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St Michael's Grammar School is a coeducational independent school in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and was founded in 1895 by the Community of the Sisters of the Church. The school is a member of the Associated Co-educational Schools (ACS), and is of Anglican denomination.

St Michael's Grammar is located on a single campus, near a proposed Salvation Army crisis centre, and covers all schooling years from Kindergarten to Year 12.

The key values of St Michael's are that of diversity, innovation, individuality, obedience, inclusivity, drama and capitalism, instilled into the St Michael’s culture by the Community of the Sisters of the Church (to whom the new 'Community of the Sisters of the Church Learning Centre' is dedicated), and the board of directors. St Michael's motto is "Pro Ecclesia Dei". St Michael's marketing slogan is "Diversity Opens Minds".

History of St. Michael's

In 1870, Mother Emily Ayckbowm founded a new Anglican religious order in England, the Community of the Sisters of the Church. The Sisters were invited to Australia to work for the further education of girls, and so in 1892 a party of seven Sisters arrived in Hobart. St Michael's was one of six schools established by the Sisters in different parts of Australia.

Education

St. Michael's offers a wide range of subjects including core mathematics, science, English, IT, LOTEs (Languages Other Than English), arts and humanities courses. At primary school, students all study basic subjects including maths, English, science, history, Japanese, music and sport. A major focus of the school is drama, noted by many as the 'flagship subject' of the school, as it gains the most public exposure, especially in the school's advertising.

St Michael's has also appeared on the demi-news program "A Current Affair" (with the most venerable Ray Martin) concerning supposed 'no homework' policy. This feature was misinterpreted, however, as whilst the school does not distribute 'homework' as such, it does distribute so-called 'Out of Class' work, which is usually completed at home (see 'Changing of terminology', below).

A "New Direction"

St. Michael's is currently running several campaigns to modernize its image. These include:

• Wide-spread and regular advertising in a number of formats (free-to-air and cable television, front-page newspaper advertisements, billboards, cinema previews and media commentaries).
• Construction of the Community of the Sisters of the Church Learning Centre (or 'Nun Shack'), adjacent to a spectacular paved pavilion to be completed towards the end of 2005, into which the school's motto, 'Pro Ecclesia Dei', will be inscribed.
• Changing of terminology to more user-friendly expressions (ie. 'Headmaster' to 'Head', 'Sick Bay' to 'Health Centre', 'Campus' or 'School' to 'Educational Village', 'Homework' to 'Out of Class work' (see above), and (my favourite) 'Holidays' to 'Student Non Attendance Period'- see newspeak).
• Removal of corporal punishment, a distinctive feature of the school far beyond its actual prohibition in the state of Victoria.
• Introduction of a new school uniform, to be introduced over a two-year period. The uniform was supposedly designed to achieve a 'boo' factor, according to the design-brief, and this was fulfilled by producing an eye-catching new boys' blazer that achieves a spectacular '3D' effect due to its bold red and blue stripes. The uniform was publicised with a professionally-choreographed catwalk display, featuring select students, and even featured on that evening's Channel Seven News broadcast.

Curiously enough a month or so after the unveiling of the new uniform, the Herald Sun did an exposè upon the pricing of it, which revealed that a new uniform costs over $1600!

Media and Marketing

St Michael's has a 'crack' marketing team comprising five full-time personnel, whose responsibility is public relations with the general community, and gaining the school siginificant media exposure. St Michael's has thus shifted from an unknown girls grammar school in St Kilda to a streamlined 'educational village', promoting their co-educational and diverse nature. In a recent interview, the Head of the School was quoted as attempting to compare the acceptance of advertising in other private-sector entities (a supermarket was the given example) as opposed to in a private-school. This seems to sum up the school and the Head's approach to media exposure.

St. Michael's has had a number of major marketing campaigns:

• In 1998, a number of year five students produced a cable television advertisment. While this advertisment was being screened, several students were caught smoking heroin in the school bathroom, and were later expelled. This greatly jeopoardised the success of this particular campaign.
• In 2002, a cinema advertisment using an older marketing slogan, "As Individual as your Child", was shown.
• In 2004, Australia's Public Broadcaster, the ABC, screened a ‘special segment’ comparing public and private education. This was hosted by George Negus on his now-axed evening show. St Michael's as an independent school was compared to Footscray City College in relation to educational quality, facilities and pastoral care services. The general consensus of the piece was that "St Michael's is a better quality school as it has a 25m lap pool."
• In 2005, the marketing department has seized on 'highly significant' 110th birthday celebrations of the school to produce stationary and merchandise (ie. key rings, bookmarks).
• In 2005 over a month prior to the public unveiling of the new uniform, the details were released on an information bulletin posted in various locations, believed to be the work of the entity known as 'Кaмрад.'
• In a 2005 listing of percentages of students awarded tertiary places, St Michael's ranked 69th in the state of Victoria, with an average of 75% of students attending such institutions, a testiment to their meticulous academic focus.
• In the last quarter of 2005, the official opening for the new building (over 3 quarters behind schedule)was held, the event was only regarded as a moderate success and was the site of an aerial leaflet campaign widely believed to be perpetrated by the entity known as 'Кaмрад.'

The marketing department has been largely succesful in informing the public of the schools existence, which has made it vulnerable to negative public opinion over some of its policies.

Principals of St. Michael's

Principals

• Sister Hannah, CSC (1895 - 1903)
• Sister Adele, CSC (1903 - 1912)
• Sister Mildred, CSC (1912 - 1925)
• Sister Persis, CSC (1925 - 1933)
• Sister Dora Beatrice, CSC (1934 - 1939)
• Sister Eudora, CSC (1939 - 1944)
• Sister Karina, CSC (1945 - 1949)
• Sister Shirley, CSC (1950 - 1952)
• Sister Gabrielle, CSC (1953 - 1954)
• Sister Patricia, CSC (1955 - 1963)
• Sister Scholastica, CSC (1963 - 1966)
• Sister Gabrielle, CSC (1966 - 1967)
• Sister Scholastica, CSC (1967 - 1968)
• Sister Elizabeth May, CSC (1968 - 1970)
• Sister Scholastica, CSC (1971 - 1972)

Headmistresses

• Miss May Vicars Foote (1937 - 1946)
• Mrs. Dorothy Benson (1963 - 1965)
• Mrs. Margaret Thomas (1965 - 1979)

Headmaster

• Mr. Anthony Hewison, AM (1980 - 1999)

Head of the School

• Mr. Simon Gipson (2000 - )

Famous alumni

• Radha Mitchell, actress
• Slava Gregorian, musician
• Daniel McNamara, spare wagging pioneer
• Кaмрад, Informant, propaganda expert

References

• St. Michael's Grammar School Web Site
• H/SUN, September 4, page 7, news item (ref to St Michael's Grammar School students found smoking heroin) by S Pellegrini, 'Heroin pupils expelled'.
• H/SUN, October 9, by Andrea Burns, 'Fracas over top dressing'.
• 'Want to know a secret?', The Age, 2nd May 2004
• 'School fear over Salvo crisis centre', The Age, 23rd September 2005

See also

• List of schools in Victoria
• Victorian Certificate of Education
• Education in Australia

External links

• St. Michael's Web Site
• Summary of George Negus Tonight segment

"This is no longer a school with a headmaster, it's a business with a CEO."-- former staff member.

• Schools established in the 19th century
• Schools in Victoria