St Kevin's College, Melbourne

St Kevin's College is an independent Roman Catholic, all-boys primary and secondary school. The college was founded in 1918, and is located in Toorak, Victoria, Australia. It has five campuses, three of which are in the suburb of Toorak, the fourth in Richmond, and the fifth being a sport campus located behind Stockland Tooronga. The school owned a campsite 'Silver Creek' in the town of Flowerdale which was completely destroyed by the Black Saturday bushfires.

St Kevin's College
Over a century of learning, family & fullness of life
Address
31 Moonga Road Toorak

Melbourne
,
Victoria

Australia
Coordinates37°50′10″S 145°1′29″E
Information
TypePrivate Independent Roman Catholic All-boys Day Basic education institution
MottoOmnia Pro Deo (Latin)
All for God
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
(Irish Christian Brothers)
Established1918; 103 years ago
FounderCongregation of Christian Brothers
PrincipalJohn Crowley (Acting)
Enrolment2,100
Houses Cusack  ---   Kenny 
 Kearney  --  Purton 
 McCarthy  - Rahill 
Colour(s) Green  -  Gold  -  Blue 
sporting_affiliationAssociated Public Schools of Victoria
Websitewww.stkevins.vic.edu.au

St Kevin's was founded by the Christian Brothers and is a member of the Associated Public Schools of Victoria. St Kevin's overlooks Gardiners Creek, a tributary that runs into the Yarra River, with Scotch College on the opposite side. The college has a long-standing tradition with the historic St. Patrick's Cathedral and is responsible for educating their choir boys.[1]

St Kevin's is a school of the Archdiocese of Melbourne,[2] is directed by Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA),[3] and is a member of both the Associated Public Schools of Victoria (APS)[4] and the International Boys' Schools Coalition (IBSC). The Headmaster is a member of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA).[5]

History

The school was established in 1918 in East Melbourne by the Christian Brothers. In 1932, the school was moved to the corner of St George and Orrong Roads, Toorak. Property in Heyington was purchased and developed into playing fields. This location is now the Senior School Campus, housing Years 7 to 8, and Years 10 through to Year 12, in a vertical house system.

The Heyington Campus, which is next to the Glen Waverley railway line, was built in 1960, its main feature being the Kearney Building.

The Lansell Road property was opened in 1972, and that same year the Orrong Road property was sold.

In 1982, the K.C. Smith building was constructed for the middle school years on the Senior Campus.

Oval Number 1: Scoreboard in the background, and the Pavilion to the right

In 1990 the Pavilion was opened. Since its opening, the Pavilion has flooded twice, both in 2005. Ovals 1 and 2 were completely submerged.

The Cummins Building was refurbished in 1997, and currently houses the creative arts precinct, which includes arts, drama, music and artistic works. The McCarthy Building was opened that year, housing art studios, the campus library and the Administration Block.

The Lansell Road property is now home to the Glendalough Campus, and in 1999 became a full primary school, housing Prep to Year 6 students. Also in 1999, Year 9 students moved from the Senior Campus to a dedicated campus named Waterford in Richmond. Waterford currently resides in the former Vaucluse College FCJ site in Richmond. 1999 saw a major change in the structure of the school, with the introduction of the House System for Years 10 to 12. This saw the desegregation of year levels and their amalgamation into houses with five tutor groups comprising Year 10, Year 11 and Year 12 boys, accompanied by a tutor. Previously, boys were organised by year levels, and supervised by Year Level Coordinators, somewhat similar to the current system found in the Middle School (Years 7 to 9).[6]

In March 2006, a $16 million indoor pool, gym and sports facility, the Wilding Centre, was blessed by Cardinal George Pell and opened for the students.

In 2009 the Godfrey Building was opened.

In 2010, the Boyd Egan Hall was opened at Glendalough and substantial floods filled the school's ovals and damaged the Fraser Tennis Courts.

In 2011, work began on a three-storey $14 million Science Wing, located adjacent to Heyington railway station at the end of the Kearney Building.

In 2013, the Kearney West Building was officially opened. The building contains science labs and woodwork rooms, which are used for senior classes.

In 2014, the McMahon Music Centre was opened at Glendalough and the remaining laboratories in the Kearney Building were refurbished. Music and drama facilities in the Cummins Building were modernised as well.

