Santa Sabina College


Santa Sabina College is a multi-campus independent Roman Catholic single-sex early learning, primary and secondary day school for girls from Year 5 to Year 12; and a co-educational day school from early learning years through Prep to Year 4. Located on eight hectares in Strathfield, an inner-western suburb of Sydney; and on 97 hectares in, in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia; students are educated in the Dominican tradition. Established in 1894, Santa Sabina has a non-selective enrolment policy and as of 2007 catered to approximately 1,400 students.
The College is owned by the Congregation of Dominican Sisters of Eastern Australia and the Solomon Islands and located within the Archdiocese of Sydney. The College is affiliated with the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia, the Junior School Heads Association of Australia and an affiliate member of the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools. The College Principal is Paulina Skerman.

History

Eight Dominican sisters arrived from Ireland in 1867, to establish schools for Catholic children in New South Wales. Subsequently of land and a house in Strathfield were purchased from a wine-grower, Harold Lindeman. Santa Sabina College was established on this site in January 1894, with seven day students. The first three boarders were enrolled in April of that same year.
Although the College saw its first student matriculate in 1906, it was not officially recognised as a secondary school until 1912, with the passing of the New South Wales Bursary Act. Organised sport was first introduced in 1918, with Tennis the most popular sport at the time.
In 1936, Santa's most prominent building, Holyrood—originally built as Illyria by industrialist Charles Hoskins in the early 1890s—was purchased from William Adams of the Tattersall's Hotel. The carved sandstone facade came from the City Bank building in Moore Street. This building was used as the College boarding house until boarding ceased in 1976. The building now houses the College music department. The Del Monte property, located across the road from the College, was leased in 1949, with the first primary school students taking up residence later that year. In 1950, the owner of the property, Mary Bailey, died, leaving the property to the Sisters. Del Monte was subsequently renamed Santa Maria del Monte. Santa Maria del Monte was expanded in 1968, with the purchase of Lauriston, which had been the home of the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney during the Second World War. This purchase provided the school with a sports ground and additional classrooms.
In 1991 the campus was used as the backdrop for the Australian TV series Brides of Christ.
1996 saw the establishment of the Out of School Hours Centre, and in 1997, a property at Tallong was purchased for outdoor education. In 1998, Mary Bailey House was opened as an Early Childhood Centre, and in 2002 classes for Years 6 and 7 commenced at the middle school campus, Martin De Porres.
Santa Sabina is recognised as an employer of choice for women by the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency.

Principals

The following individuals have served as Principal of Santa Sabina College:
OrdinalOfficeholderTerm startTerm endTime in officeNotes
1M. Bertrand Walsh18941894 years
2M. Pius Collins18951900 years
M. Bertrand Walsh19011906 years
M. Pius Collins19071913 years
3M. Teresa Casey19141922 years
4M. Philippa Byrne19231924 years
5M. Gonsalvo Byrne19251929 years
6M. Benignus Baker19301930 years
7M. Concepta O'Donohue19311935 years
M. Philippa Byrne19361941 years
8M. St John Hewit19541960 years
9M. St Luke McKervey19611964 years
10Diana Woods 19651967 years
11Anne Banfield 19681970 years
Diana Woods 19731973 years
12Mary Britt 19711972 years
13Delma Richardson 19741979 years
14Rosemary Lewins19801986 years
15Judith Lawson19872007 years
16Kate Clancy20082012 years
17Maree Herrett20122019 years
18Paulina Skerman2020– years

Campus

The College comprises five campuses: four situated along The Boulevarde in Strathfield, and an outdoor education campus at Tallong in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales. The four city campuses are Mary Bailey House Early Education Centre, Santa Maria del Monte and Santa Sabina. Santa Maria del Monte also takes boy students from Kindergarten to Year 4, with most boys then continuing on to St. Patrick's College to complete their schooling.
The Strathfield campus includes a outdoor swimming pool, six tennis courts, three ovals and a chapel. In 2002, a Middle School was established for students in Years 6 and 7. In 2005 The Aquinas Centre was opened, featuring a library, lecture theatre and student services facility.

Co-curricular activities

Debating

The College debating activities include: The Archdale Competition for Years 7 to 12, against twenty similar type independent girls' schools; the AHIGS Festival of Speech; the Catholic Schools' Debating competition; Schools' Speaking competition; the Catholic Schools' Speaking competition; the Junior Legacy Speaking competition; Senior Plain English Speaking competition; and the Rostrum Voice of Youth Competition.
Middle and Secondary School students participate in social debates with schools such as St Gregory's College, Campbelltown, Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview, and St Vincent's College, whilst the Primary and Middle School debate MLC School and PLC Sydney.
Debating and Public Speaking is also offered through inter-house competitions.

Arts

Santa Sabina is seen as the sister school to St Patrick's College. As such the two schools combine drama classes to stage shows, and musicals.

Sport

The sporting program at Santa Sabina includes: School sporting clubs, Saturday and midweek competitions, gala days, and representative opportunities up to national level. Each year the College takes about 2500 sports registrations for approximately 85 sports competitions and activities across 22 sports.

Notable alumnae