Wellington East Girls' College facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wellington East Girls' College |
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Wellington East Girls' College
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| Address | |
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Austin Street,
Mount Victoria, Wellington, New Zealand |
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| Coordinates | 41°18′10″S 174°47′07″E / 41.3028°S 174.7852°E |
| Information | |
| Type | Single Sex Girls State Secondary (Year 9–13) |
| Established | 1925 |
| Ministry of Education Institution no. | 274 |
| Principal | Gael Ashworth |
| School roll | 1,036 (February 2024) |
| Socio-economic decile | 8P |
| Website | www.wegc.school.nz |
Wellington East Girls' College (WEGC) is a public school just for girls. It is located in Wellington, New Zealand. The school teaches students from Year 9 to Year 13, which is usually ages 12 to 18. It is built right above the Mount Victoria Tunnel.
The school mainly serves families from the eastern and southern parts of Wellington. However, students also come from other areas like Hutt Valley and Porirua City. Students from outside the local area can join if there is space. The school also has a special unit for about 20 students with special needs. Some of these students also join regular classes.
Contents
School Leaders and Staff
The school has a team of leaders who help run everything. The main leader is the principal. In 2019, Gael Ashworth became the principal. Before her, Sally Haughton was principal from 2007 to 2019. Janice Campbell was principal for a long time before that, from 1981 to 2007.
The Senior Leadership Team includes the principal and three deputy principals. There is also a special staff member called the principal's nominee. This person makes sure that the school's assessments meet the standards set by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA).
The school also has a Guidance team. This team helps students with their studies and personal lives. It includes deans for each year level, people who give advice about careers, and counsellors. There is also a sports director and many heads of different school subjects.
| Period | Principal |
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| 1925–1937 | A. M. Batham |
| 1937–1949 | N. G. Isaac |
| 1950–1957 | M. L. Wilson |
| 1957–1967 | M. J. Riley |
| 1968–1981 | N. McMaster |
| 1981–2007 | Janice Campbell |
| 2007–2019 | Sally Haughton |
| 2019–present | Gael Ashworth |
School History
Wellington East Girls' College was built in 1925. It was needed because there were too many girls wanting to go to school in Wellington. At that time, Wellington Girls’ High School was very crowded. They even had to rent rooms in nearby houses for classrooms.
Miss A. M. Batham was a teacher at Wellington Girls' High School. She worked hard to get a new school built. She became the first Headmistress of Wellington East. The school was first going to be called Mt Victoria Girls College. But the name was changed to avoid confusion with Victoria University of Wellington.
Every year, the school celebrates Founders Day on September 15. In 2015, they had a big party to celebrate 90 years since the school started.
School Houses
In 1931, the first Headmistress, Miss Batham, divided the school into six houses. These houses were for sports competitions. They were named Islington, Ranfurly, Onslow, Jellicoe, Fergusson, and Bledisloe. These names came from important people who were Governors or Governor-Generals of New Zealand.
Later, some house names changed. Ranfurly and Freyberg became Cobham and Freyberg. But before 1950, Freyberg and Cobham houses were removed. Students from those houses joined the other four.
Today, Wellington East Girls' College has four houses:
- Sheppard
- Edgar
- Cooper
- Tirikatane
Buildings and Grounds
Wellington East Girls' College shares the Gifford Observatory with Wellington College. The main school building is very old and has a special design. It is listed as a Category I historic place in New Zealand.
In 2011, work began to make the building stronger against earthquakes. But the work stopped because the building was not strong enough. It was empty until 2014. Then, work started again to replace the building. The plan was to keep the front of the old building but build a new, modern building behind it.
The old building used to have many classrooms, the library, staffroom, and offices. When it closed, these parts of the school had to move. The maths department, school office, and other services moved to temporary buildings. These temporary buildings were later removed when the new main building opened. The music and art departments also moved to temporary buildings during the construction.
Many buildings on the school site have been updated. In 2016, the Sports Centre was made stronger and repainted. The swimming pools were also rebuilt. The outdoor pool is now covered. The East Wing and Science Block are some of the few buildings that have not been changed.
In April 2019, a new building called the Matairangi block opened. This new block has modern learning spaces, a new library, and a canteen. It also has art studios, food technology rooms, music facilities, and a media suite. There is also a special Māori learning space called a Wharenui. With this new building, the school can now teach about 1250 students.
He Huarahi Tamariki
He Huarahi Tamariki is a special unit for teenage parents. It is part of Wellington East Girls' College. This unit helps about 50 teenage parents continue their secondary school education. It is located in Porirua. It also has a childcare center called Griffin 2 School for the students' children. The number of students at He Huarahi Tamariki is included in the total student count for Wellington East Girls' College.
Famous Former Students
Many students from Wellington East Girls' College have gone on to do great things. Here are some of them:
Arts and Humanities
- Marie Bell (1938) – an educator
- Marie Clay (1942) – a psychologist and education researcher
- Avis Higgs (1935) – a painter and textile designer
- Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan (1949) – a New Zealand politician
- Mary Varnham (1961) – a writer and publisher
Performing Arts
- Sunny Amey (1945) – a theatre director
- Aivale Cole – an opera singer
- Jennifer Compton (1966) – a poet and playwright
- Barbara Ewing (1955) – an actor
- Chelsie Preston Crayford (2003) – an actor
- Jennifer Ward-Lealand (1975) – an actor
Science
- Brenda Shore (1938) – a botanist (someone who studies plants)
Sport
Swimming
- Natasha Hind – won medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
- Meda McKenzie (1978) – first woman to swim across the Cook Strait twice
- Emma Robinson (New Zealand swimmer) – swam at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Football
- Cinnamon Chaney (1988) – played for the New Zealand international team
- Wendi Henderson (1987) – played for the New Zealand international team
- Renee Leota (2007) – played for the New Zealand international team
Cricket
- Linda Henshilwood (1967) – played for the New Zealand Women's cricket team
Hockey
- Niniwa Roberts (1994) – played for the Black Sticks (New Zealand's national hockey team) and was an Olympic athlete
Netball
- Tiana Metuarau (2018) – played for the Silver Ferns (New Zealand's national netball team)
- Jean Mitchell (1930) – played for the Silver Ferns
Other Fields
- Cathy Penney – a pilot
Notable Staff
- Saradha Koirala – a poet and writer