In 2017, the Tooronga Fields Campus was opened as the St Kevin's offsite sports ground.[7]

2018 saw St Kevin's College celebrate its centenary year. A special 100-year logo was created and was used throughout the school year. Several celebrations were conducted, including a free lunch provided by the school, intended to pay homage to the older traditions of the College chartering a train from Heyington railway station to other parts of Melbourne for a school picnic.[8] Special events such as "The Great Debate", featuring generations of St Kevin's old boys, took place[9] and a limited-edition 100-year history of the college was published for students and staff.[10]

Campuses

St Kevin's College has five campuses:

  • Glendalough – The St Kevin's College Junior School in Lansell Road, Toorak, is named after the location of the St Kevin's Monastery in Ireland. It houses students from Prep to Year 6.
  • Heyington – In 1932, the current site of the Heyington Campus was purchased and at the time was used for playing fields. It now serves as the main academic campus for Years 7, 8, 10, 11 and 12.
  • Waterford – Purchased by St Kevin's College in the early 2000s for the Year 9 campus and situated on Richmond Hill, it occupies the facilities of the former Vaucluse College.
  • St Peter's – An Early Learning Centre that is a co-venture with Loreto Mandeville Hall, this site is home to kindergarten students.
  • Tooronga – Opened on 17 June 2017 at a cost of $38 million, the Tooronga Fields Campus is a sports complex which consists of three soccer pitches as well as an Australian Rules oval. There are also 12 tennis courts that can be used as a hockey pitch. The site also includes a 200-metre athletics track with high jump and long jump training areas as well as 12 cricket nets, two pavilions containing unisex change rooms, viewing areas, half a basketball court and a function centre.[6]

Houses

The Houses for the Senior (Years 10 to 12) and Middle (Years 7 to 8) Schools are named after Christian Brothers associated with the college. They are:

St Kevin's College – Middle and Senior School Houses[6]
House Colour Established House Area Named After Motto
Cusack   1999 4th Floor, Kearney Building J.R. Cusack c.f.c., M.A., Teacher of Modern and Ancient History and Languages, 1919-1927 and 1931-1941 N/A
Kearney   1999 3rd Floor, Kearney Building J.A. Kearney c.f.c., M.A., Headmaster, 1930-1934 First in Friendship and Everything Else (note: unofficial motto adopted by student body)
Kenny   1999 3rd Floor, Kearney Building J.F. Kenny c.f.c., Science Master 1918-1945 N/A
McCarthy   2008 4th Floor, Cummins Building F.I. McCarthy c.f.c., M.A., BEd, PhD, Headmaster, 1977 Audere et Vincere (Venture and Conquer)
Purton   1999 4th Floor, Kearney Building D.G. Purton c.f.c., M.A., Headmaster, 1941-1943 N/A
Rahill   2010 2nd Floor, Godfrey Building P.A. Rahill c.f.c., Teacher of English and Literature, 1927-1929 and 1935-1949 Veritas Omnia Vincit (Truth Conquers All)

The original 'Foundation' Houses are Cusack, Kearney, Kenny and Purton. These Houses are located in their original areas in the Kearney Building. The 'Extension' Houses are McCarthy and Rahill, added to extend the capacity of the House system in their years of establishment. McCarthy House occupies the former Brothers' Quarters in the Cummins Building, while Rahill House occupies a purpose-built area in the Godfrey Building.

Boys are assigned their House at their entry point into St Kevin's College, however during Years 7 to 9, they primarily serve as a means of organisation for co-curricular competitions such as House Swimming, House Athletics and House Sports.[6][11]

Curriculum

St Kevin's College offers its Years 11 and 12 students the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), the main assessment program which ranks the students in the state.

The class of 2009 were the highest-performing academic group in the history of the modern VCE for St Kevin's College, making St Kevin's the top-performing, non-selective, all boys, Catholic and Associated Public Schools of Victoria member school in 2009. 33 per cent of study scores were 40 or over, and 14 perfect scores were achieved across 10 subjects.[12][13][14]

St Kevin's College VCE Results 2011-2019[15]
Year Rank Median Study Score Scores of 40+ (%) Cohort Size
2011 14 31 23.3 325
2012 16 36 28.1 354
2013 21 36 27.1 362
2014 34 35 22.1 358
2015 13 36 29.3 346
2016 21 35 27.1 360
2017 5 37 30.8 371
2018 7 36 30.2 358
2019 14 36 27.5 350

Publications

The English curriculum at St Kevin's allows for boys to develop their skills in the communication of ideas and is put into practice through the numerous publications that can be found in the college, each of which is aimed towards a certain audience, and has its own individual purpose.

