| Notre Dame College | |
| Motto: | To seek – To see – To respond |
| Country: | Australia |
| Coordinates: | -36.375°N 145.4078°W |
| Established: | |
| Status: | Open |
| Principal: | John Cortese |
| Grades Label: | Years |
| Campus Type: | Regional |
Notre Dame College is a dual-campus independent Roman Catholic co-educational secondary day school located in Shepparton, Victoria, Australia. The college is situated on two campuses: Knight Street Campus, that houses students in Year 7, 8, and 10–12; and the Emmaus Campus, on Grace Road, North Shepparton, that houses students in Year 9 and also the McAuley Champagnat Programme for students who struggle to learn in a normal classroom environment. The college is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst.
The college initially opened in on 24 February 1902 as Sacred Heart Convent – later Sacred Heart College, a school for girls. A boys' school, St Colman's College (which opened on 9 July 1951), was also built on Knight Street. Sacred Heart was established by the Sisters of Mercy, whilst St Colmans was established by the Marist Brothers.
The two schools merged in 1984 after a two-decade period of expansion and increased enrolments in both Colleges. The new amalgamated school was named Notre Dame College, with the literal French meaning of "Our Lady". The campus of St Colman's became known as "South Side" and is the Junior Campus where years 7 to 8 attend. This is also home to the Mercy Centennial Stadium and the original Monastery. The original Sacred Heart campus is known as "North Side" and is home to students from Year 10 to Year 12, as well as the administration building, a chapel, the Ursula Frayne Library and the Bishop Noel Daly centre. In 2009 there was a new campus unveiled known as the Emmaus Campus. It is a community for the Year 9 students only.[1] The current principal is John Cortese.[2]
The year 2001 celebrated the centenary of the establishment of the Sisters of Mercy in Shepparton. This was celebrated through the unveiling of the Mercy Centennial Stadium.
In 1987, Notre Dame College became the sister school of Notre Dame of Marbel University in Koronodal, in the Philippines.
Notre Dame College operates a house system comprising six houses, changing from the original four in 2004. The six houses are:
| House | Colour | Namesake | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crane | Red | Bishop Martin Crane | |
| Jennings | Blue | Sister Gabrielle Jennings, the Congregational Leader of the Sisters of Mercy in 1984 | |
| Kennedy | Green | Father Reverend Michael Kennedy, the First Parish Priest of the St. Brendan's Parish | |
| MacKillop | Gold | Mother Mary MacKillop, the first Australian saint | |
| McGann | Orange | Brother Bernard McGann, the first principal of St. Colman's College | |
| Mungovan | Purple | Mother Augustine Mungovan, the founder of Sacred Heart College in Shepparton |
The main areas of study at Notre Dame College are:
Italian and Japanese are the two languages taught at the school.[3] In Year 7 and 8 students undertake study in a number of compulsory areas. From Year 9 to Year 10, study revolves around a number of core subjects, as well as electives chosen by the students.[3] There is also a program, the Nova Program, on offer to Year 10 students aimed at those who may otherwise want to leave school. This provides a pathway for students to apprenticeships, the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning, Vocational Education and Training and other employment opportunities.[4]
During Year 11 and 12, there are three pathways available to students:
The School hosts a Careers Day for Year 10 students, which is attended by over 1,500 students.[5]
Notre Dame is critically acclaimed for their musical productions.[6] From 2005 to 2014, Notre Dame staged two productions annually. In addition to the whole school production, a junior production was performed by Year 7-9 students from 2005 to 2009. From 2009 to 2011, these Year 7–9 productions were replaced with a Year 9 production.
