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| St Bernard's College | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
 | |
41 Rosehill Road Northern , 3040 Australia | |
| Coordinates | 37°45′1″S144°52′56″E / 37.75028°S 144.88222°E /-37.75028; 144.88222 |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent secondary school |
| Motto | Latin:Discere et Agere (To Learn and To Do) |
| Religious affiliation | Catholicism |
| Denomination | Christian Brothers |
| Patron saint | Bernard of Clairvaux |
| Established | 1940; 85 years ago (1940) |
| Trust | Edmund Rice Education Australia |
| Principal | Michael Davies |
| Years offered | 7–12 |
| Gender | Boys |
| Enrolment | 1,600 |
| Average class size | 28 |
| Campuses | Essendon Campus (Years 7 & 8, 10-12): 41 Rosehill Road, Essendon West VIC 3040, Australia Resurrection House Campus (Year 9): 6 Aberfeldie Street,Aberfeldie VIC 3040, Australia Santa Monica Campus (Year 9 camp): 970 Great Ocean Road,Eastern View VIC 3231, Australia |
| Houses | Avila (red), MacKillop (blue), McAuley (yellow), Nagle (orange), Rice (green) |
| Slogan | Achieving Excellence by Learning and Doing |
| School fees | Year 7-8: $11,182, Year 9-12: $11,917 |
| Affiliation | Associated Catholic Colleges |
| Website | www |
St Bernard's College is anindependentCatholicsecondary school for boys, located in theMelbourne suburb ofEssendon West,Victoria,Australia. Thecollege is named after its patron saint,Bernard of Clairvaux, and is a member of theAssociated Catholic Colleges. It is also part ofEdmund Rice Education Australia, a series of schools that focus on teaching the pupils in the tradition ofEdmund Rice. As of 2025, the school'sprincipal is Michael Davies and thevice-principal is Therese Wilson.
St Bernard's College traces its origins to the establishment of St Monica's atMoonee Ponds in 1917, by Brothers C. O'Keefe and T. Quinn. Students at this school were taken from Grade III toIntermediate (Year 10).
In 1940, during the war period, not only were the students sent away to help in Ireland, the school was also extended to take the Leaving Certificate (Year 11), and this necessitated the building of the first St Bernard's on the Strand Moonee Ponds, with Brother Cregan as the first Headmaster.[1]
In the mid-1950s, Brother Brendan Murphy organised the purchase of the West Essendon property. While initially used as sporting grounds, building work began at this site in the mid-1960s. Since then, the site has developed with all classes being located at West Essendon by 1995, at which time the Moonee Ponds site was sold. In 2001, the college set up its Santa Monica campus on theGreat Ocean Road nearLorne. This campus is most notably used by Year 9 students where they live, study, and undertake outdoor education for four-week periods as part of the standard curriculum.[2] Since 2023,[3] the college has had its Year 9 students at a dedicated campus inAberfeldie, known asResurrection House. Resurrection House has a rich history dating back to its establishment in 1952,[4] run by the Sisters of the Resurrection, as a Catholicprimary school until they closed and sold the property for campus use to St Bernards.
St Bernard's College offers its senior students theVictorian Certificate of Education (VCE).
| Year | Rank | Median study score | Scores of 40+ (%) | Cohort size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 95 | 32 | 10.4 | 284 |
| 2013 | 98 | 32 | 11 | 297 |
| 2014 | 109 | 32 | 8.7 | 304 |
| 2015 | 95 | 32 | 10.5 | 384 |
| 2016 | 97 | 32 | 10.2 | 367 |
| 2017 | 139 | 31 | 8 | 314 |
| 2018 | 130 | 31 | 8.8 | 327 |
| 2019 | 172 | 30 | 7.5 | 339 |
| 2020 | 181 | 30 | 6 | 320 |
| 2021 | 201 | 30 | 5.3 | 299 |
| 2022 | 146 | 31 | 6.3 | 302 |
| 2023 | 198 | 30 | 5.6 | 347 |
| 2024 | 130 | 31 | 8 | 363 |
For the 2025 Victorianschool year, the current term dates are as below.[6]
St Bernard's is a member of theAssociated Catholic Colleges and competes against twelve other schools in sporting fixtures and carnivals. Students play week-end sport with the Old Collegians. St Bernards is particularly successful in Australian Rules Football, winning the Herald Sun Shield in 2017 and 2018. A number of boys from these sides have been drafted into the AFL likeNoah Balta toRichmond,Xavier O'Halloran toGreater Western Sydney, (in the first round of the AFL draft) andLachlan Sholl toAdelaide.
St Bernards had a record twelve straight Athletic championship wins from 2003 to 2014, under the coaching of Gerard Brown, a teacher with years of experience in the role as head coach of the Athletics squad and Cross Country team.[7][8]
St Bernard's has won the following ACC premierships.[9]
The college has musical productions and music programs. It has combined withSt Columba's College, to stage shows annually.
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The college has a reputation for its musical productions and music programs. It has combined withSt Columba's College, to stage shows annually, which have includedPirates of Penzance (2000),Fiddler on the Roof (2001),Anything Goes (2002),West Side Story (2003),Guys and Dolls (2004),Oklahoma (2005),Cabaret (2006),Bye Bye Birdie (2007),Jesus Christ Superstar (2008),The Sound of Music (2009),The Wiz (2010),High School Musical (2011),Jekyll and Hyde (2012),Once Upon a Mattress (2013),Shout! The Legend of The Wild One (2014),The Pajama Game (2015),The Boy from Oz (2016),Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (2017),The Addams Family (2018),The Wedding Singer (2019),Grease (2020),Mary Poppins (2021),Strictly Ballroom (2022),Little Shop of Horrors (2023),Chicago (2024) and have recently finished performingNewsies (2025). The productions of Grease and Mary Poppins were both impacted by theCOVID-19 pandemic during the rehearsal process, leading to both being cancelled. The college has many avenues for its students to explore the arts, including the College & ACC Art and Technology Exhibition, Battle of the Bands, Choir, Music Ensembles and Theatre Productions in collaboration with St Columba’s College. The college also has an annual 'Kick Arts' along withSt Columba's College andAve Maria College which comprises dramatic, musical and dance acts by each school.
St Bernard's College productions in conjunction with St Columba's College have been recognised by the prestigious Music Theatre Guild of Victoria, a not-for-profit organisation for the ongoing support, encouragement and development of non-professional music theatre in the state of Victoria.[10]
2024 – "Chicago"
2023 – "Little Shop of Horrors"
2016 – "The Boy From Oz"
2013 – "Once Upon A Mattress"
2012 – "Jekyll and Hyde"
2010 – "The Wiz"
The students are involved in electing their student leaders every year. A nomination from a student or from their peers is verified by the staff and senior leadership team. Staff will then endorse students from Year 11, and for specific leadership roles for Year 12 students.
The senior leadership team will then review the potential candidates based on student and staff endorsement and select the Year 11 and Year 12 members of the Student Council. The Year 12 portion of the Student Council is composed of eight council members, five House Captains, five Portfolio Captains (Arts, Sports, Ministry, Wellbeing and Academic) and the College Captain.
Year 12 Student Council members who wish to undertake House, Portfolio, or the College Captain role must undertake an interview with the Senior Leadership Team, who will decide the student for the position. The Student Council helps facilitates many important events throughout the college such as the college's Feast Day and various whole school assemblies throughout the year.
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