Marist College North Shore - History

History

Marist education began in North Sydney on 2 July 1888. Since then, the school now called Marist College North Shore has experienced significant changes and development. Initially, it was established as a small two-room school in Ridge Street; the current site of St. Mary’s Primary School. It opened with sixty-five students and a staff of three Marist Brothers. It was the fourth school opened by the Brothers in Australia – after those begun at Church Hill (1872), Parramatta (1875) and Hunters Hill (1881). The inaugural Headmaster was Br. Walter Moore who gave the school an excellent beginning and a firm foundation on which to build.

The school met a felt need in the area and its enrolments grew to the point where a larger site and more classrooms were needed. In 1916, with enrolments in excess of three hundred, the school was moved to a neighbouring site in Carlow Street. Here, the former Mark Foy’s Furniture Repository, which had been purchased by Parish Priest Fr. Cornish SJ, was converted into classrooms and a Hall known as Manresa Hall. Marist Brothers High School North Sydney continued to expand in numbers and obtained a name for academic, cultural and sporting excellence. During these years the school catered for the educational needs of boys from Primary through to Intermediate (Year 10) level. Its motto “Esse Non Videri”, translated as “To Be, Not To Seem”, captured the essence of the school as it sought to form boys into good Christians and responsible Citizens.

The final transformation occurred in 1965 when a re-organisation of education occurred in New South Wales. The reforms introduced under the Wyndham Scheme led to the amalgamation of Marist Brothers Mosman and Marist Brothers North Sydney to form a complete Year Seven to Twelve secondary school on the grounds of the North Sydney campus. The school was subsequently renamed to appropriately reflect the representation of the two Lower North Shore Marist schools as one; Marist College North Shore. The school colours of ‘blue black and gold’ were adopted, as was the Marist Brothers Mosman motto of “Virtus Ubique Vincit” – “Courage Conquers All”. From this time development accelerated, and a series of building programmes were initiated to provide for the contemporary educational needs of the students. In 1996 the La Valla Centre was opened for use as a multi purpose educational facility comprising a hall, art rooms, computer laboratories, music classrooms and practice rooms, Design and Technology workshops, and other assorted facilities and offices. In 2007 the most recent building project was completed. The Coyle Centre contains a new library, additional classrooms, and food technology kitchens. In addition several buildings and sections of the school were given names such as the Mosman Wing in homage to Marist Brothers Mosman and the Manresa Courts.

Academically, Marist College North Shore has seen increasing success in recent years. As of 2010 the Year Twelve cohort was ranked 98th in the NSW Higher School Certificate candidature, up from 273rd in the 2009 HSC.