Caringbah High School

{{Infobox school

| name = Caringbah High School

| image = Caringbah logo.JPG

| image_size = 125px

| motto = {{langx|la|Omnia Vincit Diligentia}}

| motto_translation = Diligence conquers all

| established = {{start date and age|1961|08|10|df=y}}

| grades = 7–12

| grades_label = Years

| principal = Alan Maclean

| students = {{circa|907}}

| type = Government-funded co-educational academically selective secondary day school

| colours = Orange & green {{color box|#E28900}}{{color box|#0F5A33}}

| location = Caringbah, Sutherland Shire, Sydney, New South Wales

| country = Australia

| coordinates = {{coord|-34.035|151.121|region:AU-NSW_type:edu|display=inline,title|format=dms}}

| pushpin_map = Australia Sydney

| pushpin_image =

| pushpin_mapsize = 240

| pushpin_map_alt =

| pushpin_map_caption = Location in greater metropolitan Sydney

| pushpin_label =

| pushpin_label_position =

| module = {{Infobox mapframe

|stroke-colour = #C60C30

|stroke-width = 3

|marker = school

|marker-colour = #1F2F57

|zoom = 13 }}

| website = {{URL|https://caringbah-h.schools.nsw.gov.au/}}

}}

Caringbah High School is a government-funded co-educational academically selective secondary day school, located in Caringbah, in the Sutherland Shire of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The school was opened in 1960 as a co-educational high school and was nominated to become selective in 1989, over the neighbouring Port Hacking High. {{as of|2021}} approximately 907 students were enrolled.{{Cite web|last=ACARA|title=Caringbah High School, Caringbah, NSW|url=https://www.myschool.edu.au/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-06-09|website=My School|language=en-AU|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091113135513/http://www.myschool.edu.au:80/ |archive-date=13 November 2009 }} Surrounding schools include Endeavour Sports High School, Woolooware High School , and Port Hacking High School. Caringbah High School is the only co-educational selective high school in the Sutherland Shire.

School campus

Before 2010, the school was split across two locations, the southern campus (on higher ground, known colloquially as "top school") and the northern campus (on lower ground, known colloquially as "bottom school" or "the Annexe"). The campuses were linked by a covered walkway and grassed area. The southern campus was the original site which contained an auxiliary administrative office as well as music, industrial technology, applied science classrooms and languages.

As of the 1980s, the junior years were taught in the Annexe and senior years were taught in the older buildings on the southern campus.{{cite journal |author1=NSW Teachers' Federation |author2=New South Wales Public School Teachers' Federation |journal=Education: Journal of the N.S.W. Public School Teachers Federation |title=Caringbah: High School or TAFE College? |date=November 1982 |publisher=The Federation |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-731329454 |access-date=25 November 2018 }}

However, due to the unstable clay foundation of the "top school", causing the campus to begin sinking, a construction project to consolidate all of the school's facilities commenced in 2007.{{Cite web|url=https://tenders.nsw.gov.au/dfs/?event=public.rft.showArchived&RFTUUID=9A2B6314-AF0F-4315-C7453B03CA02962B|title=ETendering - Customer Service - Archived Tender Detail View - 0801912}} and was completed in 2012.{{cite web |url=https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id:%22media/pressrel/2062937%22|title=$22 million upgrade opened for Caringbah High School}} As of 2010, only the "bottom school" is in use and the abandoned buildings of the "top school" have become a noted site of urban decay and vandalism.{{Cite news|url = http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/creepy-caringbah-campus-a-ghostly-reminder-of-old-school-days/story-fni0cx12-1227128665410|title = Creepy Caringbah campus a ghostly reminder of old school days|last1 = Walker|first1 = Ian|date = 20 November 2014|access-date = 20 November 2014|newspaper = The Daily Telegraph|last2 = Samuel|first2 = Johnson}} On 2 April 2013, the school hall in the abandoned southern campus was destroyed by arson.{{Cite web|url=http://www.theleader.com.au/story/1403993/old-caringbah-school-site-fire-suspicious/|title=Old Caringbah school site fire suspicious|date=2 April 2013}} On 29 August 2015, one of the other buildings in the southern campus was the site of another fire.{{Cite web|title = Second fire at old Caringbah High south campus|url = http://cronullanews.sydney/second-fire-at-abandoned-caringbah-high-campus/|access-date = 18 September 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150831095353/http://www.cronullanews.sydney/second-fire-at-abandoned-caringbah-high-campus/|archive-date = 31 August 2015|url-status = dead}} A year 12 student has secured $100,000 to add solar panels on the roof of the school hall, which is expected to create annual savings of $18,000.{{cite news |last1=Kolimar |first1=Eva |title=Student solar powers his school, slashing thousands off the energy bill |url=https://www.theleader.com.au/story/5701830/student-solar-powers-his-school-slashing-thousands-off-the-energy-bill/ |access-date=26 October 2018 |work=St George & Sutherland Shire Leader |date=24 October 2018 |language=en}}

