Parkwood Secondary College
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Use Australian English|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox school
| name = Parkwood Secondary College
| logo = Parkwood Secondary College logo.png
| image = Parkwood-Secondary-College.jpg
| motto = Values, Choices, Leadership, and Excellence{{cite web |url=http://www.parkwood.vic.edu.au/text/college_vision_aatj.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320152020/http://www.parkwood.vic.edu.au/text/college_vision_aatj.htm |archive-date=20 March 2012 |title=College Vision |website=Parkwood Secondary College |access-date=14 July 2019}}
| established = 1979
| status = Closed
| closed = December 2012
| type = Public
| principal = Barbara Laidlaw
| city = Ringwood North
| state = Victoria
| country = Australia
| enrolment = 306
| enrolment_as_of = 2012
| staff = 35
| campus = Suburban
| coordinates = {{coord|-37.7841|145.2414|region:AU-VIC|display=inline}}
| colours = Blue, maroon, white
| homepage = [https://web.archive.org/web/20120621085051/http://www.parkwood.vic.edu.au:80/ www.parkwood.vic.edu.au] (archived 21 June 2012)
}}
Parkwood Secondary College (PSC) was a co-educational public secondary school located in the Melbourne, Victoria, Australia suburb of Ringwood North. The school was founded in 1979 as Parkwood High School, and closed at the end of the 2012 school year.{{cite web |url=https://www.victorianplaces.com.au/ringwood-north |title=Ringwood North |website=Victorian Places |author1=Monash University |author2=The University of Queensland |year=2015 |access-date=16 July 2019}} In 2014, the land and buildings were re-opened as the North Ringwood Community House.
The school provided high school education for Years 7 through 12, with Year 11 and 12 students undertaking the Victorian Certificate of Education. It formerly offered a range of VCE subjects as well as the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning program.{{cite web |url=http://www.parkwood.vic.edu.au/image/bb8u/Annual_Report_2010.pdf |date=2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320210644/http://www.parkwood.vic.edu.au/image/bb8u/Annual_Report_2010.pdf |archive-date=20 March 2012 |url-status=dead |title=2010 Annual Report to the School Community: Parkwood Secondary College |publisher=Department of Education and Early Childhood Development |access-date=14 July 2019}}
Proposed merger
In 2008, the then Labor state government announced a $100 million pledge to seven Victorian secondary schools.{{cite news |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/mergers-on-the-cards-for-schools/news-story/cc29e047e3dd8ee2279216cd5ab4ee80 |title=Mergers on the cards for schools |last=Collier |first=Karen |date=30 Jun 2008 |newspaper=Herald Sun |publisher=News Corp Australia |access-date=13 July 2019}} This resulted in cursory plans in 2009 to merge Parkwood Secondary College with the nearby Norwood Secondary College.{{cite news |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/long-promised-school-mergers-await-action-20101129-18dxn.html |title=Long-promised school mergers await action |last=Topsfield |first=Jewel |date=30 November 2010 }}{{cite news |title=Educational nirvana |last=Campbell |first=Shaun |newspaper=Maroondah Leader |publisher=News Corp Australia |date=16 June 2009 |quote=Under the Maroondah Education Coalition's "concept" plan, Norwood and Parkwood Secondary Schools would merge at the Parkwood site and Croydon Secondary School students would take up residence at Maroondah Secondary College.}} Several years passed with no action, and after a change in government, the community was uncertain whether the new Liberal government would continue the plan to merge the schools.{{cite news |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/parents-cross-at-being-left-out-of-loop-20120731-23d0r.html |title=Parents cross at being left out of loop |last=Topsfield |first=Jewel |newspaper=The Age |publisher=Fairfax media |date=1 August 2012 |access-date=13 July 2019}}
On 1 March 2012, the principal Barbara Laidlaw announced that the merger would not proceed, stating that the school had "a strong and dynamic future".{{cite web |last1=Ferdinands |first1=Johann |last2=Laidlaw |first2=Barbara |title=Letter to Parkwood Secondary College Community |date=1 March 2012 |url=http://www.parkwood.vic.edu.au/image/bqkj/Parkwood_News_14_March_2012.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320134830/http://www.parkwood.vic.edu.au/image/bqkj/Parkwood_News_14_March_2012.pdf |archive-date=20 March 2012 |url-status=dead |page=3}}
Closure
