John Curtin College of the Arts

{{Infobox school

| name = John Curtin College of the Arts

| logo =

| image = John Curtin College of the Arts B Block.jpg

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption =

| motto = Learning for life

| city = Fremantle, {{WAcity|Perth}}

| state = Western Australia

| country = Australia

| coordinates = {{Coord|-32.0487|115.7573|type:edu_region:AU-WA|display=inline,title|format=dms}}

| pushpin_map = Australia Perth

| pushpin_image =

| pushpin_mapsize = 250

| pushpin_map_alt =

| pushpin_map_caption = Location of JCCA in Perth

| pushpin_label =

| pushpin_label_position = right

| educational_authority = WA Department of Education

| type = public co-educational partially selective high school

| established = {{start date and age|1954}}

| principal = Travis VladichTravis Vladich held the former Head Of Arts position circa 2020. As of 2022 Vladich temporarily replaced Mitchell Mackay as principal of JCCA. At the close of 2021 Mackay, as requested by the Education Department, took on the role of interim principal at Perth Modern School. {{Cite web|url=https://www.jc.wa.edu.au/about-us/principal-deans-deputies/|title=Executive Team|date=2022-05-04|website=John Curtin College of the Arts|language=en|access-date=2022-05-04}}

| colours = Navy blue and white

| campus_type = Suburban

| enrolment = 1,817

| enrolment_as_of = Semester 1, 2022{{cite web|title=Alphabetical List of Western Australian Schools |url=https://apps.det.wa.edu.au/publicreports/SchoolsList0880.pdf |website=Department of Education |publisher=Government of Western Australia |access-date=4 May 2022 |location=Perth, WA |page=17 |date=4 May 2022}}

| homepage = {{official URL}}

{{Infobox designation list

| embed = yes

| designation1 = State Register of Heritage Places

| designation1_offname =

| designation1_type = State Registered Place

| designation1_criteria =

| designation1_date = 23 November 2001

| delisted1_date =

| designation1_partof =

| designation1_number = {{SRHP|15744}}

}}

John Curtin College of the Arts, originally John Curtin High School, is an independent, public co-educational, partially selective high school, located in East Street, {{WAcity|Fremantle}}, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia.

The school provides a general and specialist education to students from the greater Fremantle area, and intake for gifted and talented arts and soccer programmes from across Western Australia. Currently, John Curtin College of the Arts has gifted and talented programmes in the following disciplines: visual arts, media arts (television and film studies), music, contemporary dance, ballet, drama (acting studies) and musical theatre. As of Semester 1, 2022 the school had 1,817 students.

School historical context

The school was named to commemorate John Curtin, the late local federal MP and 14th Prime Minister of Australia. It was built at an estimated cost of £A{{nbsp}}430,000, equivalent to {{AUD|{{Inflation|AU|{{#expr:430000/10^6}}|1956|r=1}}{{nbsp}}million|link=yes}} in {{Inflation/year|AU}}, to amalgamate the overcrowded Fremantle Boys' and Princess May Girls' schools, the two state secondary schools serving the Fremantle area.{{cite news | title = School cost | date = 3 Nov 1954 | url = http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article52962556 | work = The West Australian | pages = 21 | access-date = 12 Jul 2013}} The foundation stone was laid on 29 October 1954 by Premier Hawke.{{cite news | title = Mrs Curtin is guest at Fremantle ceremony| date = 30 Oct 1954 | url = http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article52961786 | work = The West Australian | page = 1 | access-date = 12 Jul 2013}} Jack Howieson, principal of Fremantle Boys', was appointed the initial principal. In February 1956, classes began in the first stage of the new school, while work continued on the construction of second and third stages with completion in 1958. During the first decade of the school's operation a number of annexes were dotted around Fremantle and included Princess May Annexe (Princess May Girls' School (fmr)), Finnerty Street Annexe (Fremantle Arts Centre), Fremantle Boys' Annexe (Film and Television Institute), the North Fremantle Annexe (North Fremantle Primary School (fmr)) and the East Street Trades Centre (Manual Arts Building).{{cite web | url = http://inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au/Public/Content/PdfLoader.aspx?id=aa1038ca-2aec-4868-bd08-7f8aeef63737&type=assessment | title = Assessment Documentation - John Curtin College of the Arts | access-date = 12 Jul 2013 | date = 23 Nov 2001 | format = pdf | work = Register of Historic Places | publisher = Heritage Council of Western Australia | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131203020420/http://inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au/Public/Content/PdfLoader.aspx?id=aa1038ca-2aec-4868-bd08-7f8aeef63737&type=assessment | archive-date = 3 December 2013 | df = dmy-all }}{{cite web | url = http://inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au/Public/Content/PdfLoader.aspx?id=3443d260-1f6c-40c8-ba7c-5206fd4d3a50&type=assessment | title = Assessment Documentation - Balcatta Senior High School | access-date = 12 Jul 2013 | date = 18 Nov 2011 | format = pdf | work = Register of Historic Places | publisher = Heritage Council of Western Australia | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131203020110/http://inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au/Public/Content/PdfLoader.aspx?id=3443d260-1f6c-40c8-ba7c-5206fd4d3a50&type=assessment | archive-date = 3 December 2013 | df = dmy-all }}

