Established 1957 Socio-economic decile 6N Principal John Laurenson School roll 1225 (July 2016) | Ministry of Education Institution no. 321 Website shirley.school.nz Founded 1957 Ministry of education institution number 321 | |
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Type State single sex boys secondary (Year 9-13) Motto Interest Omnium Recte Facere Profiles | ||
Athletics day 2017 shirley boys high school
Shirley Boys' High School (known as SBHS) is a single sex state (public) secondary school in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is situated on a 6 hectare site in the suburb of Shirley, 3.8 kilometres (13 minutes) from the city centre, but in 2018 will move, along with Avonside Girls' High School, to the former QEII Park site in the east of Christchurch.
Contents
The school has over 60 classrooms plus a hall, a gymnasium and a megacentre which was completed in April 2016. This replaced the computer block which was bulldozed at the end of 2015 due to flooding issues after the 2011 quake. The school has over 70 teachers, two care-takers and seven OCS cleaners. There are 45 wheelie bins which are emptied daily by one of the evening cleaners. The school also runs a canteen and a uniform shop.
The school colours are sky blue and gold.
Brief history
Parents in the eastern and northern suburbs of Christchurch had wanted single-sex education for their sons. In 1957, this finally became available when the school opened under its first Headmaster, Charles Gallagher.
Established on a swampy paddock formerly used for grazing horses to the west of North Parade, the School grew rapidly. Within a few years it became a self-confessed and proud rival to Christchurch Boys' High School as well as to St. Andrew's and St Bede's College.
A detailed satirical portrait of the school as it was in the late 1960s can be found in The Shining City, a novel by former student Stevan Eldred-Grigg
On the Easter weekend (April) of 2007, Shirley Boys' High School celebrated its 50th Jubilee. Commemorative events included an Old Boys' XV playing the current 2nd XV and the 1st XV playing in historic uniform against St. Andrew's College; as well as a golf tournament, formal black-tie dinner, staff luncheon and 'meet-and-greet evening'.
2011 earthquake
During the magnitude 6.3 quake on 22 February the school suffered extensive damage and had to close. At least two classroom blocks were expected to be demolished, and all of the concrete areas of the school, including the new tennis courts, were badly damaged.
The students did not attend school for almost a month afterwards, before the decision was made to shift its pupils to Papanui High School - with Papanui High School's students changing to attend classes from 8am until 1pm, while the Shirley Boys' High School students entered the school at 1.15pm and finished at 5.45pm. After about 6 months of this arrangement pupils were able to return to the re-opened school in early September 2011.
Education Minister Hekia Parata announced on 16 October 2013 that the school would move, and be co-located with Avonside Girls' High School at a site in east Christchurch. On 12 Feb 2015 the site was announced to be the former QEII Park site