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| Damascus College | |
|---|---|
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| Location | |
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1412 Geelong Road, Mount Clear ,, 3350 | |
| Coordinates | 37°36′42″S143°52′7″E / 37.61167°S 143.86861°E /-37.61167; 143.86861 |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent,co-educational,day school |
| Motto | Latin:Luce Christi Vivere (To live by the light of Christ) |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic,Sisters of Mercy |
| Established | 1881 (Sacred Heart) 1948 (St Paul's) 1968 (St Martin's in the Pines). 1995 (Amalgamation) |
| School board | Berenice Kerr RSM and Kevin Maloney[1] |
| School number | 265[2] |
| Principal | Steven Mifsud[1] |
| Staff | 129[3] |
| Teaching staff | 86[3] |
| Years offered | 7–12 |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Enrolment | 1102 |
| Colours | Gold, navy blue and maroon |
| VCE average | 28 |
| Affiliation | Ballarat Associated Schools |
| Website | http://www.damascus.vic.edu.au/ |
Damascus College isBallarat’s onlyCatholic co-educational secondary college. It was established in 1995 after three separate Catholic colleges, St Martin's in the Pines,Sacred Heart College andSt Paul's College amalgamated. The college is located on a treed 20 hectare campus inMount Clear, 7 km from Ballarat's central business district. Damascus College is a day school for secondary students in years 7 to 12.
In 1881, theSisters of Mercy established Sacred Heart College inBallarat East for students from Preparatory to Year 12. The primary students were later moved to St Francis Xavier College in 1906.[citation needed]
When the Bishop of Ballarat,James O'Collins established St Paul's Technical College in 1948, he invited theChristian Brothers to continue their work for boys through the provision of technical education.[citation needed]
In 1987 the school moved from Lydiard St to the former Ballarat Orphanage on Victoria Street.[citation needed]
Alice Fanning, who had been looked after by the Sisters of Mercy for several years, bequeathed the Mt Clear property to the Sisters of Mercy on her death in February 1960. The land was used by the Sisters to grow vegetables and raise cattle, and following the decision in 1964 to develop the site for the senior school of Sacred Heart College, the foundation stone was laid in 1966.[citation needed]
In 1967, the separate campus for Year 11 and 12 girls was developed at Mt Clear to form St Martin's in the Pines. In 1988, this campus became co-educational, with boys mainly from St Paul's Technical College. St Martin's in the Pines remained an all girls boarding school for students, the majority who came from country Victoria. In beginning years, all 4 floors of the boarding house were utilised as bedrooms (cells). Over the years, the need for a boarding school was reflected in the reduced numbers of students who resided in the boarding house. In 1994, only one floor was used by students, and each had access to two rooms, one a bedroom, one being a study. Sister Elizabeth Maloney was the last Head Boarding Mistress 1992-1994.[citation needed]
In 1995 Sacred Heart College, St Martin's in the Pines and St Paul's Technical College amalgamated to form Ballarat's only co-educational Catholic secondary school. Year 7 to 9 students were located in Victoria St at the former St Paul's site and Year 10 to 12 students were located in Mt Clear at the former site of St Martin's in the Pines. In 2011 all students were relocated to Mt Clear. Damascus College is jointly sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy and the parish priests of Ballarat, Ballarat East,Ballarat North,Bungaree,Cressy,Creswick,Daylesford,Gordon,Linton,Redan,Sebastopol, andWendouree.
In 2016 the college was named the Sustainability Victoria Biodiversity Secondary School of the Year.[4]
The college's curriculum is informed by a number of key documents including the College Vision and Mission Statement, Teaching and Learning Policy, the Australian Curriculum, theVictorian Essential Learning Standards,VCAA and theVictorian Registration and Qualifications Authority.[5]
Students have the opportunity to learn French or Indonesian from Year 7 to 12. Physical Education and Health are taken from years 7 to 10, while Religious Education is taken for all years. Damascus College offersVCE,VET andVCE Vocational Major to Year 10, 11 and 12 students.[5]
Since 1998 Damascus College students have designed, built and tested Human Powered Vehicles (HPVs).[7] The team trains and competes annually in theEnergy Breakthrough challenge inMaryborough.[8] The competition involves a 24-hour non-stop endurance race where teams gain points for the most laps travelled as well as their demonstrated knowledge of the vehicle and the technology used to make the vehicle.[7] SRT is offered as a after-school extra-curricular activity that requires students to build the vehicles in an effort to engage them in energy efficient technologies that may make up the future of transport and manufacturing.[7][9] Additionally, the team competes in theVictorian HPV Grand Prix Series andAustralian HPV Super Series.
The college won the World Future Cycle Challenge in 2005 and 2007, a 1200 km journey fromCeduna toAdelaide.[10][11]
In March 2008 Damascus College rode 1009 km in under 24 hours fromSydney to Ballarat to raise awareness of solutions togreenhouse emissions and to raise funds for sustainable energy and food programs.[12]
In 2009, SRT rode a 3775 km journey by solar vehicle fromDarwin to the steps of theVictorian State Parliament from 23 November - 9 December, just as the2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference inCopenhagen opened. Their Outback Rode RAGE (Ride Against Greenhouse Emissions) campaign aimed to raiseawareness about climate change and how individuals can reduce their environmental footprints. Seven students took turns on the hi-tech vehicle. The vehicle was 30 per cent powered by solar electricity and 70 per cent by pedalling and hit a top of 115 km/h.[10]
Formerly known as Energy Breakthrough Team (EBT), in 2019 it was renamed to Sustainable Racing Team (SRT).
In May 2024, SRT rode 1085km fromBroken Hill to Ballarat to raise money for the Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute.
Students can join the senior or junior Drama Club, can participate in the annual production and the biannual Easter productionthe Final Hours.[13]
| Year | Production | Year | Production |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Children of Dust | 1999 | Animal Farm |
| 2001 | Sunrise Sunset | 2002 | Little Shop Of Horrors |
| 2003 | Foreigners From Home & Henry | 2004 | Fame |
| 2005 | Small Poppies | 2006 | Seussical |
| 2007 | Così | 2008 | The Wiz |
| 2009 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | 2010 | Footloose |
| 2011 | Beach | 2012 | Annie |
| 2013 | The Diary of Anne Frank | 2014 | Superman |
| 2015 | The 39 Steps[14] | 2016 | Grease[15] |
| 2017 | The Crucible[16] | 2018 | Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat[17] |
| 2019 | Around the World in 80 Days[18] | 2020 | Oliver! (cancelled) |
| 2021 | The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee[19] | 2022 | Clue |
| 2023 | The Addams Family (musical) | 2024 | The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time (Senior) The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon |
| 2025 | Oliver! |
Each year school swimming, athletics and ball sports carnivals are held for all students to participate in. Damascus College is a member of theBallarat Associated Schools through which students can choose to represent the school in:
Damascus has won the following BAS premierships.[21] Premierships won prior to 1995 were done so by the pre-amalgamation schools.
Combined:
Boys:
Girls:
Damascus College is divided into several school wings[9]
| Period | Name |
|---|---|
| 1995–2004 | John Shannon |
| 2005–2010 | Tony Duggan |
| 2011–2022 | Matthew Byrne |
| 2022–present | Steven Mifsud |
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