Fort Street High School - School Traditions

School Traditions

Fort Street utilises a house system. The school is organised into four official Houses, to which each student is assigned. The Houses are named after prominent alumni, two male and two female, and representing different areas of endeavour: Barton, named after Edmund Barton, the first Prime Minister of Australia; Mawson, named after Douglas Mawson, Antarctic explorer; Kennedy, named after athlete Clarice Kennedy; and Preston, named after artist Margaret Preston.

Since 1899, the school has published the Fortian magazine, the school's annual review and yearbook. The name later came to refer to all students of the schools past and present. An extensive alumni network is maintained through the school's alumni association, the Fortians' Union, formed by the amalgamation of the Old Boys' Union and the Fort Street Old Girls' Union. In addition to maintaining the alumni network, the Union also assists the school and promotes its traditions. It holds an annual dinner each October, with some student reunions held concurrently with this event. The Fortians' Union publishes Faber Est, a monthly newsletter.

An annual Speech Day is held near the beginning of each year at which student achievements are recognised and awards are presented. An address is given by a prominent alumnus or alumna. In the past, Speech Day events have been held at various venues including the school's Memorial Hall and the Sydney Opera House. In recent years, the ceremony has always been held at Sydney Town Hall.

Throughout its history, the various Fort Street schools have had a number of school songs. At present, at assemblies, the simply-named School Song and Gaudeamus igitur are sung at the beginning of assemblies, with Fort Street's Name Rings Around the World sung as the recessional, at its conclusion.

An officially sanctioned student newspaper known as Note Bene ran for several years until enthusiasm for it waned.

The FLOP, an annual student revue performed by outgoing Year 12 students, has been performed for many years, beginning in 1976. It usually involves humorous sketches, often parodying school life and teachers, and, in recent years, the primary medium has been video. Musical pieces, both serious and funny, are often performed. In recent years, various restrictions have been imposed on the FLOP, including a ban on the use of cars in videos, a requirement for videos to not include swearing. Justified as being improperly close to HSC exams, Principal Roslynne Moxham stated in an address to Year 12 2010 and their parents on 27 October 2009 that, as of 2010, the FLOP has been permanently cancelled. In line with Fort Street students' long history of being a prominent source of progressive activism in Australia, the decision was fiercely contested by student-led protest groups.