Servite College

Servite College is an independent Roman Catholic co-educational secondary day school, located in the Perth suburb of Tuart Hill, Western Australia. The school is operated by the Servite Order.

Servite College
Location
134 Cape Street, Tuart Hill, Perth, Western Australia

Australia
Coordinates31°54′10″S 115°49′59″E
Information
Former nameSt Phillip's Regional High School for Boys
TypeIndependent co-educational secondary day school
MottoLatin: Servi Vocamur Sanctae Mariae
(We Are Called Servants of Mary)
Religious affiliation(s)The Servite Order
DenominationRoman Catholicism
Patron saint(s)
Established1958 (1958)
(as St Phillip's Regional High School for Boys)
FounderThe Servite Order
Educational authorityWA Department of Education
PrincipalJeff Allen[1]
Years7-12
Houses
  •   Annunziata
  •   Our Lady of Sorrows
  •   San Clemente
  •   Senario
  •   St Anthony's
  •   St Mary's
Colour(s)Green, gold, black and white     
Athletics
  • Northern Associated Schools
  • Associated and Catholic Colleges
Websitewww.servite.wa.edu.au

History

Members of the Servite Order came to Australia in late 1951[2] and by 1958 had established St. Philip’s Regional High School for Boys in Tuart Hill. The school opened with 95 students in two classrooms, covering grades 5 and 6.[3]:6,9 In 1968 the name was changed to Servite College,[3]:47 and in 1973 it became the first co-educational Catholic secondary school in Western Australia.[4][3]:70

For the school's first two years, all teachers were priests or brothers, then in 1960 the first lay teacher was employed;[3]:15 the first lay principal was Jack Shanahan,[5] in 1976.[3]:95

Operations

Facilities

Information technology is prominent; the Seven Holy Founders Centre gym and auditorium are the pride of the school. A state-of-the-art science block, completed in 2003, is the most recent addition. In spite of severe limitations on space, there are opportunities for sports both within the confines of the campus as well as at a large nearby public oval. Servite College’s participation in inter-school sports competitions has been very rewarding. In 2009, the school underwent a minor scale structure change; year seven students (typically aged 11 and 12) were introduced to the school as the Saint Alexis technology wing was demolished to build a newer building, all students do exams half-yearly (per semester), and year ten students are able to choose from a variety of Western Australian Certificate of Education (previously Tertiary Entrance Exam) subjects in the preparation for their upper school levels (years 11 and 12).

School structure

The students are put into six priories (or factions): Annunziata (gold), Senario (black), San Clemente (green), St Mary (blue), Our Lady of Sorrows (purple) and St Anthony (red).[6] Each played a role in the history of the Servite Order that was founded in Italy around 1200AD by the seven holy founders. They are further split into contact groups of about 25 students; each containing years 7-12.

Campus

Besides the classrooms (referred to by the school as "general learning areas"), Servite College has a technology centre, a science block, an auditorium/lecture theatre seating over 200 persons, and a gymnasium. These areas do not have airconditioning. The central area of the campus is landscaped and offers opportunity for students to gather, converse and socialise. A large practical and creative arts centre is located in a separate building; here are found facilities for woodwork, cooking, drama and dance. Music theory and practice is catered for in several adjacent locations. Servite is an institution that caters to more than 900 students. Servite does not have an oval or swimming pool.

In 2008 Servite demolished the 50-year-old southern wing of the school in order to build a modern, three-story-high building that was to be named after Chris Ross who began his journey many years ago in a Chicago Servite school; however, he felt inclined to pass the naming of the building to celebrated Servite saint Saint Alexis. He has done a lot of work for the school and is currently the School's council president.

Athletics

Servite College competes in the Northern Associated Schools (NAS) league and the Associated Catholic Colleges' annual swimming and athletic carnivals. Its NAS competitors include Sacred Heart College, Chisholm College, Newman College and John XXIII College in Perth.[7]

Controversy

In September 2010 a Servite College teacher of religion, Aaron Patrick Baker, was sentenced in the Perth District Court after pleading guilty to counts of possessing 2,176 images and 102 videos of child pornography. Servite College terminated Baker's employment. Baker was given a custodial sentence of 15 months, with a nine month non-parole period and was ordered by the court to be put through psychological counselling and a sex offender treatment program.[8][9]

In March 2019, Arthur Frank Mowle, was jailed for five years after pleading guilty to five charges stemming from the royal commission into child sex abuse. Mowle was working at Servite College when in 1986 he twice abused a Year 9 student who suffered from migraines. He would place his hand under the boy’s pants and underwear, telling him: “It’s OK. Sometimes migraines are caused by issues in this area.”[10]

See also

References
  1. "From the Principal's Desk". Servite College. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  2. Christopher M. Ross OSM (12 January 2001), Servites in Australia - Part One (PDF), retrieved 25 October 2014
  3. Of Dreams and Realities, A history of the origins and development of Servite College (1958-1983).
  4. "First co-ed Catholic girls mark 40th". The Record. 20 April 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  5. "Congratulations", Voice of St Denis, St Denis Parish, 7 December 2019
  6. "Priory history". Servite College. 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
  7. "Schools". Associated & Catholic Colleges of Western Australia (Inc). Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  8. "Perth father, teacher Aaron Patrick Baker guilty of downloading child pornography". The Sunday Times. 10 September 2010. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  9. "Perth man jailed for child porn". The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 September 2010. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  10. "Catholic school teacher abused vulnerable boys". The West Australian. 25 March 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
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