Ayr State High School facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ayr State High School
Heritage-listed building at Ayr State High School
Address
Edwards St Ayr , Queensland , 4807 Australia
Information
Type	State, co-ed, secondary
Motto	Meliora Sequimur
Established	1937
Principal	Craig Whittred
Staff	71
Grades	7–12
Enrolment	480 (2017)
Houses	Banks, Maquarie, Phillip and Cook

Ayr State High School is a public high school located in Ayr, Queensland, Australia. It's a special school because its main building is listed as a heritage site, meaning it's an important historical place. The school was built between 1935 and 1937. It was once known as Ayr State High and Intermediate School. It's one of three high schools in the town of Ayr.

School Buildings and Spaces

Ayr State High School has eleven main buildings. These include a special room called an auditorium, which can seat fifty people. There is also a large multi-purpose shelter. This shelter can hold over seven hundred people. The school has about 480 students.

Technology for Learning

In 2012, all students at the school received a laptop. They could take these laptops home to help with their studies. This helped students learn using modern technology.

Sports and School Spirit

Students at Ayr State High School take part in many sports. Each year, they compete in swimming and athletics events. The school has four sports houses. These houses are named after famous explorers.

School Sports Houses

• Banks (red)
• Macquarie (yellow)
• Philip (blue)
• Cook (green)

Famous People from Ayr High

Many successful people have attended Ayr State High School. Here are a few of them:

• Karrie Webb – A very famous golfer. She was once ranked the number one female golfer in the world.
• Neil Gooding – He created the popular stage musical Back to the 80's. He has also directed many plays in Sydney and London.

School History

The first main building at Ayr State High School was built between 1934 and 1936. It was originally called the Ayr State High and Intermediate School. Students from all over the Burdekin region came to this school.

Growth of Ayr and Education

The town of Ayr started in the 1880s. It grew because of the sugar cane farms in the area. By the 1920s, Ayr was the main town in the district. A primary school opened in Ayr in 1886. However, for a long time, children in the area could not go to high school locally.

In 1928, a secondary department was added to Ayr State School. This department offered subjects like academics, business, home economics, and manual training.

A New High School

In the early 1930s, the local school committee wanted a separate high school. The sugar industry was growing, and Ayr was doing very well. The government decided to build a combined high and intermediate school. From 1925 to the late 1930s, Ayr State High School was the only new high school built in Queensland.

What Were Intermediate Schools?

Intermediate schools were a new idea in Queensland after 1928. They had workshops, science labs, and home economics rooms. These schools were for students aged 12–13. They offered a two-year course to help students move from primary to secondary education. This idea changed in the 1940s and 1950s.

Building the School

Plans for the new school were made in late 1934. The main architect was Andrew Baxter Leven. During the 1930s Great Depression, the government started projects to create jobs. The Ayr State High and Intermediate School was built as part of this plan. This helped many people find work.

The school was built on a site that used to be a showground. Construction began in mid-1935. The school officially opened on March 1, 1937. It had 77 high school students and 203 intermediate students. The building cost about £16,000. It had a manual training area, storage rooms, and a large play area on the ground floor. The first floor had 8 classrooms, offices, staffrooms, and a home economics section.

The intermediate section of the school stopped in 1963. Since 1964, the school has been known simply as Ayr State High School.

School Building Design

Additional wing, Ayr Intermediate School, August 1940

Ayr State High School has a brick building that is raised off the ground. It has a corrugated iron roof with a ventilator and a flagpole on top. The main entrance sticks out from the front. On each side, the classroom wings are connected by verandahs. These verandahs have arched openings, which create open play areas underneath. The details around the arches are highlighted with stucco.

The school grounds have large grassy areas and many big shade trees.

Why Ayr High is Heritage Listed

Ayr State High School was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on January 13, 1995. This means it is an important historical site for several reasons:

Historical Importance

The school building, built from 1934 to 1936, shows how much Ayr grew during the 1930s. This growth happened because the sugar industry expanded in the Burdekin region. The building also shows that the government saw Ayr as a major regional center during those years. It also represents the "Intermediate School" system that Queensland tried out.

Unique Design Features

Ayr State High School is a great example of a school building designed by the Queensland Public Works Department. It uses brick and simple classical details, which was common for government buildings at that time. The design also helps with the hot North Queensland climate. It is raised off the ground, has wide verandahs, and ventilators to keep it cool.

Beautiful Appearance

The school building is considered beautiful because of its design. It has classical-inspired details, like the arched entrance and its balanced, symmetrical layout.