HOUSE SYSTEM (Senior School) See Also
House System (Middle School)See Also
Stanley B Calvert Cup and
Peter Cronk Trophy.
There are two separate House Systems - one at the Middle School Campus and one at the Senior School Campus.
Senior School House SystemThe House System at Senior School encompasses eight Houses. These are currently (2017):
Calvert House Coles House Keith House McArthur House McLean House Morrison House Shannon House Wettenhall HouseThe Senior School 'House System' was first introduced to provide a structure for sporting competition. In 1920, the School Magazine
Pegasus reported that a ‘House System’ was to be created. Accordingly, in 1921 four Houses were created for the then Senior School: Warrinn (colour - black), Shannon (colour – blue); Morrison (colour - firstly green then brown) and Barwon (colour – maroon). White was also used as a second colour for all houses. Day students were allocated into the 4 houses and boarders were based on their residential house. The College hoped that a ‘spirit of keenness and rivalry’ would begin to grow and that there would be a flow-on effect that would help the College spirit against other APS schools.
To assist the competition the 'Stanley B. Hamilton-Calvert Cup' for inter-house competition at Senior School was introduced though this was replaced with the ‘Cronk’ Cup named after former staff member Peter Cronk in the year 2000.
In 1925, the name of Barwon House was changed to Calvert. The early competition included not only sports, points were also awarded to Houses for In-Class work. In 1926, House coloured singlets for sporting competition were permitted and A N Shannon donated singlets to Shannon House. The House Music competition was introduced in 1983.
House Captains were not listed in
Pegasus until May 1930 and the first House Reports, also noting the existence of House Colours, not till August 1930. The August, 1930 issue also noted the House ‘Cow-Paddock’ competition for football. In 1952 Knowle House was created specifically as a day student House. The system was further changed in 1964, when the Principal, Peter Thwaites altered the system to become both pastoral and sporting with 6 Houses. These included 3 for boarders, Morrison, formerly Senior House (colour - brown); Mackie (colour – light blue); and Warrinn (colour – yellow) and 3 day student Houses, Calvert (colour - Maroon); Shannon (colour – blue) and McArthur (colour – black). Each had about 70 students under the care of their own Housemaster, with each student remaining in the same House throughout their Senior School life.
Following the introduction of co-education in 1974 this arrangement was altered in 1975 so that boarders and day students were mixed together in all Houses. Coles House was introduced with light blue colours and Wettenhall with yellow (? later gold). In 1980, McLean was introduced with colour, 'bright red', and in the following year, 1981, Keith House was introduced with the colour, 'pastel green', though this was later amended to 'sage green'.
The modern Senior School House System of 8 Houses is still used for competition but has been broadened considerably to be the major focus of pastoral care within the School. Facilitated by a House Co-ordinator and a team of tutors, they are responsible for ensuring student needs are met. Male boarders all now live at Mackie House and females at Mossgiel House and Boarding Houses are no longer used as the basis of the House System.
Current Senior School House Names:
House Colour Year Founded Origin of Name
Calvert Maroon 1921 (Barwon) Stanley Bell Hamilton-Calvert (1872-1939), an Old Collegian, Council Member from 1908-1925 and Council Chairman 1922-1929.
Coles Pale blue 1975 Sir Arthur Coles (1892-1982), co-founder of Coles Company, a major College benefactor, Old Collegian and Council Chairman 1939-1969.
Keith Sage Green 1981 'Bert' Keith (1902-1996), an Old Collegian, staff member 1927-1971, and co-author and editor of the 1961 Geelong College Centenary History.
McArthur Black 1952 Dr Norman McArthur (1869-1951), Old Collegian, a Council Member 1908-1947 and interim acting Council Chairman 1939-1941.
McLean Red 1980 Rev Ewen Charles McLean (1913-1998), a staff member 1940-1978, first chaplain from 1954 and honorary archivist 1979-1998.
