The King's School annual reports 2010

The new housestructure willmaintain the effectivepastoral care thatis the hallmark ofa king’s education.House Restructure2010 saw the announcing of the most significant restructuring of TheKing’s School House system for many decades. The imperatives for thechange to the current House system were:• A need to upgrade both the day and boarding facilities.• A need for a boarding system that allows an appropriate numberof boarders of a similar age to be in the same House.• A need to accommodate the growing number of day studentsin the School.• A need to provide a more equal size between day houses andboarding houses.The key features of the new House structure involve:• Gowan Brae continuing to operate as a base for Year 7 boarders.• The pairing of existing boarding houses to create four boardingcommunities of about 90 boarders:Broughton ForrestBaker HakeMacarthur WaddyBishop Barker Harris• Significant new extensions being built on Broughton, Baker, Waddyand Bishop Barker to accommodate their doubling in size.• Extensions to the boarding houses to provide a “sense of arrival”,a doubling of a number of beds and a reception area. In addition,the older part of the existing boarding houses will be renovated.• The three empty boarding buildings being converted into six dayhouses. This will provide a venue close to the academic precinct forthe day students in the Senior School.This exciting project will be undertaken over a 5-6 year period. Thenew House structure will maintain the effective pastoral care that isthe hallmark of a King’s education. It will also honour and preserve thehistory of all boarding houses, provide a house structure that is flexibleand one that will cope with future enrolment patterns.I have been encouraged by the gracious response of the Schoolcommunity to this very significant change to the House structure ofthe School.The King’s School Art ShowFor 31 years, The King’s School has run one of the most significant ArtShows in the State. Quite apart from over 700 paintings on display, therewas jewellery, gourmet food, a music festival, fun fair and a display ofvintage British cars organised by the All British Car Club. There werenearly 2,000 cars on display and this added greatly to the festivities.The extraordinary good will and selfless service by the Prep parents hasensured that the reputation of The King’s School Art Show continues togo from strength to strength. The $15,000 acquisitive prize was given toRoss Laurie for his painting Rams Gully – Butt Up.Duke of Edinburgh ProgramAt The King’s School, all Year 9 students engage with the Bronze Dukeof Edinburgh program. Thereafter, the Duke of Edinburgh programis voluntary. Those undertaking the Silver Duke of Edinburgh Awardengage in a mountain biking expedition in the Morton National Parkin the Southern Highlands. Those who participate in the Gold Duke ofEdinburgh Award engage in a sailing trip in and around the waters ofNew Caledonia. Surviving storms, undertaking night-time manoeuvresand coping with gear failure are just some of the challenges facedby the 32 students who were involved with the Gold Award SailingExpedition in 2010.Ancillary OrganisationsThe King’s School is not a school, it is a community, and a large numberof ancillary organisations make up this community and lend support tothe realisation of the School’s mission to: “make an outstanding impactfor the good of society through its students, and by the quality of itsteaching and leadership in education”.David Adams, President of the Old Boys’ Union, together with themembers of the Union, have continued to support their alma materfaithfully and effectively throughout the year. The King’s School Parents’Association and the Prep Father’s Association have also remainedactive, as have a variety of other clubs throughout the year. The King’sSchool Foundation has been effective in the exercise of its duties andin the management of the corpus of monies that is used to support ourscholarships program and building program.16 17