Rahul Sharma (Editor)

Karabar High School

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Established
  
1977

Grades
  
7-12

Campus type
  
Suburban

Founded
  
1977

Principal
  
Andrew Turvey, M. Ed

Enrolment
  
1200 (approx.) (2015)

Phone
  
+61 2 6298 4333

Teaching staff
  
120

School type
  
Public Partially Selective Coeducational Secondary School

Address
  
84 Donald Rd, Karabar NSW 2620, Australia

Motto
  
Life is for living/Quality education - Quality future

Similar
  
Queanbe High School, Campbell High School, Telopea Park School, Alfred Deakin High Sch, Melrose High School

Profiles

Karabar High School is a public high school in Karabar, New South Wales, Australia. Since 2010, it has been a partially selective high school, with a selective class being run with each subsequent year group beginning at the school. The school caters for a range of academic and vocational demands, and has a full-time support unit.

Contents

Karabar High School currently has around 900 students attending, with a further 100 or so enrolled via Distance Education. The school has had a recent boost in popularity, with the on-campus student population growing by around 100 people each year. The New South Wales Government has announced that the distance education center will be moved to Queanbeyan High School in the coming years.

Karabar high school lauren wells invite to athletics carnival


Marching band

Sections of Karabar High School's website concerning the marching band reads:

"Over the years the band has performed in Queanbeyan and Canberra. The first performances were at Anzac Day and the Highland Gathering in 1991. Since then they have performed in Queanbeyan and Canberra Festivals, numerous sporting events such as Canberra Raiders, Queanbeyan Tigers and North Melbourne matches, local netball march pasts, Masters Games, polo cross and many school and community events such as Floriade, the Uniting Church Fete, the Burra Fair and the Canberra Show."

"The band has also taken great pride in representing Karabar High School and the city of Queanbeyan throughout Australia and overseas. It has taken part in the Mattara Festival in Newcastle, and has performed in Brisbane, at the Royal Easter Show, Darling Harbour, at Southern Showcase in Wollongong, School's Spectacular, Musswellbrook Spring Fair and the Eden Whale Festival to name a few."

"The Band has toured overseas on six occasions, to Canada in 1995 and 2004, the United States in 1998, 2002, 2006/7 and again in 2008/9."

"In January 2009 the band undertook an amazing performance and workshop tour to Orlando Florida, Washington DC and New York."

The band no longer exists.

Other extra-curricular activities

Karabar High School has been involved in many extra-curricular activities over the years. The school holds a Swimming Carnival, Athletics Carnival and a Cross Country Carnival on an annual basis. A school production is also put on every year by the school's talented group of performing arts students. Karabar has participated in the RoboCup on a number of occasions. The school regularly enters teams in a range of sports, including rugby league, cricket, soccer, AFL, basketball, netball and hockey. The school also runs debating and public speaking groups, depending on student demand.

Digital education revolution

As of 2014, students from years 10 - 12 are each assigned a Lenovo laptop. Until the completion of year 12 (with the exception of year 10), these notebooks remain the property of the New South Wales Department of Education and Communities. A Technical Support Officer (TSO) coordinates maintenance and upgrades of school-issued laptops, as well as portable devices used under the bring-your-own-device scheme.

Bring-your-own-device

The school has recently adopted a bring-your-own-device scheme for students, allowing allows students to bring a device of their own choosing to use at school. Devices must fit certain criteria to be used at school (most devices exceed requirements), and students are responsible for their safekeeping. Devices must:

  • last at least five hours on a charge
  • have at least 16Gb internal storage, 4Gb RAM
  • have 50Mhz dual band, 802.11 b/g/n wireless connectivity
  • have the latest version of an operating system
  • School facilities

    The school caters for a wide range of academic and vocational pursuits, with a number of upgrades and refurbishments having taken place over the past ten years. The school is logistically divided into seven faculties: English; Human Societies and its Environment, or HSIE; Maths; Science; Technical and Applied Studies, or TAS; Creative and Performing Arts, or CAPA; and Personal Development, health and Physical Education, or PDHPE. Each faculty is run by a Head Teacher.

