Concordia College (South Australia)

Concordia College at Murtoa, c.1890s

The College at Highgate on opening day, 1905

Gymnasium team in front of the main building, c.1921

Concordia College is an independent and co-educational Lutheran school located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1890, Concordia caters for around 1300 students from ELC to Year 12.^[1] The school has been an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School since January 2001 and offers the IB middle years and IB diploma programmes. Concordia is a Latin word meaning "harmony".

History

The college's existence is largely due to the vision and enterprise of W. F. Peters, a Lutheran pastor in the Victorian country township of Murtoa, who purchased a private school founded there in 1887 by T. W. Boehm and established it in 1890 as a boys' college and training ground for future pastors and teachers. Lutheran leaders in South Australia recognised that the college was too important to the future of the church for it to remain in a remote country town in Victoria, so Concordia moved to its present Highgate site in 1905. Due largely to the efforts of Pastor P. B. Zweck, Concordia became a Christian co-educational secondary college in 1927, operating under the South Australian District Synod of the Lutheran Church of Australia. Today the college caters not only for Lutheran families, but for all students whose parents are prepared to support the educational program and Christian ethos.

In 2016 Concordia College amalgamated with the neighbouring St John’s Lutheran Primary School to form the new ELC to Year 12 Concordia College.

Campus

Concordia is located on a single campus in suburban Highgate, five kilometres south of the Adelaide city centre.^[2] The College grounds feature a combination of historic and modern architecture, surrounding a central grassed quadrangle.

The campus includes:

• The Chapel: The most notable of the buildings is the Chapel, which has been the recipient of numerous awards. The Chapel features a waterfall and fountain visible through a glass wall behind the altar, and a cross with a crown of thorns. The facility doubles as an assembly hall and a performance venue. It is also used for weddings and is made available for performances by local schools which do not have their own performance venue.
• The Suaviter: Named from the school motto, the Suaviter is one of the original school buildings, and was formerly the Chapel. Retaining its stained glass windows, it has been converted into a conference and exhibition/display centre with catering facilities, where students participating in the hospitality curriculum receive training.^[3]
• The Yangadlitya Resource Centre was opened on 29 May 2006 by Mrs Ningali Cullen, possibly the first female indigenous Concordia College student (class of 1954). The College was given permission to use the name "Yangadlitya" (meaning "for the future") by the elders of the Kaurna people, who are the traditional owners of the land on which Concordia stands. The building is of a modern design with bold colours, with facades both to the quadrangle and Winchester street. It recently has also become home to the ICT department, which keeps computers updated.
• Murtoa: A new addition to the school in 2010, this multipurpose building houses a brand new state-of-the-art television studio and media-editing suite as well as several multipurpose classrooms. The music centre has also been expanded into the building featuring new practice room space and a large acoustic rehearsal room. Built by Sarah Constructions, it features a modern design similar to the Yangadlitya building, including a skybridge connecting the two buildings. It was named after the town, Murtoa, Victoria, the original location of the school.
• The Hamman Wing:
  • Upstairs: Year 9 and 10 class rooms, the LOTE (Languages other the English) rooms, and an open workspace.
  • Downstairs: Offices and services.
• The Tech Centre: Facilities for woodworking, metalworking, plastics and electronics. (Also has two classrooms.)
• The Gymnasium: One big gym room (used for basketball, netball, volleyball,etc.) which can be split into two, plus a weights room, a classroom, changing rooms, administrative facilities, and a large foyer (with mirrors, which is also used for dance and other activities).
• The Atrium (formerly Maths Centre): Seven classrooms, and a storage room.
• The Science Building: Six laboratories and associated offices.
• The Music Centre: Practice rooms, a computer room and an ensemble room.
• The Drama Centre: A configurable performance area with lights, sound and video facilities. The main performance space features a movable seating system enabling it to be used for a wide variety of corporate, drama and musical performances.
• The Canteen.
• Various outdoor sporting facilities: tennis courts, netball courts, ovals, etc.

A building project is currently underway near Winchester Street, to create more classrooms. Some of the Hamman wing and a locker area have been demolished to make way for this project. The science block is also to be demolished and rebuilt.^[4]

Curriculum

Middle School

The Concordia College Middle School Curriculum in Years 7 - 10 incorporates the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IBMYP). Students in Years 7 and 8 undertake a common course, except in 'Language B', where they choose from German or Indonesian. An after-hours Special Interest Music Program is available to selected students in Year 8. Students in Years 9 and 10 are able to make subject choices in The Arts and Technology learning areas. Two further components of the Year 10 course are The Personal Learning Project and The Personal Learning Plan (PLP). The latter helps students plan for their future by making informed decisions about course and subject choices at Years 11 and 12, as well as possible career pathways. Details about the subjects on offer at Concordia in Years 7 - 10 can be found in the MYP Curriculum Handbook.

