Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2008)

Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School
Latin: Non Nobis Solum Not for Ourselves Alone
Location
Essendon, Victoria, Australia
Coordinates	37°45′34″S 144°54′52″E / 37.75944°S 144.91444°E / -37.75944; 144.91444Coordinates: 37°45′34″S 144°54′52″E / 37.75944°S 144.91444°E / -37.75944; 144.91444
Information
Type	Independent, Single-sex, Day school
Denomination	Anglican
Established	1920[1]
Founder	Archbishop Lowther Clarke
Principal	Carolyn Grantskalns
Enrolment	~800 (K–12)[2]
Colour(s)	Blue and Gold
Website	www.lowtherhall.vic.edu.au

Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School, most often referred to simply as Lowther Hall, is an independent, Anglican, day school for girls, located in Essendon, an inner suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Established in 1920 through the amalgamation of Blinkbonnie's Ladies' College and Winstow Girls' School, the school has a non-selective enrolment policy and currently caters for 800 students from Kindergarten to Year 12.

Lowther Hall is affiliated with the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA),^[3] the Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA),^[4] the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia (AGSA),^[5] the Association of Independent Schools of Victoria (AISV),^[1] and is a founding member of Girls Sport Victoria (GSV).^[6]

History

Lowther Hall comprises numerous buildings, each varying in age. At the centre of the school is 'Earlsbrae Hall', commonly referred to as 'The Mansion' by students, parents and staff alike, which Coiler McCracken constructed in 1890.

'Earlsbrae Hall', ca. 1949

Earlsbrae Hall was designed by renowned architect, R.A. Lawson. The exterior of the mansion is described as a Greco-Roman temple with Corinthian columns. Inside the mansion, one can find carved woodwork and an extensive use of stained glass windows. 'The Mansion' houses the drawing room, as well as the administration wing of the school, music classrooms and the Principal's office.

Earlsbrae Hall was sold for £6500 to the Church of England Trusts Co-operative for the Diocese of Melbourne to be used for educational purposes. The school was named after Archbishop Henry Lowther Clarke who directed the purchase of the building.

Blinkbonnie's Ladies' College in Moonee Ponds and Winstow Girls' School merged in 1920 to become Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School.

Campus

Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar consists of two campuses: one campus on Leslie Road in Essendon, which is situated close to amenities such as Essendon Station, and a 13-hectare sporting campus on Overnewton Road in Keilor, which has a gymnasium, numerous tennis, netball and basketball courts and an oval. There is also a hall, named the Joan M Garde Cultural Centre, which houses dance and drama classrooms, private music rooms, a lecture theatre, changerooms, a stage, and sports offices. On 28 January 2011, the new science building, the Noelene Horton Centre, had its grand opening.

Houses

The houses at Lowther Hall, all named after Anglican Archbishops, are Booth (orange), Clarke (green), Hindley (red), Lees (blue), Moorhouse (yellow) and Perry (purple). Each year, the houses compete in events such as athletics, swimming and House Performing Arts, and each year, the house cup is awarded to the house with the highest total of points from the year's events.

School structure

The student body is arranged in four sections. The Early Learning Centre is for Kindergarten. The years Preparatory to 6 are housed in the Junior School.

Sampford House houses students from Years 7 to 9. It consists of two stories, and is currently undergoing major renovations. On ground level in the already refurbished portion of Sampford House, there is a multi-purpose area, food technology kitchen and tutor room – as well as classrooms. Sampford House was named after a principal, Evelyn. E. Sampford. Each homegroup in years seven to nine ends with the suffix S, M or P – letters drawn from the word 'S a M Pford'. Years 10, 11 and 12 form Grant House and each Year 10 homegroup ends in G N or T, from the word Grant. Year 11 and 12 homerooms are in houses: Booth, Clarke, Hindley, Moorhouse, Lees and Perry.

Co-curriculum

Sport

Lowther Hall is a member of Girls Sport Victoria (GSV). Twenty-four girl's schools participate in GSV alongside Lowther. Lowther has gained a reputation in the aerobics and hip-hop dance sport areas, with teams in state and national finals. The school has also had successful rowing seasons.^{[citation needed]}

Music

It has an annual music camp, where all the girls involved in music ensembles gather to hone their creative as well as performance skills, and prepare for the annual Spring Concert. Lowther Hall has several esteemed choirs and orchestras. All students must join an ensemble as well as an instrument from year three to year eight, however those in senior school do not need to be in an ensemble. The choirs take out prizes almost every year at the Geelong Eisteddfod among numerous other choral competitions, and have sung at major events such as the 100th anniversary of the 1901 Federation.

Charity

The school currently supports various charities, as well as a school in Bangladesh. Term Three is designated as a fundraising term where various activities are organised in order to raise money for charities.

See also

• List of schools in Victoria

References

External links

• Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School
• Girls' Sport Victoria
• Debaters' Association of Victoria
• History of Lowther Hall