Publication name Type Responsible authority Intended audience Frequency of publication Method of distribution Link
Senior School Newsletter Newsletter St. Kevin's College Parents, Students, Staff, Members of the SKC Community (Years 7 to 12) Weekly, during semesters Online, via College Portal, College Website and Email
Junior School Newsletter Newsletter St. Kevin's College Parents, Students, Staff, Members of the SKC Community (Prep to Year 6) Weekly, during semesters Online, via College Portal, College Website and Email
Omnia Magazine St. Kevin's College Parents, Students, Staff, Members of the SKC Community, Alumni, Prospective Parents, Prospective Students (Prep to Year 12) 1 Issue per school term

(4 annually)

 Online, via College Website and delivered to subscribers via mail

Extracurricular activities

As part of upholding the value of "fullness of life" of the college, a number of initiatives are conducted.

Debating and public speaking

St Kevin's competes in the Debaters Association of Victoria Schools competition, and the Heyington Campus is the host venue for the Toorak regional competition. Five debates are held each year, and St Kevin's teams debate against other Melbourne schools on various current interest topics. St Kevin's participates in a range of other debating and public speaking tournaments, including those organised by Rotary, the RSL, UNYA and as of 2011, the WIDPSC, with one student competing representing Australia, and recording 8th place.[16]

Sport

St Kevin's College is a member of the Associated Public Schools of Victoria. The college's teams take part in a wide range of sports at different levels of achievement. In 2009, the College won the soccer, Australian rules football and rugby premierships – the first time this was achieved in APS history.

APS Premierships

St Kevin's College has won the following APS premierships:[17]

  • Athletics (11) - 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019
  • Badminton (3) - 2004, 2009, 2010
  • Basketball (4) - 2001, 2007, 2011, 2018
  • Cricket (6) - 1989, 1991, 1992, 2001, 2013, 2015
  • Cross Country (7) - 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2019
  • Diving (6) - 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
  • Football (4) - 1997, 2009, 2011, 2012
  • Futsal - 2018
  • Soccer (2) - 2000, 2009
  • Swimming & Diving* (5) - 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
  • Swimming - 2016
  • Tennis (7) - 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2011, 2017, 2018

*From 1998 until 2013, swimming and diving events were tallied to be awarded as a single premiership.

Theatre and drama

St Kevin's has a theatre department and each year produces a number of plays, musicals and operas. A relationship between several different girls' schools has been established to enhance the co-curricular dramatic arts program.

Aviation

St Kevin's College offers an aviation program to its students.[18] The program has been commended by aviators and industry experts, including Nancy Bird Walton.[19]

Coat of arms, crest and motto

The current school crest was adopted by Kearney in 1933. The crest bears:

  • The Celtic Cross, signifying Irish heritage, in the top left quadrant
  • A single star, representing the Star of Knowledge, in the top right quadrant
  • The Southern Cross, representing Australia, in the bottom left quadrant
  • A book with the Greek Letters Alpha and Omega scribed, symbolising God is all from beginning to end, in the bottom right quadrant

The school's motto is, in Latin, Omnia Pro Deo, meaning 'All for God' or transliterated means 'All things for God'. This is taken from a letter of St Paul.