On 30 July 2012, the school council of Parkwood Secondary College announced its intention to close the school at the end of the year due to falling enrollments.{{cite news |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/students-in-limbo-as-school-votes-to-shut/news-story/ebeacf9f0255e40627c0fade36bbd3a5 |title=Students in limbo as school votes to shut |last=Barry |first=Evonne |date=30 July 2012 |newspaper=Herald Sun |publisher=News Corp Australia |access-date=20 July 2016}}{{cite news |url=https://www.smh.com.au/education/low-enrolments-force-ringwood-school-closure-20120730-23agm.html |title=Low enrolments force Ringwood school closure |last1=Topsfield |first1=Jewel |last2=Preiss |first2=Benjamin |date=31 July 2012 |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |publisher=Fairfax Media |access-date=13 July 2019}} This announcement came five months after the confirmation that Parkwood would continue indefinitely.{{cite news |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-07-31/27no-decision27-on-the-future-of-ringwood-school/4167262 |title='No decision yet' on Parkwood College |date=31 July 2012 |publisher=ABC News |access-date=13 July 2019}} In its final year of operation, there were 306 students enrolled at the school. After the closure, many of the college's students moved to either Norwood Secondary College or the newly merged Melba College.{{cite news |title=Parents angry as Parkwood Secondary College in Ringwood North is set to close |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/parents-angry-as-parkwood-secondary-college-in-ringwood-north-is-set-to-close/news-story/77e4873f1c5c0a53c255acb63f1640b4 |last=Ainsworth |first=Michelle |newspaper=Herald Sun |publisher=News Corp Australia|date=31 July 2012 |access-date=13 July 2019}} Some students of the school posted pictures, videos, and messages on a Facebook page in its memory.{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/ParkwoodSecondaryMemes/ |title=Parkwood Secondary Memes |website=Facebook |access-date=20 July 2016}}{{cite news |title=Old school ties forged on internet |last=Hastings |first=Emma |newspaper=Maroondah Leader |publisher=News Corp Australia |date=2012 |page=10}}
Current use of site
In October 2013, Maroondah City Council announced its intention to re-open the site of Parkwood Secondary College as a Community House and Men's Shed.{{cite web |url=http://www.nrch.org.au/news/new-home/ |title=Our New Home - North Ringwood Community House |website=nrch.org.au |date=30 October 2013 |access-date=20 July 2016}} The site had been dormant for nearly 2 years and had become a target of vandals, so significant works were undertaken including the removal of graffiti and vandalism.{{cite web |url=https://kittenofdoom.com/2014/07/10/another-melbourne-school-bites-the-dust/ |title=Another Melbourne school bites the dust |website=Kitten of Doom |date=10 July 2014 |access-date=20 July 2016}}{{cite news |url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/east/maroondah-council-and-education-department-continue-talks-while-vandals-prey-on-former-parkwood-secondary-college-site-in-ringwood-north/story-fngnvlxu-1226877932039 |title=Maroondah Council and Education Department continue talks while vandals prey on former Parkwood secondary college site in Ringwood North |newspaper=Maroondah Leader |publisher=News Corp Australia |access-date=20 July 2016 |date=9 April 2014 |last=Thomas |first=O'Byrne}} Since its re-opening in 2014, the site now serves as the [http://www.nrch.org.au/ North Ringwood Community House], which was previously located at the rear of the Holy Spirit Primary School in Ringwood North.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.nrch.org.au/news/maroondah-focus/ |periodical=Maroondah in Focus |edition=Dec 2013 |title=Moving house |publisher=Maroondah City Council
|access-date=20 July 2016 |date=19 December 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://nrch.org.au |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091228093418/http://www.nrch.org.au/ |archive-date=28 December 2009 |url-status=dead |title=Home - North Ringwood Community House |access-date=14 July 2019}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120621085051/http://www.parkwood.vic.edu.au:80/ |title=Official website |date=21 June 2012}}
- {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120221092721/http://mec.vic.edu.au/ |date=21 February 2012 ||title=Maroondah Education Coalition}}
- [https://victoriancollections.net.au/items/5c18306d6b785e0ebc9c6bf3 Photograph of Parkwood High School, 1981]
- [http://www.nrch.org.au/ North Ringwood Community House]
Category:Educational institutions established in 1979
Category:Educational institutions disestablished in 2012
Category:Secondary schools in Melbourne
Category:Buildings and structures in the City of Maroondah