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The University High School
The University High School
	the North Building of The University High School
Location
	77 Story Street, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria; Australia
Coordinates	37°47′50″S 144°57′19″E / 37.79722°S 144.95528°E
Information
Type	Government-funded co-educational secondary day school
Motto	Latin: Strenue Ac Fideliter; (With Zeal and Loyalty)
Established	1910; 115 years ago
Principal	Ciar Foster
Years	7–12
Enrolment	1,708 (2022)
Houses	Coleman ; Gulam ; Johnston ; Triggs
Colour(s)	Green, white and tan
Website	www.unihigh.vic.edu.au

The University High School (abbreviated as UHS or Uni High) is a government-funded co-educational secondary day school, located in the Melbourne suburb of Parkville, Victoria, Australia. As of 2022^[update], 1,708 students attended the school.^[2] In 2023, it was ranked 67th in Victoria^[3] (or 13th in Victorian public schools) by percentage of VCE study scores of 40 or above.^[4]

History

In 1910, the "University Practising School" was opened in a former primary school on the corner of Lygon and Lytton Streets, Carlton. In 1913, it changed its name to "The University High School" after the closure of the older private school. Since 1930, the school has occupied a site in Story Street, Parkville, adjacent to the Royal Melbourne Hospital and in close proximity to the Royal Children's Hospital, newly built Royal Women's Hospital, the University of Melbourne and the Central Business District.

During World War II, the United States Army set up a camp on the school oval. Additionally, 240 extra students from MacRobertson Girls High School transported to UHS for schooling as their buildings were also seized by the military.^{[citation needed]}

The school has been a pioneer in the education of gifted and talented students in Australia. Its acceleration program for gifted and talented students, which began in 1981, is the longest running and most stable program of its kind in Australia.^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]

An A$8 million upgrade of the school facilities was completed in 1997. The school experienced major disruption and change during the previous years through dislocation of classes and staff. The completion of the works has given the school modern facilities with appropriate specialist rooms.^{[citation needed]}

During the 2020/21 school holidays, an electrical fire consumed much of the south building, destroying the second (600s) and third (700s) floors of the building as well as damaging the first (Library, 500s) and fourth (VCE Center) floors. Another fire also occurred in the Elizabeth Blackburn Science School building in March 2022.^[2] The VCE Center, 600s rooms and the library reopened at the beginning of the last quarter of the year with a new refurbished design whilst the second floor (700s) reopened at the end of 2023.^{[citation needed]}

Academics

VCE studies offered by the school:^[9]

Accounting
Algorithmics (HESS) (2022)
Art: Making & Exhibiting
Australian and Global Politics
Australian Politics
Biology
Business Management
Chemistry
Economics
English
English (EAL)
English Language Extended Investigation
French
Further Mathematics
General Mathematics
German
Global Politics
Health and Human Development
History: 20th Century (1900–1945)
History: 20th Century (since 1945)
History: Revolutions
Information Technology
Latin
Legal Studies
Literature
Mathematical Methods (CAS)
Media
Music Inquiry
Outdoor and Environmental Studies
Philosophy
Physical Education
Physics
Product Design and Technology
Psychology
Specialist Mathematics
Theatre Studies
Visual Communication Design

The University High School was ranked in the top 200 public secondary schools in Australia based on academic results in 2009.^[10]

In 2014, 17 students scored an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank above 99 and 130 students, or 61 per cent of the year, scored above 80.^[11]

University High School was ranked number 70 out of all state secondary schools in Victoria based on VCE results in 2021.^[12]

House structure

The school has four different houses also known as sub-schools. They each have their own distinct colour and are named after the school's alumni. They are:^[13]

Coleman (green) – named after Australian footballer John Coleman
Gulam (red) – named after academic Hyder Gulam
Johnston (blue) – named after the Dean of Science of the University of New South Wales and president of Science & Technology Australia, Emma Johnston
Triggs (yellow) – named after public international law specialist and former president of the Australian Human Rights Commission, Gillian Triggs

Campus

The University High School is divided into eleven areas: West, North, South, Art/Tech, Music, Hall, Canteen/Gymnasium, EBS, GTAC and the portables.

University High School students in a history class, 1930s

The North Building was constructed in 1930 during the Great Depression. Because of this, no additional facilities were constructed and therefore assemblies were held in other venues.^{[citation needed]} The North Building is connected with the West and Music wings. The north building has three levels, and contains the rooms numbered 100 through 405. The first floor (100s) holds the main entrance to the school as well as most administrative facilities. Inside the main foyer one can see a collection of photographs commemorating pupils and teachers from the school who were killed in the First World War. Also many plaques are hanging from the walls that honour achievements made by students and state principals and other important administrative roles. There are many banners that show sports achievements, as well as sub-school names that recognise past principals. The 100s also contain the English Office, General Office, Performance Center, food technology classrooms, general classrooms and the student services counter. Minor renovations were made to the bottom floor of the North Building to construct a food technology classroom and kitchen. The second floor (200s) consists of the junior science laboratories, well-being rooms, the Science Office, the Well-being Office and the sub-school offices. The third floor (300s) contains the Maths Office, the LOTE Office, the computer classrooms, mathematics classrooms, LOTE classrooms and English classrooms. The 400s are part of an extension of the third floor and consists of EAL classrooms which are converted into praying rooms during specific times.^{[citation needed]}

