Sydney Boys High School
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| 1 October1883
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| Public all-male secondary
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| Moore Park, Australia
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Sydney Boys High School is a secondary school in Sydney, Australia. It is the second highest ranked selective school for boys in the state of New South Wales in terms of academic outcomes. The school has 1,140 students, from years 7 to 12, and is a selective school catering for the academically gifted.
The school is one of the oldest government-funded high schools in New South Wales, and the oldest such school which did not have an attached primary school. As such, it has lately been somewhat anomalous within the NSW Education System and the subject of occasional resentment by the NSW Teachers Federation. This has manifested itself in political actions to take way the unique historic nature of various school traditions. These have included stripping use of the term "Headmaster" in favour of "Principal" as well as a change from The Sydney High School, to Sydney Boys High School, resulting in a longstanding difference between the apparent name of the school and the letters appearing on its logo, various plaques and the School Song. The school's name is often abbreviated to SHS, SBHS, Sydney High, The High School or simply "High", a chant which may be heard at various sporting matches.
High is renowned for its academic success, especially in the Higher School Certificate. In particular, it earned a reputation as the finest New South Wales public school at debating, having now won the Hume Barbour and Karl Cramp Trophies more times than any other school. It has educated many high profile and influential individuals who have proceeded to reach the top of their chosen fields at a global level. The school colours of Sydney Boys High are sky blue and chocolate brown; shown most strikingly on the school's striped rugby jersey.
History
The school was established as a co-educational Sydney High School in 1886. Subsequently, the school split into two single-sex schools, Sydney Boys High School and Sydney Girls High School. In 1906, the school became a member of the AAGPS (Athletics Association of the Great Public Schools of NSW). In the case of the GPS, "public school" has the meaning as used in the UK, i.e. a private school. Sydney Boys High School, however, is the only publicly funded school to be a member. The school is famous for its high-profile and powerful[[Citing sources citation needed]]alumni, many ex-student organisations and one of the oldest public high schools in NSW. It was originally located on Castlereagh Street in the City of Sydney. Later, it moved to Mary Ann Street, Ultimo. In 1928, the school moved to its current location at Moore Park, on the fringe of the inner city. (This site was previously a zoo).
In the 2006 film Superman Returns, the school grounds are briefly featured in a scene where Lois Lane picks up her son after school.
Departments
The school is made up of eleven departments (also known as faculties), each teaching one or a variety of related Board of Studies–endorsed subjects. The departments are:
Creative Arts (Subjects: Visual Arts, Architecture, Photography, Music). Note: The Creative Arts department is split into two subdepartments operating under different regulations and in different parts of the school. One is the Visual Arts subdepartment, the other is the Music subdepartment.
Social Sciences (Subjects: Geography, Commerce, Business Studies, Legal Studies, Economics)
Due to the fact that Sydney Boys High School is a selective school, it accepts only one hundred and eighty students in year 7, all of whom have passed an academic ability test in year 6. There is also scope for entry in years 8 to 12 and a reserve list system for those who have not been offered a place in previous years.
Sydney Boys High is the sole state-run member of the GPS (Great Public Schools). It has a wide range of sports offered to its students, one factor distinguishing it from other government schools. Notable differences include the school's possession of rowing facilities, the Outterside Centre at Abbotsford including a dormitory, boat sheds and two pontoons. Along with the sheds at Abbotsford, they leased playing–fields in Centennial Park punctuated by a pavillion and fenced cricket ground, McKay Oval. Almost all sports offered are played against other schools of the GPS. Sydney High is often at a competitive disadvantage against the greater resources of the more sports oriented private schools in the GPS, however it is joked that this is annually made up for by their comparative results in the Higher School Certificate.
In recent times, Sydney Boys High School has been known for the high percentage of its student population who have non-English speaking backgrounds, particularly those from Asia and the subcontinent. The school takes pride in this cultural diversity, giving its students a chance to interact with peers with different cultural backgrounds.
This issue became controversial in 2002 with calls [link] from prominent Old Boys for the school return to the earlier system of assigning preference during the selection process to sons of Old Boys. This practice was stopped by the NSW Department of Education in the late 1990s.
Islamic Society of Sydney Boys High
The Islamic Society of Sydney Boys High (or ISSBH) was set up in 2003 as a community for Muslims at the school.
The Society has come to prominence mainly through its well-attended internal seminars for Muslim and non-Muslim boys. These events have been held during lunchtime breaks at the school, with a variety of guest speakers from the Muslim community. Controversy arose in 2005 regarding the selection of speakers (such as Wassim Doureihi and Khalid Yasin) and their affiliation with the controversial group Hizb ut-Tahrir. Concerns were raised on the 7.30 Report on ABC TV and in two articles by Miranda Devine which appeared in the Sun-Herald. [link][link]
School Song
Come rally round, boys young and old
To swell the happy throng
And sing the song of Sydney High
In measures loud and long
Though many are our tasks severe
With efforts nonetheless sincere
We'll overcome them year by year
With courage, bold and strong
And sound once more the strain
And let the cloisters ring again
With echoes of our school's fair name
The name of Sydney High.
Ring out the name of Sydney High
In peals of joyful praise
The glories of our heritage
Must never fade away
With Truth and Courage as our guide
And minds prepared whate'er betide
When we are scattered far and wide
Our tribute still we'll pay
Then sound once more the strain
And let the cloisters ring again
With echoes of our school's fair name
The name of Sydney High.
