Samuel Marsden Collegiate School
| Samuel Marsden Collegiate School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| Marsden Avenue, Karori, Wellington | |
| Coordinates | 41°16′59″S 174°44′38″E / 41.2831°S 174.7440°ECoordinates: 41°16′59″S 174°44′38″E / 41.2831°S 174.7440°E |
| Information | |
| Type | Private composite girls school, years 1-13 |
| Motto |
Ad Summa Aim For the Highest |
| Established | 1878 |
| Ministry of Education Institution no. | 280 |
| Principal | Jenny Williams |
| School roll | 459 |
| Socio-economic decile | 10 |
| Website | marsden.school.nz |
Samuel Marsden Collegiate School is located in the Wellington suburb of Karori in New Zealand. It has a socio-economic decile of 10 and provides private preschool to year 13 education for girls, but with co-educational kindergarten facilities. It is renowned for being a very academic school with exam results ranking consistently in the top three schools throughout New Zealand. Samuel Marsden Collegiate School students complete the New Zealand National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) but the school also offers Cambridge A-Level exams in certain subjects.
The school is named after the Anglican Missionary Samuel Marsden. It was established in 1878 by Mrs Mary Ann Swainson as a day and boarding school for girls from Wellington and the surrounding areas. The school was originally known as the Fitzherbert Terrace School, and Esther Mary Baber was for many years the headmistress. In 1920, the school was bought by the Anglican Diocese of Wellington, and moved to Karori in 1926. Samuel Marsden Collegiate has had 11 principals, only one of whom, Rev. Gerald Clark, has been male.
The current head of the school is Jenny Williams, who has moved from Australia. The previous head was Gillian Eadie, who retired after the first term of 2008.
Marsden, as the school is often called, currently has around 500 students. In 2006 it was split from 3 to 4 'schools', the Marsden Primary (previously known as the Lower School), Middle School, Upper School and Senior School. Marsden now has five schools: Preschool, Marsden Primary, Middle School, Upper School and Senior School. In practice the latter three schools are treated as one, often just referred to as the 'upper school'.
The upper school consists of six houses: Swainson-Riddiford, Baber, Hadfield-Beere, Richmond, Jellicoe and Johnson, all named after friends and benefactors of the school. Girls are placed in houses arbitrarily except when closely related to an old girl, in which case they are placed in the same house as their relative. The Lower School (Marsden Primary) has three separate houses, Sprott, Innes and Fitzherbert, again reflecting the school's history.
Samuel Marsden Collegiate School offers a large variety of subjects, cultural and sporting activities and is a school rich in tradition. The predominantly green uniform, must be worn both correctly and with pride. Girls must wear their hair tied up, are not allowed to wear makeup or jewellery. Assembly occurs twice a week, on Monday and Thursday, and incorporates both religious and ethical themes.
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