The West Wing is the smallest of the buildings, but is conjoined with the Music Wing. The west wing features many lockers, mainly for the younger students (Year 7–8) as well as English/Humanities classrooms. The Music Wing was developed, planned, constructed and funded by ex-students and ex-teachers, including Stella Langford and Jim Economo. The Music Wing consists of music classrooms, composition classrooms, practice rooms and the Music Office. Rooms in the West and Music wings are numbered as part of the 100s and 200s as they are connected to the North Building. A series of building works were undertaken from 2010 to 2014. In 2011, the West Wing was gutted and the interior was completely rebuilt, allowing for more classroom space.^{[citation needed]}

The Sharman Hall serves as the school's hall. The hall is used for school assemblies and performances. The Sharman Hall is attached to the Canteen/Gymnasium building. The canteen floor has the school canteen as well as indoor seatings and lockers. Rooms located within the canteen are numbered as part of the 100s. Above the canteen is the school gymnasium which holds the Sports Office. An extension of the canteen was completed in the last quarter of 2006 which connected it with the M.S. Sharman Hall.^{[citation needed]}

The South Building is the next largest building containing the Library and VCE Centre. The building consists of four levels with rooms numbered from 500 through 724 and VCE1 through VCE5. The first floor (500s) contain the library as well as lockers. The second floor (600s) contain the Humanities Office as well as humanities classrooms. The third floor (700s) contains the senior science laboratories, general classrooms and lockers. In late 2009 the school unveiled a new bridge linking the North and South Buildings from the west-end of the 700s corridor (South Building) to the centre of the 300s corridor (North Building). As of 2023, the third level (700s rooms) is closed due to fire damage sustained during the 2020/21 school holidays.^{[citation needed]} A fourth level extension to the South Wing was completed early in 2007 and was named the VCE Centre. The extension was made for VCE students. It has classrooms specifically for VCE students and the VCE Sub-school Offices are located in the centre.^{[citation needed]}

The Gene Technology Access Centre (GTAC) was opened for use in early 2004 by staff and students from across the state. This allows students from throughout Victoria to have direct exposure to research in the genetics field. The GTAC building consists of science and research laboratories as well as the school's Fitness Center on the first floor.^{[citation needed]}

The Art/Tech Building is primarily used for Art and technology subjects as well as general classes. It is the third largest of the four buildings and has three levels with roomed numbers from 800 through 909. The first floor (800s) contain the visual arts classrooms, woodwork classrooms and the Arts and Technology Office. The second and third floors (900s) contain more woodwork classrooms as well as sewing rooms and the Careers Office. Lockers are also located within the 800s and 900s. A dedicated art classroom for VCE students was also constructed, above the existing 900s.^{[citation needed]}

In conjunction with the University of Melbourne, a new dedicated academically selective science subschool/program was created for students in year 11 and 12, on space previously occupied by the university's Veterinary Science buildings. It is called Elizabeth Blackburn Sciences (EBS), named after a former student of University High School. Rooms in EBS are numbered from EB10 to EB24. The first floor (EB10s) consist of a lecture room (EB10), EBS Office, the main science laboratory and lockers. The second floor (EB20s) consist of general classrooms, another lecture room (EB20) as well as outdoor spaces and lockers. Prospective students looking to enrol in Elizabeth Blackburn Sciences must sit an entrance exam testing their knowledge in literacy, numeracy and science.^{[citation needed]}

In 2021, portable classrooms were added to increase the school's capacity after the temporary closures of the South Building and the rising enrolment numbers. The portables are numbered from rooms 1001 through 1012.^[14]

List of principals

Name	Period	Notes
Leslie J. Wrigley	1910–1914
Matthew S. Sharman	1914 – 24 April 1941
Leslie R. Brookes	24 April 1941 – 1951
Robert E. Chapman	1952–1960
George W. Ellis	1961–1969
Gordon M. Williamson	1969	Retired
Graeme Hayter	1970–1971	Acting principal
Jack Clark	1972–1985
Peter D. A. Bryce	1986–1996
Bronwyn Valente	1997 – 1 April 2005	Retired before the end of the contract
Robert Newton	18 April 2005 – 18 September 2015
Heather Thompson	5 October 2015 – 2020	Retired
Noel Creece	2020 – June 2020	Acting Principal
Ciar Foster	June 2020 – current

Notable alumni

In 2001, University High was ranked tenth in Australia's top ten schools for the education of girls based on the number of female alumni in the Who's Who in Australia.^[15]

