samuel Marsden Collegiate School
| Samuel Marsden Collegiate School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
Marsden Avenue, Karori, Wellington | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private composite girls school, years 1-15 |
| Motto | 'Ad Summa' - Aim For the Highest |
| Established | 1870s |
| Ministry of Education Institution no. | 280 |
| Principal | Gillian M Eadie |
| School roll | 692 |
| Socio-economic decile | 10 |
| Website | http://www.marsden.school.nz/ |
Samuel Marsden Collegiate School is located in the Wellington suburb of Karori in New Zealand. It has a socio-economic decile of 10 (10 being high) and provides private Year 1 to 13 education for girls, but with co-educational kindergarten facilities. It is renowned for being a very academic school with exam results ranking consistently in the top three schools throughout New Zealand. Samuel Marsden Collegiate students complete the New Zealand National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) but the school also offers Cambridge A-Level exams in certain subjects.
History
The school, named after the Anglican Missionary Samuel Marsden, is currently headed by Gillian Eadie, who is set to retire following the completion of the first term 2008. Notably Samuel Marsden has had 10 principals with only one, Rev. Clarke, being male. It was founded in central Wellington in the 1870s by Mrs Maryanne Swainson, but did not move to Karori until the 1920s. The school motto is 'Ad Summa' - Aim For the Highest. The Head Girl for 2006 was Kathryn Scott-Dowell and the Dux was Jennifer Niven. The school recently won the New Zealand Computer Institutes Award for Excellence in the use of IT in Schools: Secondary and Primary.
Present Day
Marsden, as the school is often called, currently has around 700 students. In 2006 it was split from 3 to 4 'schools', the Lower school, Middle school, Upper school and Senior school. In practice the latter three schools are treated as one, often just referred to as the 'upper school' in contrast with the Lower school which, although it is on the same site, functions with little mix of pupils. The upper school consists of 6 houses: Swainson-Riddiford, Baber, Hadfield-Beere, Richmond, Jellicoe and Johnson, all named after friends and benefactors of the school. Girls are placed in houses arbitrarily except when closely related to an old girl in which case they are placed in the same house was their relative. The Lower School has three separate houses, again named for the school's history.
Samuel Marsden has a large variety of subjects, of cultural and sporting activities and is a school rich in tradition. The rules are stringent and the predominantly green uniform, must be worn both correctly and with pride. Girls must wear their hair tied up, are not allowed to wear makeup or jewellery and are frequently instructed to 'do up' their top buttons. Assembly occurs twice a week, on Monday and Thursday, and incorporates both religious and ethical themes. Marsden's calendar is made up of a number of large events including Athletic Sports, Swimming Sports, House debating, House Music, House Sport, Old Girls' Weekend, Carol Service, Prize-giving, Toy Service and various balls at different year levels. Students are taught to cultivate a sense of occasion and for the 125th birthday of Samuel Marsden Collegiate they paraded through Wellington to the steps of Parliament before a celebratory concert in Wellington town hall, where the end of year Leavers' Ball for graduating year 13 students is also held.
Marsden Whitby
Established as Whitby Independent College in January 2004, on the site of the old Duck Creek Golf Course, the school was subsequently bought by Samuel Marsden Collegiate in 2005 and renamed to Marsden Whitby. Marsden Whitby's houses bear no relation to the long history of the Karori school, instead carrying the nautical theme that the suburb of Whitby is known for. Marsden Whitby also differs from the older school by being co-educational. In 2007 it had a roll of less than 100 students, reflecting its relatively short history. Construction of a new classroom block was completed in early 2007 to support the rapidly growing enrolment. Marsden Whitby is starting to set its own traditions such as House Music, Prize Giving, Athletics and more are on the way. The 4 school Houses are Discovery, Adventure, Endeavour And Resolution representing Whitby's Captain Cook theme.