St Ursula's College, Yeppoon, is an independent, Catholic, Girls', secondary and Boarding School located in the town of Yeppoon, in Central Queensland, Australia.[2][3][4] It is administered by the Queensland Catholic Education Commission, with an enrolment of 553 students and a teaching staff of 50, as of 2023.[4] The school serves students from Year 7 to Year 12,[2][3][4] and is the only all-girls, Catholic day and boarding secondary school in Central Queensland.
| St Ursula's College | |
|---|---|
 St Ursula's College, 2022 | |
| Location | |
 | |
| , Australia | |
| Coordinates | 23°07′45.4″S 150°44′38.3″E / 23.129278°S 150.743972°E |
| Information | |
| Type | Secondary girls |
| Motto | Perfect My Steps |
| Established | 1918 |
| Founder | Presentation Sisters |
| Principal | Deborah Ryan (since 2021)[1] |
| Grades | 7–12 |
| Houses | Nagle, Shiel, Madden and Kennedy |
| Colour(s) | Teal and navy |
| Affiliations | Independent Catholic |
| Website | www |
History
editThe school's history began in 1915 when Bishop Joseph Shiel proposed a Branch House for the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary be established at Yeppoon.[5]
Mother Ursula Kennedy and Mother Patrick Madden, two Presentation Sisters, visited Yeppoon and selected a one-acre block in Queen Street for the construction of the branch house, which at the suggestion of Bishop Shiel became known as St Ursula's.[5]
The two-storey St Ursula's Convent, with St Joseph's Primary School on the ground floor, was officially opened by Bishop Joseph Shiel on 21 January 1917.[6][7] Twenty-five boarding students and thirty primary students began attending the school 29 January 1917.[5]
With a demand for specialised education for young woman becoming apparent,[5] St Ursula's College was officially opened at the site on 12 March 1918,[8] with an enrolment of 32 students.[5] The primary school was on the ground floor, with the secondary school on the first floor.
In 1922, a new building was erected which is now called Gabriel Hogan House.[5]
With a surge in the number of primary school students in the 1950s, it was decided to establish a separate school with the Sacred Heart Primary School opening in John Street in 1958.[5] Sacred Heart Primary School relocated again in 1991, to Lammermoor.[5]
In 1992, the Presentation Sisters formed St Ursula's College Limited, ensuring the school would continue to follow the Presentation tradition after religious leadership had stopped.[5]
The first lay principal of St Ursula's College was Margaret Ramsay, who was appointed in 1996.[5] However, the Presentation Sisters remained on the staff at St Ursula's College until 2011.[5]
The Queensland Presentation Congregation transferred governance of St Ursula's College to Mercy Partners in June 2014.[5]
A century of catholic education and presentation presence on the Capricorn Coast was celebrated in July 2017.[5]
In 2018, St Ursula's College celebrated the school's centenary with a three days of celebrations.[5]
School
edit
The College campus is located in the Yeppoon central business district. The Boarding House is a three-storey Queenslander-style building that accommodates the changing needs of boarding students. Plans were submitted to Livingstone Shire Council in 2021 for a proposed expansion of the school.[9] The plans included the construction of a new two-storey education block with new amenities, courtyard and covered area which would replace an existing building which would be demolished.[9]
The college's "sister school" is St Agnes' Girls School in Kyoto.[10]
Students from St Ursula's College regularly collaborate with students from St Brendan's College to hold stage musicals for the community of Yeppoon.[11][12][13]
Notable staff
edit- Chris Dawson, a former rugby league player, began working at the school as a physical education teacher in 1998.[14] In 2003, he was put on light duties and had his contact with students revoked during the 2003 coronial inquest into the 1982 disappearance of his wife, Lynette Dawson.[15]
- Rosa MacGinley, a presentation sister and academic was the head of the school from 1954 to 1967.[16]
- Courtney Winfield-Hill, cricketer and rugby league player, was working as a physical education teacher in 2010.[17]
References
edit- ^ Stokes, Aden (1 February 2021). "Meet the new principal of St Ursula's College". The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ^ a b "St Ursula's College (Yeppoon) | Department of Education". Schools Directory. Archived from the original on 13 August 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- ^ a b "St Ursula's College, Yeppoon QLD | Private Schools Guide". privateschoolsguide.com. Archived from the original on 13 August 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- ^ a b c "ACARA Data Access Program - School Profile 2023". Australian Curriculum Assessment And Reporting Authority. Archived from the original on 1 May 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Identity". St Ursula's College. Archived from the original on 18 July 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
- ^ "New Yeppoon Convent opened by Bishop Shiel". The Morning Bulletin. 23 January 1917. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ^ "St. Ursula's Convent, Yeppoon". The Catholic Press. 1 February 1917. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ^ "Opening and closing dates of Queensland schools". Queensland Department of Education. 14 April 2019. Archived from the original on 24 July 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- ^ a b Jarrett, Vanessa (27 November 2021). "Rockhampton and Yeppoon private and state school construction projects 2021". The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ^ "St Ursula's say 'sayonara' to sister school students". The Morning Bulletin. 1 August 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ^ "St Brendan's and St Ursula's 'gang-up' for West Side Story". The Morning Bulletin. 24 October 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
- ^ Plane, Melanie (5 July 2016). "High School Musical comes to life". The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
- ^ Stokes, Aden (23 July 2019). "Be transported to the magical world of Beauty and the Beast". The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
- ^ Thomas, Hedley (13 August 2018). "Dawson 'snapped as student asked why men hurt wives'". The Australian.
Mr Dawson began working at St Ursula's in 1998
- ^ "The charming devil and his missing wife". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2 March 2003. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
Chris Dawson has been put on "light duties" and removed from contact with pupils in his teaching job at St Ursula's College, a private girls' school in Yeppoon, Queensland
- ^ "The Queen's Birthday 2012 Honours list: Dr Mary (Rosa) MacGINLEY". Christian Today. 11 June 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
- ^ Williams, Guy (27 October 2010). "Courtney is a 'corker' on the pitch". The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
External links
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