| Year | Production | Director | Musical Director/ Musical Director (Orchestra) | Vocal Coach/ Musical Director (Vocals) | Choreographer | Trainee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Karen Ewart | Karen Ewart | Unknown | Kathy Kyriakou | ||
| 1987 | Karen Ewart | Karen Ewart | ||||
| 1988 | Kierin Murphy | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | ||
| 1989 | Karyn Joyce | Unknown | Unknown | |||
| 1990 | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | |||
| 1991 | Devina McClure | Devina McClure | Amanda Rae | |||
| 1992 | Unknown | |||||
| 1993 | Joan | Unknown | ||||
| 1994 | Unknown | |||||
| 1995 | Erika Gibson | Julie Leo | Unknown | Unknown | ||
| 1996 | Kierin Murphy | Trish Baggs | Trish Baggs | Jessica Enes Julie Leo | ||
| 1997 | Julie Leo | Julie Leo | Libbie Cunneen | |||
| 1998 | Neroli Cochrane Julie Leo | Neroli Cochrane | ||||
| 1999 | Julie Leo | Julie Leo | Libbie Cunneen Cassie Milner | |||
| 2000 | Joan | Neroli Cochrane | Neroli Cochrane | Danelle Cooney Olivia Fontana Cassie Milner Maree Quinn | ||
| 2001 | Danelle Cooney | |||||
| 2002 | ||||||
| 2003 | Kathie Duqueman Kierin Murphy | |||||
| 2004 | Ryan Black Neroli Cochrane | Meg Cooney Connie Daniel Kate Lancaster Shane Price | ||||
| 2005 | Neroli Cochrane | Connie Daniel Dayna Tinline | ||||
| Ryan Black | Ryan Black | Dayna Tinline | ||||
| 2006 | Neroli Cochrane | Neroli Cochrane | Connie Daniel | |||
| Ryan Black | Ryan Black | Emma Daniel | ||||
| 2007 | Neroli Cochrane | Neroli Cochrane | Emma Daniel Jen Scandolera | Clare Stevenson | ||
| Ryan Black | Ryan Black | Unknown | ||||
| 2008 | Neroli Cochrane | Neroli Cochrane Dayna Tinline | Emma Daniel Jen Scandolera Dayna Tinline | Jake Warner | ||
| Mulan Jr. | Ryan Black | Ryan Black | Dayna Tinline | |||
| 2009 | Dayna Tinline | Julie Leo | Neroli Cochrane | Dayna Tinline Jen Scandolera | Jamie Lea | |
| 2009 | Jason Giuliani | Ryan Black | Kathryn Demase | |||
| 2010 | Ryan Black | Ryan Black Neroli Cochrane | Dayna Tinline | Molly Dyson | ||
| 2010 | I Love Rock and Roll | Jason Giuliani | Ryan Black | |||
| 2011 | Ryan Black | Ryan Black Neroli Cochrane | Krista Rumble | |||
| 2011 | Little Stars | Jason Giuliani | Dayna Tinline | |||
| 2012 | Julie Leo | Neroli Cochrane | Dayna Tinline Sam Coats | Marcus Egan | ||
| 2012 | Jason Giuliani | Dayna Tinline | Dayna Tinline | |||
| 2013 | Julie Leo | Helen Janke Dayna Tinline | Georgie Wolfe | |||
| 2013 | Revolution! | Jason Giuliani | Dayna Tinline | |||
| 2014 | Julie Leo | Dayna Tinline Natalie Ginnane | Natalie Ginnane | |||
| Beneath the Southern Cross | Jason Giuliani | |||||
| 2015 | Casey Fogarty | Susan Dixon | Neroli Cochrane | Madi Jenkins Phoebe Newman | Phoebe Newman | |
| 2016 | Neroli Cochrane Jane Elshaw Loretta Shannon | Robert Baxter Nicola Messer | Nicola Messer | |||
| 2017 | Jason Giuliani | Neroli Cochrane | Robert Baxter Ruby Shannon | Robbie Maher | ||
| 2018 | Robert Baxter | Robert Baxter | ||||
| 2019 | Kane Wilson | |||||
| 2020 | Sarah Anderson Robert Baxter Tayla Jenkins Grace Newman | Sarah Anderson | ||||
| 2021 | Tayla Jenkins | Kirsty Jones | ||||
| 2022 | Tricia Baggs | Tayla Jenkins Tia Saddlier Angela Baxter Denni Bathman | Stephanie Romeo |
Notre Dame College offers the year-long Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary) in conjunction with Australian Catholic University and the Catholic Education Office, Sandhurst.[7]