= Outdoor Learning Centre =

One of the key programs the school's environmental committee "Greenedge" has undertaken is the Outdoor Learning Centre (OLC). Construction started in August 2013. It is located near the site of the former walkway between the two campuses. Students and staff both had significant input into the design, and much of the work was constructed with the help of students and staff. The OLC consists of a central "pod", where classes can be held, and 5 smaller "pods" each based on bush tucker, a xeriscape, a meditative garden, an indigenous garden and a sensory garden.{{Cite web |url=http://www.caringbah-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/documents/33318717/33325419/Caringbah%20High%20School%20Concept%20pdf.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=13 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180320012115/http://www.caringbah-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/documents/33318717/33325419/Caringbah%20High%20School%20Concept%20pdf.pdf |archive-date=20 March 2018 |url-status=dead }}

Information Technology course

Students have the opportunity to complete the 'Talented Computing Program' (TCP) as an elective in years 9 and 10. The preliminary Higher School Certificate course in Information Processes and Technology (IPT) commences on the first semester of year 9; allowing students to complete 2-units of their HSC prior to reaching year 11. Completion of TCP allows the option of undertaking a first-year university level course in computing through the University of New South Wales in year 11 called COMP1917.{{cite web |title=Computing 1 – HS1917 |date=8 August 2015 |url=http://legacy.handbook.unsw.edu.au/undergraduate/courses/2016/COMP1917.html |access-date=20 March 2019 |publisher=University of New South Wales }}

Co-curricular

Caringbah High School provides various extra-curricular activities, such as public speaking, debating, Tournament of Minds and HSC distinction courses.

= Music =

Caringbah has twenty-four musical ensembles, of which many compete in regional and statewide events and performances, including the Sydney Eisteddfod McDonald's Performing Arts Challenge.{{cite web |url=http://www.sydneyeisteddfod.com.au/index.php?page%3D178 |title=McDonald's Performing Arts Challenge 2009 |access-date=8 July 2009|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090704235050/http://www.sydneyeisteddfod.com.au/index.php?page=178 |archive-date=4 July 2009 |df=dmy }} As a part of the consolidation of campuses, a new, "Music Centre" was created, which houses music classrooms and practice rooms, where students from music classes and music ensembles have classes, can store instruments and practice during lunchtimes and before and after school.

= Sporting teams =

Caringbah fields many sporting teams which compete in many sports including water polo, rugby league, soccer, cross country running, lawn bowls, field hockey, mountain biking, tennis, cricket (boys and girls) and squash.

In 2023, the Caringbah High School Boys Open Football Team won the NSW Combined High Schools Knockout Competition, winning the competition for the first time in the school’s history.

= Tournament of Minds =

Caringbah High School has competed in the Tournament of Minds for over 18 years. The school regularly enters two Language Literature Teams, three Social Science Teams and a Maths/Engineering Team. In 2006, the Maths Engineering team, two Social Science teams and a Language Literature team received honours at a regional level. One Language Literature team went on to compete and receive honours at the State level. In 2018, the Social Sciences team won at the Sydney East Regional Finals, and are progressed to the State Final{{Cite web |url=https://tom.edu.au/Media/Files/NSW/RESULTS/SE.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2 September 2018 |archive-date=2 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180902151643/https://tom.edu.au/Media/Files/NSW/RESULTS/SE.pdf |url-status=dead }}

= Green Edge =

In 2009, Green Edge, the school's environmental committee began (unnamed until 2012). The aim of the team is to promote environmental sustainability within the school community. It has undertaken activities such as upgrading light switches to energy efficient timers, introducing a worm farm system, and a school garden. After a period of inactivity, the Green Edge team was re-established in 2015 by a Year 11 student.