Touchstones

As a member school of Edmund Rice Education Australia, St Kevin's has adopted the following touchstones which can be found on display around the several campuses and on the inside covers of school diaries. The touchstones are:

  • Liberating Education
  • Gospel Spirituality
  • Inclusive Community
  • Justice and Solidarity

These touchstones have also been adopted by other Edmund Rice Education Australia schools in a similar fashion to St Kevin's College.[20][21]

Notable alumni
See also: List of Christian Brothers school alumni

Politics, public service and the law

Sport

Media, entertainment and the arts

Clergy

Controversy

Student sexism

On 21 October 2019, a viral video which showed some students performing a sexist chant while on public transport to an inter-school athletics event was made public.[42][43] Following the resultant media furore,[44] a public apology from Headmaster Russell was issued in a letter sent to all parents the following day.[45] In this apology, Headmaster Russell denounced the students' 'misogynistic' behaviour as 'offensive'.[46] 10 students were reportedly suspended with the possibility of expulsion.[47] Shortly thereafter, a second video was released in which three Year 12 students performed the same sexist chant in public only a few hours after the publication of the first video.[48] It was further revealed by the ABC that a group of students made a derogatory rap song about female students from another school in 2018.[48] Headmaster Russell then further condemned the students' behaviour as 'foolish and reckless' and acknowledged that the college's cultural problems were 'more widespread than [he] understood'.[48]

Mishandling of child abuse

In February 2020, it was reported that Headmaster Stephen Russell wrote a character reference for Peter Kehoe, a non-staff athletics coach accused of grooming a St Kevin's student while under the school's employ. Kehoe was subsequently convicted and sentenced to a community corrections order and placed on the sex offenders register for eight years. The victim settled a civil claim with the school in August 2019.[49][50]

Amid calls to resign, Headmaster Russell responded by suggesting that Kehoe was a 'never a member of staff'[51] and expressed his remorse for providing Kehoe a character reference, stating: 'I would not do it again'.[51] State Premier Daniel Andrews said that the Headmaster Russell's response was "just not on" and suggested that Headmaster Russell would have been removed from his position had he been the principal of a government school.[51]

On 19 February, Headmaster Russell resigned from the school and dean of sport, Luke Travers, was stood down pending further investigation.[52] Later the same day, John Crowley, principal of St Patrick's College in Ballarat, was announced to be the acting Headmaster of St Kevin's.[52] Later the same month, Advanced maths teacher Simon Parris' employment was "concluded" from the Toorak school in late February amid a series of staff removals over a child grooming scandal.[53] He has now been suspended from teaching.[53] Additionally, former deputy principal Janet Canny stepped aside after court action was lodged against her over a complaint alleging breaches of mandatory reporting, and Director of Studies and English teacher Gary Jones' employment was "concluded".[53][54][55][56]

At least six staff members have been stood aside or left the school since Mr Russell resigned.[57]

