St Joseph's International Catholic College

St Joseph's International Catholic College, also known as Joeys, is an international school in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. It provides education from pre-school age through all grades to year 12. The school is one of the oldest in Papua New Guinea and is located next to St Joseph's Parish Church in the suburb of Boroko.[2][3]

St Joseph's International Catholic College
Location
Boroko

Papua New Guinea
Coordinates9°28′1″S 147°12′15″E
Information
School typeInternational, primary and secondary       
MottoCourage to Act
DenominationRoman Catholic
Established1917 (1917)
DirectorFr. Paul Jennings[1]
PrincipalMr. George Swamy - Secondary School
- Primary School
Mrs. Hua Igo
GradesKindergarten – 12
Enrolment~700
Colour(s)Gold, brown, and white
NicknameJoeys
Websitestjosephsinternational.ac.pg

History

St Joseph's School was founded in 1917 as a school for the children of expatriates living in Port Moresby. Originally situated within the Convent of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (OLSH) behind St. Mary's Cathedral, it started with only 15 pupils. Sister Mary Carthage was the first Head of School.[2][4]

The school was closed between 1941 and 1946 because of the war. Enrollments rose steadily after the war and by the late 1950s the school's facilities had become too small to cater for the children's needs. The population around Boroko had grown and there was a need for a catholic school in the area so it was decided that St Joseph's would move to Boroko. The relocation took several years and was done in stages, starting with one class moving from Port Moresby to the Church Hall in Boroko in 1957. The OLSH sisters taught classes in the Hall while the new school was being built.[2]

The school became St Joseph's International Catholic College after secondary school classes started in 2004. The first cohort of year 10 students sat for the PNG School Certificate, and NSW School Certificate, in 2007. The first cohort of year 12 students sat for the PNG Higher School Certificate, and NSW Higher School Certificate, in 2009.[3]

Academic and sporting program

The school holds an outstanding reputation in exam results. Since starting secondary school classes, the school has consistently topped the Port Moresby results for the year 8 public examinations and year 10 certificate index ratings. In previous years, when the former year 6 examinations were being conducted, high grades were also obtained.[3][5]

The college participates in regular competitions for track and field athletics, swimming, basketball, and volleyball.[6][7] An inter-school rugby union competition for the National Capital District was started in 2013, with St Joseph's fielding teams in the grand final matches of all three divisions – U14 and U17 male, and U17 female.[8][9]

Alumni

Notable past students include:

See also

Notes
  1. MSC Australia.
  2. Post-Courier 20 January 2004.
  3. About St Joseph’s.
  4. Joey Community letter #17/12, p. 1.
  5. "International School".
  6. Joey Community letter #1/13, p. 3.
  7. Joey Community letter #5/13, p. 2.
  8. Post-Courier 30 November 2012.
  9. Post-Courier 30 August 2013.
  10. Supreme Court of Queensland Library.

Sources

News
  • "A new era for St Joseph's". Papua New Guinea Post-Courier. 20 January 2004. Archived from the original on 12 November 2004. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  • Avira, Gregory (30 November 2012). "Schools' rugby goes into finals". Papua New Guinea Post-Courier. Archived from the original on 18 November 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  • Torea, Patricia (30 August 2013). "Girls kick start schools rugby". Papua New Guinea Post-Courier. Archived from the original on 18 November 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2013.

Web
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.