Hornsby Girls' High School

Hornsby Girls' High School is a government-funded single-sex academically selective secondary day school for girls, located in Hornsby, a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Founded in 1930, the school's first principal was Sarah Agnes Angus Brewster.[1]

Hornsby Girls' High School
Hornsby Girls' High School
Location
Hornsby, Sydney, New South Wales Australia
Coordinates	33°42′23″S 151°6′5″E
Information
Type	Government-funded single-sex selective secondary day school
Motto	Faith with Fortitude
Established	1930
Principal	Justin Briggs
Gender	Girls
Enrolment	730
Campus	Suburban
Colour(s)	Fawn and navy blue
Website	www.hornsbygir-h.schools.nsw.edu.au

Academically, Hornsby Girls' is regularly ranked first in the Hornsby region in terms of Higher School Certificate (HSC) results and is repeatedly ranked as one of the top five performing schools in the state.[2][3][4]

The school has a student exchange program with three of their languages - Japanese, French and German. Their Japanese sister school is Shukutoku Yono which is situated in Saitama, their German sister school is Graf-Rasso in Furstenfeldbruck and students from the school have visited New Caledonia a few times in recent years.

Faculties

The 13 faculties in the school are Computing Studies, English, History, Geography, Languages, Mathematics, Music, Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PD/H/PE), Science, Social Sciences, Technology and Applied Studies (TAS), and Visual Arts.

Co-curriculum

Hornsby Girls' offers students the opportunity to participate in a number of musical groups, namely the Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Jazz Band and String Orchestra. Smaller musical outfits are other outlets, such as the flute choir and several chamber ensembles made up from those students who already play an instrument and wish to be involved in extra-curricular musical groups.[5]

Other musical groups are the Junior and Senior Vocal Ensembles, who participate in a range of competitions, including the MacDonald's Performing Arts Competition and School Spectacular. In 2008, they also appeared in Battle of the Choirs, screened on Channel 7.[6][7] In 2010, a small chamber vocal ensemble was introduced with the aim of allowing some students a small ensemble experience.

Notable alumnae

The Old Girls' Union was formed in 1930.[8]

• Anne Elizabeth Boyd AM – composer, Professor of Music at the University of Sydney (also attended Albury High School)[9]
• Judith Ann Clingan AM – composer, conductor, performer and music educator; Director of Wayfarers Australia (formerly Waldorf Wayfarers) Australia Wide Choir[10]
• Christine Elizabeth Deer – Emeritus Professor at the University of Technology, Sydney[11]
• Prof. Shari Forbes creates body farms.[12]
• Julie Goodwin – Masterchef champion in 2009
• Julie Kristeen Greenhalgh (née Stapylton) – Principal of Meriden School; former Deputy Principal of Pymble Ladies' College; former Head of School at Canberra Grammar School[13]
• Ruth Hall – microbiologist
• Robyn Jennifer Lenn OAM (nee Morris) - President of the International Council of Jewish Women (ICJW) from 2014-2018, the first Australian to hold the role. ICJW has affiliates in 36 countries.[14]
• Robin June Parsons AM – Emeritus Professor at the University of Technology, Sydney[15]
• Lynette Ramsay Silver AM – writer and historian[16]
• Hon. Justice Sally Gordon Thomas AM – Judge of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory[17]
• Jacki Weaver AO – Academy Award-nominated actress, Silver Linings Playbook, Animal Kingdom, Picnic at Hanging Rock

See also

• List of government schools in New South Wales
• List of selective high schools in New South Wales

References

1. Brewster, Sarah Agnes Angus (1874–1957). Australian Dictionary of Biography.
2. http://bettereducation.com.au/results/hsc.aspx
3. McDougall, Bruce (26 December 2007). "Public tops private across the state --- Special report: The best schools region by region". The Daily Telegraph.
4. Doherty, L., Norrie, J. & Burke, K., "State school blitz of top HSC spots", The Sydney Morning Herald. 17 December 2005. Retrieved on 13 April 2007.
5. "Enrichment Activities - Hornsby Girls High School". hornsbygir-h.schools.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
6. Choir Wars Archived 1 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine. The Australian. 14 June 2008.
7. Battle of the voice boxes. Sydney Morning Herald. 16 June 2008.
8. Hornsby Girls' Alumni Website – OGU Page Archived 13 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 21 December 2009.
9. Suzannah Pearce, ed. (17 November 2006). "BOYD Anne Elizabeth". Who's Who in Australia Live!. North Melbourne, Vic: Crown Content Pty Ltd.
10. Suzannah Pearce, ed. (17 November 2006). "CLINGAN (Judy) Judith Ann". Who's Who in Australia Live!. North Melbourne, Vic: Crown Content Pty Ltd.
11. Suzannah Pearce, ed. (17 November 2006). "DEER Christine Elizabeth". Who's Who in Australia Live!. North Melbourne, Vic: Crown Content Pty Ltd.
12. Power, Julie (10 April 2015). "Lunch with new body farm queen, Shari Forbes". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
13. Suzannah Pearce, ed. (17 November 2006). "GREENHALGH Julie Kristeen". Who's Who in Australia Live!. North Melbourne, Vic: Crown Content Pty Ltd.
14. Lenn, Robyn. "Hornsby Girls' High School". Le Parisien. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
15. Suzannah Pearce, ed. (17 November 2006). "PARSONS Robin June". Who's Who in Australia Live!. North Melbourne, Vic: Crown Content Pty Ltd.
16. https://lynettesilver.com/
17. Suzannah Pearce, ed. (17 November 2006). "THOMAS Sally Gordon, Hon. Justice". Who's Who in Australia Live!. North Melbourne, Vic: Crown Content Pty Ltd.

External links

• Hornsby Girls' High School website
• NSW Department of Education and Training: Hornsby Girls' High School