See also

References
  1. org.au/cathedral/Music/Cathedral-Choir "Cathedral Choir" Check |url= value (help). St Patrick's Cathedral: Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  2. "Catholic Education Office – Directory". Web.ceomelb.catholic.edu.au. Archived from catholic.edu.au/index.php?sectionid=60&searchtype=enumber&searchfor=E1144&Submit=Search the original Check |url= value (help) on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  3. "Our Schools and Entities | Edmund Rice Education Australia". Erea.edu.au. Archived from membership/index. cfm?loadref=2 the original Check |url= value (help) on 14 October 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  4. "St Kevin's College website". APS Sport. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  5. "Schools". AHISA. Archived from the original on 24 March 2010. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  6. St. Kevin's College Diary - History. St. Kevin's College. 2018. pp. 2, 11.
  7. St. Kevin's College Diary 2018. 2018. p. 2.
  8. Omnia Magazine - 2018 Term 1. St. Kevin's College Heyington Library. 2018.
  9. Omnia Magazine - 2018 Term 3. St. Kevin's College Heyington Library. 2018.
  10. Bound by the Green, Gold and Blue. 2018.
  11. The Unofficial Fan Magazine of Kearney House - Kearney Magazine, Term 1 2018. St Kevin's College Heyington Library. 2018. pp. 8–9.
  12. VCE Results, stkevins.vic.edu.au; accessed 26 November 2017.
  13. Perkins, Miki (17 December 2009). com.au/national/education/full-marks-for-mount-scopus-in-vce-rankings-20091216-kxi1.html "Full marks for Mount Scopus in VCE rankings" Check |url= value (help). Melbourne: Theage.com.au. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  14. Staff (17 December 2009). com.au/news/special-reports/mt-scopus-in-burwood-sees-44-per-cent-of-its-vce-students-get-40-or-more-for-their-subjects/story-fn4n10rz-1225811155262 "Mt Scopus in Burwood sees 44 per cent of its VCE students get 40 or more for their subjects" Check |url= value (help). Herald Sun. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  15. "Trend of St Kevin's College,3121 by VCE results". bettereducation.com.au. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  16. "Australian Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championship".
  17. "Boys' Premierships – APS Sport". Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  18. Vedelago, Chris (29 October 2005). 1130400402056.html "Passing the test with flying colours – National" Check |url= value (help). Melbourne: theage.com.au. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  19. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 September 2008. Retrieved 24 December 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  20. "EREA - The Charter". Edmund Rice Education Australia. March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  21. "SKC Mission Statement" (PDF). March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  22. http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/1949/1949repsvic.txt
  23. Profile, parliament.vic.gov.au; accessed 6 June 2018.
  24. "Pandora Archive". Pandora.nla.gov.au. 23 August 2006. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  25. "Famous alumni on Latham's hit list". Crikey. 30 March 2005. Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  26. re-member – Parliament of Victoria, vic.gov.au; accessed 26 November 2017.
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  28. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 1 May 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  29. re-member – Parliament of Victoria
  30. Archived 23 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  31. "A brilliant career interrupted by war". The Sydney Morning Herald. 26 January 2008.
  32. re-member – Parliament of Victoria, vic.gov.au; accessed 26 November 2017.
  33. Grasso, John (2011). Historical Dictionary of Tennis. Scarecrow Press. p. 106. ISBN 9780810872370.
  34. D'Anello, Luke (3 September 2012). "Lachlan Hunter another son of a gun". Leader.
  35. Stevens, Mark (9 April 2011). "Tom Liberatore, the extractor".
  36. "Demonwiki | Bill Tymms". Demonwiki. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
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  38. Parer, Damien Peter (1912–1944). Australian Dictionary of Biography Online. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  39. "Tipping, Edmond William (Bill) (1915–1970)". Tipping, Edmond William (1915–1970). Australian Dictionary of Biography Online. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  40. "Archbishop Mark Benedict Coleridge". Archdiocese of Canberra – Goulburn. 2009. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  41. Lombard, Francis William (1911–1967). Australian Dictionary of Biography Online. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  42. St Kevin's students sing sexist chant, 21 October 2019, retrieved 29 December 2019
  43. Silva, Kristian (21 October 2019). "Elite private school apologises after boys' sexist chant on tram". ABC News. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  44. Coulson, Justin (26 October 2019). "'Kings of the castle': why punishment could backfire for St Kevin's sexist chant". ABC News. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  45. Deane, Joel (21 October 2019). "This letter has just been sent out to #StKevin's old boys. I left St Kev's in 1986 and never heard a chant like this in the 1980s. Mind you, I refused to go to aths days. There is an underbelly of sexism/misogyny in most boys schools. That's why my son is at a coed school.pic.twitter.com/A7k0RPMlML". @joeldeane. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  46. "St Kevin's College issues apology after students' sexist chant on Melbourne tram". 3AW. 21 October 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  47. "Heraldsun.com.au | Subscribe to the Herald Sun for exclusive stories". www.heraldsun.com.au. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  48. Silva, Kristian; Oaten, James (25 October 2019). "Melbourne all-boys school students filmed performing sexist chant encore". ABC News. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  49. How St Kevin's College supported a child sex offender coach, 17 February 2020, retrieved 17 February 2020 ABC News.
  50. New claims of inappropriate behaviour by current St Kevin's teachers revealed, 17 February 2020, retrieved 17 February 2020 ABC News
  51. Heffernan, Adam Carey, Madeleine (18 February 2020). "'Never a member of staff': St Kevin's headmaster distances school from convicted coach". The Age. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  52. "'I hope it represents a shift in attitudes': Former student who exposed St Kevin's scandal welcomes headmaster's resignation". 19 February 2020.
  53. "Teaching watchdog suspends St Kevin's College staffer".
  54. "St Kevin's College teachers leave school". 22 February 2020.
  55. "New principal of St Kevin's says changes will be made". 24 February 2020.
  56. "Two more staffers leave St Kevin's amid 'grooming' scandal | the New Daily Two more staffers leave St Kevin's amid 'grooming' scandal". 22 February 2020.
  57. Sakkal, Adam Carey, Paul (4 March 2020). "St Kevin's boys told not to sing school songs, chants, war cries". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
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