Goondiwindi State High School opened on 28 January 1964 in Goondiwindi, Queensland. Enrollments in February that year totaled 178 students, with the first principal being Mr W.L.J.P. (Wilhelmus) Goosens. ^[1]

Goondiwindi State High School
The Goondiwindi State High School Logo I Aspire, I Achieve
Location
Goondiwindi, Queensland, Australia
Information
Information	Goondiwindi State High School educates students, years 8 to 12, from the local area; Goondiwindi, Yelarbon, Inglewood, Millmerran, Toobeah as well as many other small towns in the district.

Contents 1 History 2 Principals 3 Student Structure 4 ASPIRE 5 Curriculum 6 References 7 External Links 8 See Also

History

^[2] Goondiwindi State High School opened on 28th January 1964. Enrollments in February that year totaled 178 students, with the first principal being Mr W.L.J.P. (Wilhelmus) Goosens.

Prior to this, the provision of secondary education occurred through the Goondiwindi Secondary Department, a “high top” attached to Goondiwindi State Primary School. The secondary department, known as the State Rural School, opened in 1953 with the sum total of nine pupils.

Advocacy for a dedicated secondary school in Goondiwindi commenced in 1960, as the following extract from The Courier Mail reveals.

The Courier Mail (Friday 17 February 1961)
GOONDIWINDI - Local parents have risen to the challenge given by the education minister (Mr Prezzey) at the state rural school 1960 speech night. Mr Prezzey then promised “a brand new high school for Goondiwindi when secondary enrollments reached 100, provided 10 students were prepared to continue into senior schooling level”. Goondiwindi began the 1961 school year with 107 secondary enrollments and this week parents told the head teacher (Mr A. Greenwood) that 19 students were prepared to go onto senior level next year.

Principals

1964-65 W. Goosens

1966-68 Alf Garrone

1969-70 A. Matthews

1971 A. Whitmee

1972-75 Barry Thomson

1976-77 Dennis Fredrickson

1978-79 Kel Barnes

1980-85 David Cassidy

1986-87 Ian Isaacs

1988-89 Leoll Barron

1990-92 Paul Tarbuck

1992-94 Gary Chew

1994-00 Graham Jenkins

2001-02 Catherine O’Sullivan

2003-08 Alan Smith

^[3]

Student Structure

The senior students of Goondiwindi State High are lead by a group of elected peers, these leaders have specific roles:

School Captains: Lead the school with respect and pride, representing their peers at official functions and other formal events.

Directors

Social: Coordinates with staff and students organizing social events throughout the year.

Cultural: Organizes events within the school and community to promote Goondiwindi State Highs wide variety of cultural skills.

Finance: Is responsible for the management of school fund raisers and the budget for that year.

Sports: Comprised of a male and female director this position entails the management of sporting events, carnivals and fun days.

Pride: The newest position added to the student council, the pride director is responsible for encouraging the I ASPIRE, I Achieve Motto.

Although this brief description of these positions shows some of what each leader is responsible for, all of these leaders are responsible for a wide range of activities throughout the school.

ASPIRE

The "I aspire, I achieve" motto has be a part of Goondiwindi State High since its opening in 1964. However it has only been recently that the ASPIRE program has been developed further upon the beliefs entailed by the founders. The new ASPIRE motto is as follows:

Achievement

Safety

Pride

Initiative

Respect

Excellence

These are the qualities that students at Goondiwindi State High strive for themselves and their school.

Curriculum

^[4] GSHS has a varied curriculum, all students throughout the school are involved in 6 subjects, the middle school, years 8 & 9, subjects include English, Mathematics, Science, Study of Society & Environment, Physical Life Skills, Information Communication & Technology, Home Economics, Industrial Technology & Design, Personal Development, Art, Drama, Music, Agricultural Science, Business Studies, Hospitality, Graphics.

Extension classes are offered in Year 9 in English, Mathematics and Science. These classes allow more able students to extend their knowledge, problem solving and skill bases. An Extension class is also offered in Year 8 Mathematics from the start of semester two.

The senior schooling, years 10, 11 & 12, subjects are also varied and include; Agriculture; Creative Arts; Visual Arts; Business Accounting; Business & Finance; Designer Foods & Textiles; Drama; Furnishings (Cert 1); Geography: Planning & Real Estate; Graphics; History – Out of the Trenches; Hospitality: Breakfasts & Lunches; Hospitality: Restaurant Dining Out; ICT – Picture This; ICT – Game Making; Physical Education; Physical Recreation; Rural Practices; Science in Everyday Life Science Extension; Physics; Chemistry; Accounting; Biological Science; Business Communication & Technology (BCT); Information Processing & Technology (IPT); Mathematics A; Mathematics B; Mathematics C; Modern History; Physics; Science 21; Business Studies (Certificate II); Engineering & Manufacturing (Cert I & 11); English Communication; Hospitality Practices (Certificate I); Industrial Graphics; Pre-Vocational Mathematics; Certificate I & II Rural Production & Early Childhood Practices.

Students are offered subjects according to their year level, however all must complete one math and one English subject.

Form more detailed information regarding curriculum choices, go to See Also below. ^[5]

References

External Links

http://www.goondiwishs.eq.edu.au/index.html

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=cd1Mx9psC_0

See Also

• Goondiwindi
• Yelarbon
• Goondiwindi Regional Council