    English

    The English faculty is the largest in the school in terms of student numbers as the subject is a compulsory undertaking. The faculty stores a number of both classic and contemporary texts for a wide range of academic levels. At a senior level, the English faculty provides the following courses:

  • English Studies
  • English Standard
  • English Advanced
  • English as a Second Language (ESL)
  • English Extension One (prerequisite of English Advanced)
  • English Extension Two (prerequisite of English Extension One)
  • The faculty also currently provides in-school Japanese language courses at a junior level.

    Human Societies and its Environment

    The Human Societies and its Environment (HISI) faculty facilitates the study of history and geography at a junior level (both of which are compulsory). At a senior level, a variety of ATAR and non-ATAR courses are offered, depending on student demand:

  • Modern History
  • Ancient History
  • History Extension (prerequisite of either Modern or Ancient History)
  • Society and Culture
  • Legal Studies
  • Business Studies
  • Business Services
  • Geography
  • Economics
  • Maths

    The Maths faculty is one of the largest in the school, with all junior students taking maths, along with the majority of senior students. HSC courses include:

  • Mathematics General
  • Mathematics
  • Mathematics extension one (prerequisite of Mathematics)
  • Mathematics extension two (prerequisite of extension one)
  • Science

    The Science faculty has six laboratories, four of which are equipped for practical lessons (referred to as 'wet' labs). The faculty also has a dedicated lab assistant, and, for relevant classes, can make use of a portion of the school grounds known as the 'ag-plot'. The study of science is mandatory for junior students. HSC courses include:

  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Physics
  • Agriculture
  • Earth and Environmental Studies
  • Technical and Applied Studies

    The TAS faculty has one metalwork room, three woodwork rooms (one of which was refurbished late-2013), two kitchens, two textiles rooms and two computer labs. Students in years seven and eight sample all areas of the TAS faculty, alternating every two terms. HSC courses include:

  • Woodwork
  • Design and Technology
  • Construction
  • Textiles
  • Hospitality
  • Food Sciences
  • Retail
  • Creative and Performing Arts

    The CAPA faculty includes three art rooms, one drama room and two music rooms. Students in years seven and eight sample courses covering art and music, alternating every two terms. HSC courses include:

  • Visual Arts
  • Drama
  • Music
  • Dance
  • Entertainment
  • Personal Development, Health and Physical Education

    The PDHPE faculty facilitates all sports-related undertakings at the school. All junior students study PDHPE, and can opt to continue in senior years. The faculty has five classrooms and a gym (within the school hall), and often makes use of the school's ovals. HSC courses include:

  • PDHPE
  • Sport, Life and Recreation
  • Community and Family Studies
  • Library

    The school's library serves as the primary research center. In addition to books and magazines, the library houses copies of a number of academic journals available to students, films and television shows. The library also maintains an online database of current, educational television programs, available to students.

    In 2015, for the second year in a row, the library hosted the 'Write a Book in a Day' event. Students collaborated with one of the English teachers in the library for a period of twelve hours to raise awareness and money for charity.

    Notable students

    Karabar High has had a number of notable students, constituting a social and cultural continuity.

  • Terry Campese, former Canberra Raider five-eight; NSW Blues and Australian test rugby league player; attended Karabar and has returned a number of times to speak to students
  • Brad Haddin, attended before proceeding to the Australian National University and playing 1st class cricket for Australia
  • Glenn Lazarus, independent senator and former rugby league player; attended the school
  • Mia Wasikowska, actress
  • Mark Webber, attended before commencing his Formula 1 career with Minardi; also drove for the Jaguar F1 Team (2003–04), the Williams F1 Team (2005–06) and Red Bull Racing (2007-13); the only student to have appeared on BBC Two's Top Gear; various paraphernalia signed by Webber are on display at the school.
  • Contrary to a school myth, Nicholas II of Russia did not attend the school. Also, while he did live in Queanbeyan, George Lazenby did not attend the school.

    References

    Karabar High School Wikipedia