= Debating =

The school maintains several debating teams consisting of students from all grades, participating in regional debating competitions. In 2014, and 2018 a team of Year 10 students won the grand final of the Les Gordon History Debating Competition.{{Cite web|title=Caringbah High School {{!}} Year 10 History Debating Team |url=http://www.caringbah-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/news/year-10-history-debating-team |website=www.caringbah-h.schools.nsw.edu.au |access-date=2015-09-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160321153541/http://www.caringbah-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/news/year-10-history-debating-team |archive-date=21 March 2016 |df=dmy }}

=Duke of Edinburgh Award=

Caringbah High offers the Duke of Edinburgh Award program as a co-curricular activity.{{cite web |title=Co-Curricular Opportunities – Caringbah High School |url=https://caringbah-h.schools.nsw.gov.au/learning-at-our-school/extra-curriculum-programs.html |website=caringbah-h.schools.nsw.gov.au |access-date=25 November 2018 |language=en-AU}} In October 1973, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh himself presented the award at the school.{{cite web |title=Duke of Edinburgh Awards, Caringbah High School |url=http://archival.sl.nsw.gov.au/Details/archive/110302521 |website=archival.sl.nsw.gov.au |access-date=25 November 2018 |language=en}} Newspaper clippings of the Duke's visit are on display in the Caringbah High School Library.

HSC results

Caringbah High School students achieve consistently high marks in the Higher School Certificate (HSC). In the years 2000–2007, of the 150 student cohort, on average 11 students achieved 99+ (7%), 23 achieved 98+ (15%), and 48 achieved 95+ (31%), with over 98% of students gaining entrance into university. In the 2009 student HSC cohort the average ATAR was 87.8, with 60% of students achieving an ATAR 90+.{{cite web |url=http://www.caringbah.nsw.edu.au/newsletter.php |title=Caringbah High School – A Selective and Co-Educational High School |access-date=2010-02-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100514165817/http://www.caringbah.nsw.edu.au/newsletter.php |archive-date=14 May 2010 |df=dmy }}

The school's HSC rankings from 2007 to 2024 according to Better Education were:{{Cite web|title = HSC School Ranking – 2014|url = https://bettereducation.com.au/results/hsc.aspx|website = bettereducation.com.au|access-date = 2015-09-18|first = Wang|last = Family}}{{Cite web |title=Trend of CARINGBAH HIGH SCHOOL 2229 by HSC results |url=https://bettereducation.com.au/CompareSchools/year_12/nsw/compare_secondary_schools_by_hsc.aspx?enc=Lm2FuvFaRPHH8JJ3t4dor9zwSOgrlcDAubfSsu0lJN0MhtMR4iNQZyZGvLmwlI3U4RE7W0oNxONdWbaKcegYmXj3u3tVe8Dn5md3nUK1whwXfBcra6TbCxhBnffb49THU2NA+Z2ktXr6GGi5c7+Ipg== |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=bettereducation.com.au}}

2007: 26th
2008: 20th
2009: 31st
2010: 35th
2011: 28th
2012: 52nd
2013: 57th
2014: 38th
2015: 36th
2016: 29th
2017: 39th
2018: 40th
2019: 48th
2020: 30th
2021: 44th
2022: 35th
2023: 42th
2024: 81st

Notable alumni

= Business =

Lang Walker – billionaire,{{Cite web |title=Lang Walker |url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/lang-walker/ |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=Forbes |language=en}} executive chairman and co-founder of Walker Corporation
Tamara Ralph – Australian–British fashion designer, co-founder of Ralph & Russo

= Entertainment, media and the arts =

Jayne Azzopardi – co-host of Weekend Today and reporter for Nine News Sydney
Michael Hing – co-host of Triple J's Hobba and Hing and presenter on The Project
Mickey Kojak – electronic musician
Neel Kolhatkar – comedian, YouTuber and actor

= Politics, public service and the law =

Malcolm Kerr – former Liberal member for Cronulla
Terry Metherell – former Minister for Education and Youth Affairs
Iain Ross – former Judge of the Federal Court of Australia
Mark Speakman – current leader of the NSW Liberal Party

= Medicine and science =

Ken Hillman – doctor, researcher and Professor of Intensive Care at the University of New South Wales
Susan Serjeantson – geneticist and professor of genetics at the Australian National University

= Finance =

There are at least four STIR traders that have graduated from Caringbah in the past two decades.

Popular culture

The 2012 Australian television series Puberty Blues was filmed on location at Caringbah High School.{{cite news|title=Creepy corridors where memories of children still linger|url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/creepy-caringbah-campus-a-ghostly-reminder-of-old-school-days/news-story/628d40ee81188eef33b588cf77f08380|access-date=1 April 2017|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=20 November 2014}}