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Rosehill Secondary College is located in Niddrie, Victoria, Australia. In 1959, it was established as Niddrie Technical School, a single-building all-boys school. The school was renamed as 'Niddrie Secondary College' and became co-educational in the early 1990s. In 2009 it was renamed again to be 'Rosehill Secondary College', after Rosehill Road which it has a boundary on. As of 2014, the number of enrolments exceed 1,150, with many students travelling from outside Niddrie or adjacent suburbs.

Rosehill's facilities include: refurbished art rooms, visual communication and design and multimedia suite, a suite of fully equipped science rooms, a STEP learning centre which provides gifted students with the facilities to excel at higher level, purpose-built studies centres for both year 11 and year 12 students respectively, comprehensive technology facilities (materials and non-materials), a state-of-the-art computer network and first class eLearning infrastructure, a gymnasium (ECA), a weights training room, basketball and tennis courts, large Library and a middle school classroom hub.

Rosehill Secondary College is situated on the border of Essendon West and Niddrie and sits on a site elevated high above Steele Creek, with views over the Maribyrnong River Valley.

The school is a single campus with students from Years 7 to 12. The enrolment in 2014 is 1140. Girls and boys are about equal in number. Rosehill SC has International Student accreditation. The college has a balance of experienced and younger staff with three Assistant Principals, each with a discrete area of responsibility. The College runs four, 75 minute periods per day and the school is divided into a Junior School (Years 7–9) and a Senior School (Years 10–12).

In 2014, the Junior School has 650 students and the Senior School 490. All students in Years 7–9 study Math, Science and English and choose six elective subjects from Languages (Japanese or Italian), The Arts, Physical Education and Health, Humanities and Technology; also, Literacy and Numeracy Enhancement studies. All Year 10 students study English and Math (differentiated groupings), and eight electives from the KLAs and VCE subjects; also, an interdisciplinary unit on health, drug education, driver education, and Pathways into VCE and beyond. Students in Years 11 and 12 select a VCE or VCAL pathway, with the school offering careers and further education pathways to all its students.

The College employs consultants and coaches in the areas of Literacy and Numeracy and has worked closely with a network of schools in the development of the Science Curriculum as well as the more effective use of digital technologies as an instructional and learning tool. The school also provides four enrichment programs. These consist of: the Selective Talent Enrichment Program (S.T.E.P.), which provides advancement in the areas of English, Science and Mathematics, the Rosehill Accelerated Mathematics Program (R.A.M.P.), the Rosehill English Accelerated Program (R.E.A.P.) and the Victorian High-Ability Program (V.H.A.P.).

Controversy

In March 2017, the school came under fire from parents for issuing an assignment to year 10 students that had requested for them to design and market an illicit designer drug through creating a packaging that would appeal to drug users.

The father of a student attending the school had contacted radio presenter Neil Mitchell on 3AW in order to express his outrage at the coursework, raising concerns that the task aimed to promote substance abuse and would pique curiosity about drug use among youth.

Shortly afterwards, school principal Peter Rouse was contacted by 3AW for comment, who expressed "mixed feelings" towards the assignment, going on to state that the work was "open to a bit of misinterpretation." He said that the assignment had been a part of the school's interdisciplinary studies for four years until that point, included for students to conduct and present research about the dangers of drug use. Rouse stated that the task would be removed from the course, and asserted that "we have a very strong anti-drug policy."

On the 20th of April 2022, Rosehill Secondary College Head of Arts (and teacher) Elisa Errichielo was accused of, and later charged with, 26 counts of child sexual abuse, assault and coercion. These included "sexual penetration of a child under 16, sexual penetration of a child aged 16 or 17", and "indecent act with a child aged 16 or 17". Note that these charges predate her Rosehill Secondary College career.

Notable alumni

• Shane Jacobson, Australian actor, director, writer and comedian who is most notable for starring in the Australian comedy film Kenny.
• Jake Bilardi, 18-year-old suicide bomber who pledged allegiance towards ISIL in 2015, before dying in an attempted suicide bombing attack.

References

1. "Rosehill Secondary College - About Us". Rosehill Secondary College. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
2. "Parent outrage kills off Rosehill Secondary College illegal drug project". Herald Sun. 28 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
3. "Melbourne parent tells Neil Mitchell he's concerned by 'drug assignment' given to year 10 students". 3AW. 28 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
4. O'Brien, Susie (20 April 2022). "Teacher charged with sexual abuse faces court". The Herald Sun. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
5. "Role over, Kenny". The Age. 6 April 2008. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
6. "Media coverage of Israel's conflict with Palestine turned Jake Bilardi to Islamic State". The Age. 15 March 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2016.

• Public high schools in Melbourne
• Educational institutions established in 1958
• 1958 establishments in Australia
• Buildings and structures in the City of Moonee Valley