Academic

Elizabeth Blackburn , 2009 Nobel Prize Laureate in Physiology or Medicine
Suzanne Cory , medical biology
Norman Greenwood^[16]
Emma Johnston , marine ecology
Richard Charles Mills, economics
James Mahmud Rice, sociology, winner of the 2009 Stein Rokkan Prize for Comparative Social Science Research
Ken Simpson, ornithologist
A. T. S. Sissons, pharmaceutical science
Terry Speed, statistics
Louis Waller , law

Business and government

Alfred Oscar Lawrence, chairman of the Forests Commission Victoria 1956–1969
Richard Pratt, businessman and philanthropist

Media, entertainment and the arts

Matt Day, actor and filmmaker
Peter Faiman , producer and director
Dan Falzon, actor ("Neighbours")
Patricia Karvelas, journalist^[17]
Wendy Law Suart, traveller and writer
Sam Lipski , journalist
Graeme Lyall , musician
Leslie P. Newman , former president of Comdance
Dame Olivia Newton-John , actor and singer
Bruce Pascoe, writer
Andreja Pejic, model
Ruby Rose, MTV VJ and television presenter
Lucien Savron, theatre and film director
Noah Taylor, actor
D. M. Thomas, Cornish writer shortlisted for the 1981 Booker Prize attended between 1949 and 1951 while living in Melbourne^[18]
Judah Waten , author
David Williamson , playwright
Catherine Deveny Comedy writer, stand-up comedian and columnist for the Age

Military

Rupert Balfe, killed at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915, doctor, footballer, athlete
Maurice Fergusson , Australian army officer during World War I and World War II
Clifford William King Sadlier , winner of the Victoria Cross

Politics and the law

Neil Brown , former federal minister
Robert Clark , parliamentarian and former Victorian Minister[19]
Julie Dodds-Streeton , judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria and Federal Court of Australia.[20]
Betty King, Victorian Supreme Court judge
Joan Kirner , first female Premier of Victoria[21]
John So , former Lord Mayor of Melbourne
Leonard Edward Bishop Stretton, notable judge and royal commissioner in the State of Victoria
Gillian Triggs, former president of the Australian Human Rights Commission
Ralph Willis, former Australian Federal Treasurer

Sport

Allen Aylett, former chairman of the VFL/AFL and North Melbourne F.C., All Australian, North Melbourne Best & Fairest, cricketer
Rupert Balfe, AFL footballer (University FC), also Military (killed in Gallipoli on the landing)
Neil Balme, former Richmond AFL Footballer, premiership player in 1973 & 1974, Coached Melbourne FC, Football Administrator at Collingwood, Geelong and Richmond.
George Bazeley, Australian hockey player
Fraser Brown, AFL footballer (Carlton) 1995 Premiership player for Carlton FC and son of Joyce Brown (Australian Netballer and Coach)
John Coleman, AFL Legend
Brent Crosswell, AFL footballer (Carlton, Nth Melbourne and Melbourne), a freakishly talented and charismatic footballer (4 times premiership player, Carlton 1968 & 1970 and Nth Melbourne 1975 & 1977), cousin of Craig Davis (Carlton, Nth Melbourne, Collingwood & Sydney Swans).
Ellvana Curo, Albanian-Australian soccer player
Owen Davidson, International Tennis Hall of Fame
Alan Gale, Fitzroy FC, Team of the Century
Adrian Gallagher, Carlton F.C. Team of the Century, Carlton Best and Fairest, cricketer
David Glascott, Carlton FC Triple premiership player, also premiership player for Carlton Reserves, U/19's and Night Premiership
Stuart Glascott, Brisbane Bears AFL footballer (Carlton reserves player and younger brother of David Glascott)
Bob Keddie, Hawthorn FC Best and Fairest, All Australian
Pam Kilborn, Olympic medallist
Col Kinnear, AFL Coach (Sydney Swans), also coached premierships at Carlton FC Reserves and Coburg (VFA)
Michael Klim, Olympic medallist
Barry McAuliffe, AFL footballer (Nth Melbourne)
Georgia Nanscawen, Australian hockey player
Robert Peterson, AFL footballer (Nth Melbourne)
Phillip Pinnell, AFL footballer (Carlton & Melbourne). 1970 Carlton premiership player, inaugural coach for Springvale in the VFA
Jasper Pittard, AFL footballer
Brady Rawlings, former North Melbourne AFL Footballer
Ian Robinson, AFL umpire, Australian Football Hall of Fame
Terry Rodgers, AFL footballer (Essendon)
Sedat Sir, former Western Bulldogs AFL footballer
Shannon Watt, former North Melbourne AFL footballer
Ron Wearmouth, AFL footballer (Collingwood), son of Footscray player Dick Wearmouth
Keith Wiegard, Fitzroy footballer, Fitzroy FC CEO / president, 1960 Rome Olympian, water polo