John Curtin College of the Arts facts for kids
Quick facts for kids John Curtin College of the Arts |
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A secondary entrance to the school
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Australia
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| Coordinates | 32°02′55″S 115°45′26″E / 32.0487°S 115.7573°E |
| Information | |
| Type | public co-educational partially selective high school |
| Motto | Learning for life |
| Established | 1956 |
| Educational authority | WA Department of Education |
| Principal | Travis Vladich |
| Enrolment | 1,817 (Semester 1, 2022) |
| Campus type | Suburban |
| Colour(s) | Navy blue and white |
| Website | |
| Type | State Registered Place |
| Designated | 23 November 2001 |
| Reference no. | 15744 |
John Curtin College of the Arts, also known as JCCA, is a high school in Fremantle, Western Australia. It used to be called John Curtin High School. It is a public school for both boys and girls. Some students are chosen for special programs.
JCCA offers regular school subjects and special programs. Students from the greater Fremantle area can attend. But students from all over Western Australia can join its special 'gifted and talented' programs. These programs are for arts like visual arts, media arts (television and film studies), music, contemporary dance, ballet, drama (acting studies), and musical theatre. They also have a special soccer program. In 2022, about 1,817 students went to JCCA.
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School History
The school is named after John Curtin. He was a local politician and became the 14th Prime Minister of Australia. It cost about £430,000 to build. The school was made to combine two older, crowded schools: Fremantle Boys' and Princess May Girls' schools. These schools served the Fremantle area.
Building the School
The first stone for the school was laid on 29 October 1954. This was done by Albert Hawke, who was the Premier at the time. Jack Howieson, who was the principal of Fremantle Boys' School, became the first principal of John Curtin. Classes started in February 1956, even though construction was still going on. The school was fully finished in 1958.
In its first ten years, the school used several extra buildings around Fremantle. These included the Princess May Annexe, Finnerty Street Annexe, Fremantle Boys' Annexe, North Fremantle Annexe, and the East Street Trades Centre.
Older Buildings and New Additions
John Curtin College has some parts of an older building. This was a two-storey brick Manual Trades Block built around 1943. It was made after a building used by the Fremantle Technical School was taken for defence in 1941.
A science annex was added later than the main school. It was paid for by the Australian Government in the 1960s. In 1987, a new arts centre was built. In 2015, the college added a new section. This area expanded the science block and included new dance and mathematics classrooms. It also added new offices for the mathematics and science departments.
Special Programs and Recognition
John Curtin College of the Arts has many Gifted and Talented programs. These include drama, contemporary dance, music, ballet, music theatre, visual arts, and media arts. There is also a soccer excellence program. The Academic Extension Program (AEP) helps students with English, mathematics, science, and humanities.
In 1992, a history of the school was written by Tim Johnson. He was an Ancient History teacher at the time. The book was called Guns, Graves and Dreaming: the History of Fremantle's High School: John Curtin Senior High School. It was never officially published, but you can find it in some Western Australian libraries.
In 2001, the college was added to the State Register of Heritage Places. This means it is an important historical site. On 12 November 2006, the school celebrated its 50th year of being open.
Site History
The land where the college oval is now was once Fremantle's first official cemetery. It was called the Skinner Street Cemetery. It was used from 1852 until 1899 for most burials. The very last burial happened in 1917. Over time, the cemetery was no longer used.
In the 1930s, all the headstones that were still in one piece were moved to Fremantle Cemetery. Families had to pay to have their relatives' remains dug up and reburied. It is thought that the remains of up to 200 bodies might still be buried on the site.
World War II Defence
When Japan entered World War II, Australia faced a threat of attack. Because of this, four anti-aircraft gun positions were set up on the land. This part of the site was between Ellen and East streets. During the war, the former cemetery became a base camp for the soldiers who operated these guns. It was an important part of Fremantle Fortress for protecting the port.
Notable Alumni
Many well-known people have attended John Curtin College of the Arts or its earlier schools.
- Gillian Alexy – actress
- Murray Bartlett – actor
- Rachael Blake – actress
- Jim Brown – politician
- Roseanna Cunningham - Scottish politician
- Tiah Delaney - model
- Sir Hughie Edwards – a former Governor of Western Australia and Air Commodore in the Royal Air Force (attended Fremantle Boys School)
- David Holmgren – helped create the permaculture idea
- David Horton – writer
- Brad Jones – soccer player
- Stuart MacLeod – musician, from the band Eskimo Joe
- Graham McKenzie – cricketer
- Paul Mercurio – actor and dancer
- Simon O'Brien – politician
- Tanya Oxtoby – soccer coach and former player
- Marco Paparone – Australian rules footballer
- Kelly Paterniti – actress
- Bon Scott – musician, from the band AC/DC
- Anthony Skorich – soccer player
- Kavyen Temperley – musician, from the band Eskimo Joe
- Ta-ku – musician
- Sam Worthington – actor
Notable Staff
- Peter Collier
- Michelle Roberts
See also
- List of schools in Western Australia