Senior School

The IB Middle Years Programme in Year 7 - 10 prepares students to undertaken one of three pathways for Years 11 and 12 students at Concordia College:

• International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP)
• The South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE)
• Vocational Education and Training (VET) in the SACE

Details about the courses and subjects on offer in Years 11 and 12 are provided in the Years 11 & 12 Curriculum Handbook.

Student leadership is strongly encouraged at Concordia and leadership opportunities are offered at each year level. Students from each year level may participate in Forum (Student Representative Council) or become a School or House Captain in Year 12. Students may also volunteer for one of the leadership roles at their year level, for example, Year 9 Ambassador or Year 12 Action Leader.

Co-curriculum

Students can choose to participate in a range of co-curricular and extra-curricular programs and activities according to their individual interests and abilities. Co-curricular programs and activities offered include national subject competitions, career counselling and work experience, excursions, field camps and instrumental music tuition. Concordia competes in a wide range of interschool sports competitions that include the following sports: athletics, basketball, cricket, cross-country, football, netball, soccer, softball, tennis, swimming and volleyball. Year 7 students have the opportunity to be involved in the SAPSASA sports competition. Other extra-curricular programs include Middle & Senior School choirs, the annual College musical, Big Bands, School Orchestra, Concert Band, Music Ensembles (Concert Vocal, String, Percussion), Chapel music, Chess Club, Debating, Duke of Edinburgh's Award, Pedal Prix, Snow Trip, Writers' Club, Mind and Body Club, Electronics Club and House competitions.

Musicals

Concordia students may participate in the annual College musical. The musicals were performed at the Scott Theatre^[5] until 2009, then moved to the Hopgood Theatre^[6] for the musical Grease. The Sound of Music in April 2014 was the first Concordia musical to be held in the College Chapel. While Godspell was also held in the Chapel, the 2016 performance of Hairspray was once again in the Hopgood Theatre. The performances are generally held in March or April. A long-established tradition, these musicals are a showcase of the music and drama departments. Musicals presented have included:

Others in previous years have included: L'il Abner, Carousel, My Fair Lady, Annie Get Your Gun, The Boy Friend, Fiddler on the Roof, The Pirates of Penzance, Calamity Jane, Viva Mexico, Ruddigore, HMS Pinafore, Can You Imagine, Free As Air, A Penny For a Song, God So Loved, Where Is God, Anything Goes, David Modra the Musical, Tom Sawyer, Salad Days, and Trial By Jury.

Sport

Extra-curricular sport is an integral part of College life. Students are encouraged to participate in at least one of the variety of sports offered at Concordia, which include: basketball, cricket, cross country, football, hockey, netball, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis and volleyball. Students also have the opportunity to participate in:

• Knockout Competitions – the College enters representative teams in statewide competitions in various sports such as basketball, netball and volleyball.
• Sports Day – a whole school event, held annually in March at the Santos Stadium.
• Interschool Athletics SSSSA (combined boys/girls) in Term 1; Achilles Cup (Boys) and IGSSA (Girls) competition in Term 3.
• Swimming Carnival – a school event for Years 7 – 10, held in the last week of the school year at Unley Swimming Centre.
• Interschool Swimming Carnivals organised by SSSSA (combined boys/girls) and IGSSA (girls only)
• Lunchtime House Competitions in Netball and Volleyball
• Gymnasium – all students can use the Gym for recreation with staff supervision
• Weights Room – senior students can use the Weights Room for personal training with staff supervision

House system

As with most Australian schools, Concordia College utilises a house system. There are currently four houses, three named after three of the streets surrounding the College and the fourth, Malvern after the neighbouring suburb.

Students represent their house in a number of activities, including Sports Day, Swimming Carnival and lunchtime house sports. Students earn points for their house through participation in these activities, and the house with the most points at the conclusion of the school year is awarded the House Shield.

Alumni

Some of Concordia's notable old collegians include:

• Australian poet Ernest George Moll
• Ron Nagorcka, contemporary composer, didjeridu and keyboard player
• Errol Wayne Noack, First Australian National Service conscript to be killed in the Vietnam War
• Jay Schulz, Full Forward for Port Adelaide Football Club and previously Richmond Football Club
• James Aish, Midfielder for Collingwood Football Club
• Cameron Bayly, cyclist for OCBC Singapore Cycling Team and Search2Retain Cycling Team

See also

• List of schools in South Australia
• List of Lutheran schools in Australia

References

Further reading

• Leske, E. 1990. Concordia 100 years, Murtoa-Adelaide: a history of Concordia College, Adelaide. Concordia College, Highgate, South Australia. ISBN 0-646-00401-8.

External links

• Concordia College Website