Modbury High School is a

government school A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...

in the north-eastern suburbs of

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

. It borders Modbury South

Primary School A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

and is in close proximity to Ardtornish Primary School. School enrolment currently has over 700 students for year levels seven to twelve.

History

The school was opened in 1965 to cater for the large population increase in the area. The school initially opened with 97 students (all of whom in Year 8) and 7 teachers with the first graduating class in 1970. During the population boom of 1970s

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, the school's enrolment figure reached 1383 students. In 1978, a new multi-story structure was built housing the current library and flexible units. Two years later the school's music suite was built, housing four practice rooms, one classroom, and a soundproofed rehearsal room. In the beginning of the 1980s, the school had a collective

fundraiser Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

to raise money to construct a

gym A gym, short for gymnasium (: gymnasiums or gymnasia), is an indoor venue for exercise and sports. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasion". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learn ...

nasium. It was completed during the 1983 school year and is now a prominent landmark at the school's entrance. The gymnasium is used for school sports, major school assemblies, and was shared with Modbury South Primary School until the completion of its own gymnasium. By 1993 a

Physical Education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...

Laboratory was constructed within the gymnasium, giving students facilities for

weight training Strength training, also known as weight training or resistance training, is exercise designed to improve physical strength. It is often associated with the lifting of weights. It can also incorporate techniques such as bodyweight exercises ( ...

, as well as housing classrooms. A

cafeteria A cafeteria, called canteen outside the U.S., is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether in a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school; a scho ...

auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoriums can be found in entertainment venues, community halls, and t ...

was completed in 1995, opened by then principal Robert Hill. It is popularly used as a meal area during recess and lunchtime but is also used for assemblies, meetings and

concerts A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

. Subsequent

fundraising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

efforts of late have seen numerous other structures erected to aid the aesthetic and practical values of the school, notably the expansive front shelter constructed in recent years and another backing the

preceding it. A

visual arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics (art), ceramics, photography, video, image, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual a ...

centre opened at the end of 2009. It houses four classrooms, a computing room, main display area, and other facilities. During 2015-2016, two consecutive perfect

ATAR Atar, Ahtra, Atash, Azar () or ''Dāštāɣni'',, s.v. ''agni-.'' is the Zoroastrian concept of holy fire, sometimes described in abstract terms as "burning and unburning fire" or "visible and invisible fire" (Mirza, 1987:389). It is conside ...

of 99.95 were achieved, making the school the only public school in Australia to achieve the perfect ATAR. In 2018, a 14-year old from year 9 was sent to Royal Adelaide Hospital with serious head injuries after being in a schoolyard fight against other students. Construction started in late 2020 for a new set of buildings to accommodate for the inclusion of year 7s to high school. The construction was completed during the 2021–2022 school holidays, and now houses multiple classrooms for year 7s. Also arriving with the new year 7s in 2022 were multiple teachers from Modbury South Primary School.

Shooting incidents

In 2001, a 16-year old student brought a .303 high-powered rifle to the school and shot himself in the head on the library balcony, killing himself instantly. In 2012, a year 8 student at the school took a

revolver A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...

to the school and fired several bullets. No one was harmed during the incident. The student and his father were charged with possessing an unregistered, loaded firearm, possessing an unlicensed firearm and unsecured

ammunition Ammunition, also known as ammo, is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. The term includes both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines), and the component parts of oth ...

.https://web.archive.org/web/20130801035138/http://www.news.com.au/national-news/shot-fired-from-gun-at-school/story-e6frfkx9-1226352678281

Principals

*A.G. Strawbridge (1965–1975) *J.G. Deer (1976–1985) *R.M. Hill (1986–1999) *Jay Strudwick (2000–2009) *Martin Rumsby (2010–2016) *Joanne Costa (2017–present)

Co-curricular activities

Music

The school has an extensive involvement with musical activities. These activities include a concert band, a stage band and ensemble groups (brass, string and classical guitar). Performances are given at parent meetings, school assemblies, local primary schools and senior citizen venues throughout the year. Highlights in the music calendar include appearances at the Yamaha School Bands Festival and a trip for the Stage Band to

Mount Gambier Mount Gambier is the second most populated city in South Australia, with a population of 25,591 as of the 2021 census. The city is located on the slopes of Mount Gambier (volcano), Mount Gambier, a volcano in the south east of the state, about ...

every May to compete in the Generations In Jazz, a nationwide competition.

Languages

The school has annual

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

& Japanese exchange programs. A student studying year 11 Japanese is annually invited to Kamogata on scholarship for 6 weeks at the end of the year. The school also hosts a group of students from Kamogata in August each year and responds with a reciprocal visit in September/October.

Sports

Modbury High School is a member of the

Sports Association for Adelaide Schools The Sports Association for Adelaide Schools (formerly the Independent Schools Sports Association of South Australia or ISSA) is a group of schools in South Australia involved in sporting and cultural activities. Controversy The football compet ...

(SAAS). The school is heavily involved in the local VISTA sports competitions where students at the school can compete with students from schools in the extended district in a variety of sports. The school also runs a biannual basketball trip to the USA allowing students from the school to play competitive basketball games against American students. Pedal Prix is highly organised and competitive at Modbury High School. It fields five bikes at the local victoria park events and four bikes at the 24-hour Murray Bridge event. The school has also produced various AFL players, including Paul Puopolo, Mitch Grigg, and Rhys O'Keeffe. Modbury High Tunnel

Formula 1 in Schools

Modbury is attending the 2023

Aramco Saudi Aramco ( ') or Aramco (formerly Arabian-American Oil Company), officially the Saudi Arabian Oil Company, is a majority state-owned petroleum and natural gas company that is the national oil company of Saudi Arabia. , it is the fourth- lar ...

F1 in Schools World Finals in a collaboration with

Brighton Grammar School Brighton Grammar School is a private school, private Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican day school for boys, located in Brighton, Victoria, Brighton, a south-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Founded in ...

. F1 in Schools teams from Modbury High include: * Aspect Racing (est. 2019) * Infinity Racing (est. 2020) * Aero Racing (est. 2021) * Blaze Racing (est. 2022)

Tunnels

Since the school was built there had long been rumours of tunnels beneath the school. In late 2014, several male students from years 9 to 11 broke off a board in the male toilets on the ground floor of the main building. They found a ladder which led down into a network of tunnels, containing an old archive, old chairs, tables and even an old anatomical skeleton model. The tunnels were sealed by the school in the following weeks.

References

Notes

:A.As of 2022, most South Australian high schools will transition to enrolling year sevens, like other states.

External links

* {{Official website, www.modburyhs.sa.edu.au Educational institutions established in 1965 High schools in South Australia Public schools in South Australia 1965 establishments in Australia