John Curtin has elements of an earlier education building campaign on the site, a two-storey brick Manual Trades Block that was constructed circa 1943 after an existing Fremantle Technical School manual arts building in South Terrace was taken over for defence purposes in 1941 and in view of the then proposals for the erection of a new Fremantle Technical High School.

The science annex, built later than the main school, was funded by a Commonwealth Government grant under the 1960s era Commonwealth Laboratory program. A new arts centre was added in 1987.

John Curtin College of the Arts has Gifted and Talented programs including drama, contemporary dance, music, ballet, music theatre, visual arts, media arts, a soccer/football excellence program and the Academic Extension Program (AEP) for English, mathematics, science and humanities.

In 1992, a history of the school was written by the then Ancient History teacher, Tim Johnson. The volume, Guns, Graves and Dreaming: the History of Fremantle's High School: John Curtin Senior High School, was never published, but is available at a number of Western Australian libraries.{{cite book |url=http://catalogue.slwa.wa.gov.au/record=b1539132~S2 |title=Catalogue entry |author=State Library of Western Australia |date=1992 |publisher=T. Johnson |access-date=16 Nov 2012 }}

In 2001, the college was placed on the State Register of Heritage Places.

On 12 November 2006 John Curtin College of the Arts hosted a gathering for the school community to celebrate its 50th year of operation.

Over the course of 2015, the college added a new section to the school. This area contains extension to the existing science block, housing new dance and mathematics classrooms, new offices for both the mathematics and science departments as well as new seating areas for the graduating year.{{Cite web|url=https://www.architecturelab.net/john-curtin-college-of-the-arts-year-7-teaching-facility-jcy-architects-and-urban-designers/|title=John Curtin College of the Arts Year 7 Teaching Facility / JCY Architects and Urban Designers|last=Chahine|first=Aline|date=2015-09-15|website=Architecture Lab|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-16}}

Site history

The Skinner Street Cemetery, Fremantle's first official cemetery was on the land that is now the college oval. The cemetery was first established in 1852 and used until 1899, when it was closed for general burials. The last burial took place in 1917. It later fell into disuse. Throughout the 1930s all unbroken headstones were transferred to Fremantle Cemetery on Carrington Street. Families were required to pay for the exhumation and reburial of their relatives’ remains. It is estimated that the remains of up to 200 bodies may still be buried on the site.

Following the entrance of Japan into World War II and the threat of attack on Australia, four anti-aircraft gun emplacements were established on the portion of the site bounded by Ellen and East streets. Throughout the war years the former cemetery was a base camp used by the troops who manned the guns and was a significant part of Fortress Fremantle for the defence of the port.

Notable alumni

Gillian Alexy – actress
Murray Bartlett – actor
Rachael Blake – actress
Jim Brown – politician
Roseanna Cunningham - Scottish politician
Tiah Delaney - model
Hughie Edwards – 23rd Governor of Western Australia, Air Commodore Royal Air Force (Fremantle Boys School)
David Holmgren – co-originator of the permaculture concept
David Horton – writer
Brad Jones – Association footballer
Stuart MacLeod – musician, Eskimo Joe
Graham McKenzie – cricketer
Paul Mercurio – actor and dancer
Simon O'Brien – politician
Tanya Oxtoby – Association football coach and former player
Marco Paparone – Australian rules footballer
Kelly Paterniti – actress
Bon Scott – musician, AC/DC
Anthony Skorich – Association footballer
Kavyen Temperley – musician, Eskimo Joe
Ta-ku – musician{{Cite web|url=https://thewest.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-gossip/ta-ku-a-modern-renaissance-man-ng-ya-117248|title=Perth producer Ta-ku launches EP with Boiler Room show|last=Collins|first=Simon|date=4 June 2015|website=The West Australian|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306073259/https://thewest.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-gossip/ta-ku-a-modern-renaissance-man-ng-ya-117248|archive-date=6 March 2019|url-status=live|access-date=6 March 2019}}
Sam Worthington – actor{{cite web|url=https://www.jc.wa.edu.au/alumni/sam-worthington|title=Sam Worthington|date=19 August 2022 |publisher=John Curtin College of the Arts|access-date=2023-03-15}}