26/10/01
The western suburbs newest high school, Shenton College, has achieved very strong enrolments in the nine months since it took students Education Minister Alan Carpenter said.
Speaking at the official opening today, Mr Carpenter said the college opened with more than 1,200 students from local primary schools, Swanbourne and Hollywood senior high schools, as well as other local government and non-government schools.
"Both the former schools from which Shenton was created had a high profile with past students including Kim Beazley, Colin Barnett, Olympic hockey player Rechelle Hawkes, footballer Steve Malaxos, Paralympian Louise Sauvage and, for a short period, actress Greta Scacchi," he said.
"The college has also developed strong links with the nearby University of Western Australia through the Learning Links Program which involves co-operation in areas such as research, work experience and management in fields ranging from computer science to catering, horticulture and sport."
Shenton College, built at a cost of $24.7million, opened at the start of the school year. The campus includes the Shenton College Deaf Education Centre.
The school encompasses a middle school campus which has general learning areas as well as special learning areas with seminar rooms and laboratories and learning areas for the school's deaf students; two lecture theatres; student services, Food Technology and Arts and Technology facilities - including display and exhibition galleries; main administration block; sports hall; cafe-style canteen; library and sporting facilities.
"Another story of achievement was the college's middle schooling program," Mr Carpenter said.
"As part of adopting middle schooling practices, Shenton has arranged its Year 8 and 9 students into small learning communities with teams of teachers.
"In this way, the school provides a more caring learning environment for students during their adolescent years, well-known as the most difficult in schooling.
"At the senior school level, programs have been structured to provide a curriculum of multiple pathways to lead Year 10, 11 and 12 students to a wide range of tertiary courses, training programs and vocations.
"The school is instituting a workplace graduation program next year under which Year 11 students will undertake a work placement two days a week while studying in school the other three."
Mr Carpenter said concerns over air-cooling at the college would soon be resolved with the installation of air-conditioning units from Hollywood Senior High School in the Arts Technology staff studies area, design resource centre and two science classrooms, and new evaporative air cooling in the food technology rooms.
"This work will be undertaken during the forthcoming Christmas holidays," he said.
Media contact: Owen Cole - 9213 6806
