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Applecross Senior High School

Applecross Senior High School is a public co-educational high school, located in Ardross, a southern suburb of Perth, Western Australia.

Applecross Senior High School

Achieve

1958 (1958)

Paul Leech

1,731[1] (Semester 1, 2021)

Black, green, red and white     

Founded in 1958,[2] Applecross Senior High School has traditionally been one of the leading public high schools in Western Australia and consistently ranks academically within the top ten secondary schools in the state.[3][4][5] Applecross has produced two Rhodes Scholars.[6]


Applecross runs dedicated art, tennis and chess programs, and has traditionally been dominant in these areas.[7][8][9][10] It also runs Academic Extension classes, for those students talented in the areas of English, Maths, Science, Society and Environment, French and Japanese.


Like many Western Australian high schools, Applecross is a partially selective high school with out-of-area students accepted on a number of criteria.[11]

History[edit]

The school was opened in 1958 to service the rapidly growing south-of-the-river suburbs of the city of Perth. As of 2021, 1731 students from Years 7 to 12 attended the school.[1]


In 2009 the Government of Western Australia allocated A$56 million for the re-development of the school. A competitive tender process was completed in April 2010. The original school 'H' block, science block, swimming pool, and the 1970s gymnasium was retained. All other existing buildings were removed. A new south wing on the site of the existing tennis courts was designed to house a new administration area, library, resource centre, science, home economics and health and physical education wings. A new design, and technology centre was constructed to the east of the swimming pool and a new visual arts centre was located on the site of existing basketball courts. The gymnasium was converted into a performing arts centre, while the original 'H' block was refurbished for use by business/information technology, careers and vocational education, English, languages, mathematics, society and environment and student services.[12]

School crest[edit]

The school crest is a combination of a black swan holding a book, signifying proximity to the Swan River, with a hand holding a scimitar, emerging from a five-pointed crown ("issuant from an eastern crown or, a dexter hand holding a scimitar, in fess all proper"), the crest of the Chief of the Matheson clan. Sir Alexander Matheson Bt of Lochalsh, a property developer who in 1897 initiated the subdivision of the suburb of Applecross, became Chief of the Clan in 1920 on the death of his brother, the 2nd Baronet.[13][14]

2014: Robert Rubery won the for the top ranked Vocational Education & Training (VET) student.

Beazley Medal

1993: Bertrand Sze Yu Lee won the Beazley Medal for the top ranked student.

TEE

The Year-12 cohort at Applecross perform consistently well in the WACE school rankings, and the school ranks well when compared to other schools in Western Australia.


WA school ATAR ranking


Year 12 student achievement data


Beazley Medals

 – Walkley Award winning newspaper cartoonist[24]

Dean Alston

 – film director[25]

Tony Ayres

 – Realist painter, winner of Sir John Sulman Prize[26]

Marcus Beilby

 – former Australian Rules football player and American football punter in the NFL[27]

Darren Bennett

(1951–2005) – author and poet, won 1981 Anne Elder Award for first book of poetry[28]

Jenny Boult

Jim Gill  – Chancellor of Curtin University, Western Australia (2010–2012), former: CEO of WA Water Corporation; WA Commissioner of Railways[29]

AO

 – artist whose work is held in many major Western Australian institutions

Jillian Green

Jeanette Hacket  – Vice-Chancellor of Curtin University, Western Australia (2006–2013)[30][31]

AM

(1951–2015) – Walkley Award-winning columnist and reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald, previously international correspondent for the National Times.[32][33]

Adele Horin

Toby Hussey  – Journalist and newsreader

Peter Lewis  – former Australian Consul-General and Senior Trade Commissioner in San Francisco[34]

AM

Bill Louden – Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor (2009–2013) and Dean of Education (2006–2008) of [35][36]

University of Western Australia

(1947–2012) – journalist, music manager, television producer, musician

Vince Lovegrove

Raoul Marks – dual winner for main title design on True Detective and The Man in the High Castle[37]

Emmy Award

Tonya McCusker – classical dancer, wife of 31st [38]

Governor of Western Australia

Vinay Menon – 2012,[6] John Monash Scholar[39]

Rhodes Scholar

 – journalist, 5-time Walkley Award winner including Gold Walkley in 2012, 18 WA Media Awards[40]

Steve Pennells

Graeme Robertson – 1971, former: Director of Muresk Institute of Curtin University; Director-General of WA Department of Agriculture[6][41]

Rhodes Scholar

 – professor in Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick, UK and Professor in Public Policy at Central European University in Budapest.[42][43]

Diane Stone

Lesley Vidovich – Winthrop Professor, Graduate School of Education, [44]

University of Western Australia

 – Director General of WA Department of Transport, Commissioner for Main Roads, CEO of Public Transport Authority of Western Australia. Former WA Commissioner of Railways[45]

Reece Waldock

Steve Ward – boat builder; built 1983 America's Cup winner Australia II, and challengers Australia, Australia III, Australia IV, Challenger 12 & South Australia.[46]

12-metre class

Bruce Williams – Commissioner of , former Commissioner of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, Perth[47][48]

Fair Work Australia

List of schools in the Perth metropolitan area

Applecross Senior High School Website