Morrison Brown 1921 Dr George Morrison (1830-1898), founding Principal of The Geelong College 1861-1898 and owner 1864-1898.
Shannon Dark blue 1921 Charles Shannon (1841-1922), a Council Member 1908-1921 and Chairman 1908-1921.
Wettenhall Gold 1975 Dr Roland Wettenhall (1882-1965), an Old Collegian, Council Member 1927-1958 and the Wettenhall Family.
Senior School House Competition:See Also
Stanley B Calvert Cup and
Peter Cronk Trophy.
Activities included in selected years:
1921 - Class Work, Cricket, Football, Rowing, Running, Tennis; Swimming.
1937 - Class Work, Sports,
1961 - Athletics, Cricket, Football, Rowing, Shooting, Swimming; Tennis.
1974 - Athletics, Cricket, Cross-Country, Debating, Football, Hockey, Music, Rowing, Swimming, Tennis. (Debating was introduced to the House Competition in 1974.)
2000 - Athletics; Badminton, Basketball, Cricket, Cross-Country, Debating, Football, Golf, Hockey, Music, Netball, Rowing, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Tennis.
2010 - Athletics(M), Badminton, Basketball, Cricket, Cross-Country(M), Debating, Football, Futsal, Hockey, Music(M), Netball, Rowing, Soccer, Softball, Swimming(M). Tennis, Volleyball, Waterpolo.
2018 - Art, Athletics(M), Badminton, Basketball, Cricket, Cross-Country(M), Debating, Football, Futsal, Hockey, Music(M), Netball, Rowing, Soccer, Sodtball, Swimming(M), Tennis, Volleyball, Waterpolo.
The symbol M in brackets indicates a major assessment activity for the House Competition.
Rankings (All Activities) in selected years:
Year 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th.
1921 Warrinn Shannon Morrison Barwon.
1922 Warrinn Shannon Morrison Barwon.
...
1961 McArthur Calvert Shannon Morrison.
1962 Calvert McArthur Shannon Morrison.
...
1974 Warrinn Mackie Calvert McArthur Morrison Shannon.
...
1997 McArthur
1998 Shannon
1999 McArthur
2000 McArthur Calvert McLean Morrison Shannon Keith Wettenhall Coles.
2001 McArthur Wettenhall McLean Morrison Calvert Coles Shannon Keith.
2002 McArthur Calvert Wettenhall McLean Morrison Coles Keith Shannon.
2003 Calvert McArthur Wettenhall Morrison McLean Shannon Keith Coles
2004 Calvert McArthur Morrison McLean Keith Wettenhall Coles Shannon.
2005 Calvert McArthur Shannon Coles Keith McLean Morrison Wettenhall.
2006 McArthur Calvert Morrison Shannon Coles Keith McLean Wettenhall.
2007 McArthur Shannon Coles Calvert (4th Equal)/Morrison (4th Equal) Keith McLean Wettenhall.
2008 McArthur Morrison Shannon Coles Calvert McLean Wettenhall Keith.
2009 McArthur Shannon Morrison Calvert Coles Keith Wettenhall McLean.
2010 Shannon Coles McArthur Calvert Morrison Wettenhall Keith McLean.
2011 Shannon Coles Wettenhall Calvert Morrison McArthur Keith McLean.
2012 Coles Shannon Morrison Calvert McArthur Keith Wettenhall McLean.
2013 Morrison Coles Shannon McArthur Wettenhall McLean Calvert Keith.
2014 Shannon Morrison Keith McArthur Coles Calvert McLean Wettenhall.
2015 Keith Morrison McArthur Calvert Coles (5th Equal)/McLean (5th Equal) Shannon Wettenhall.
2016 Keith Morrison Shannon Coles (4th Equal)/Wettenhall (4th Equal) McArthur Calvert McLean.
2017 Keith Shannon Coles Morrison McArthur Wettenhall McLean Calvert.
2018 Shannon Morrison Keith Wettenhall Coles McLean McArthur Calvert.