Applecross Senior High School
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| Applecross Senior High School | |
|---|---|
 Applecross Senior High School in 2006 | |
| Location | |
 | |
Australia | |
| Coordinates | 32°01′46″S 115°50′05″E / 32.0295114°S 115.8348206°E |
| Information | |
| Type | Public co-educational high school |
| Motto | Achieve |
| Established | 1958 |
| Educational authority | WA Department of Education |
| Principal | Angie Thomas |
| Enrolment | 1,962[1] (Semester 2, 2025) |
| Campus type | Suburban |
| Colours | Black, green, red and white |
| Website | www |
Applecross Senior High School is a public co-educational high school, located in Ardross, a southern suburb of Perth, Western Australia.
Founded in 1958,[2] Applecross Senior High School has traditionally been one of the leading public high schools in Western Australia and consistently ranks academically within the top ten secondary schools in the state.[3][4][5] Applecross has produced two Rhodes Scholars.[6]
Applecross runs dedicated art, tennis and chess programs, and has traditionally been dominant in these areas.[7][8][9][10] It also runs Academic Extension classes, for those students talented in the areas of English, Maths, Science, Society and Environment, French and Japanese.
Like many Western Australian high schools, Applecross is a partially selective high school with out-of-area students accepted on a number of criteria.[11]
The school was opened in 1958 to service the rapidly growing south-of-the-river suburbs of the city of Perth. As of 2021[update], 1731 students from Years 7 to 12 attended the school.[1]
In 2009 the Government of Western Australia allocated A$56 million for the re-development of the school. A competitive tender process was completed in April 2010. The original school 'H' block, science block, swimming pool, and the 1970s gymnasium was retained. All other existing buildings were removed. A new south wing on the site of the existing tennis courts was designed to house a new administration area, library, resource centre, science, home economics and health and physical education wings. A new design, and technology centre was constructed to the east of the swimming pool and a new visual arts centre was located on the site of existing basketball courts. The gymnasium was converted into a performing arts centre, while the original 'H' block was refurbished for use by business/information technology, careers and vocational education, English, languages, mathematics, society and environment and student services.[12]
School crest
The school crest is a combination of a black swan holding a book, signifying proximity to the Swan River, with a hand holding a scimitar, emerging from a five-pointed crown ("issuant from an eastern crown or, a dexter hand holding a scimitar, in fess all proper"), the crest of the Chief of the Matheson clan. Sir Alexander Matheson Bt of Lochalsh, a property developer who in 1897 initiated the subdivision of the suburb of Applecross, became Chief of the Clan in 1920 on the death of his brother, the 2nd Baronet.[13][14]
Academic ranking
Controversies
The school has come under fire for resorting to debt collectors to recover unpaid school fees in a move which Pania Turner, president of WA Council of State School Organisations, considered an "extreme option" only to be used as a last resort.[24]
Notable alumni
- Dean Alston – Walkley Award winning newspaper cartoonist[25]
- Tony Ayres – film director[26]
- Marcus Beilby – Realist painter, winner of Sir John Sulman Prize[27]
- Darren Bennett – former Australian Rules football player and American football punter in the NFL[28]
- Jenny Boult (1951–2005) – author and poet, won 1981 Anne Elder Award for first book of poetry[29]
- Jim Gill AO – Chancellor of Curtin University, Western Australia (2010–2012), former: CEO of WA Water Corporation; WA Commissioner of Railways[30]
- Jillian Green – artist whose work is held in many major Western Australian institutions
- Jeanette Hacket AM – Vice-Chancellor of Curtin University, Western Australia (2006–2013)[31][32]
- Adele Horin (1951–2015) – Walkley Award-winning columnist and reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald, previously international correspondent for the National Times.[33][34]
- Peter Lewis AM – former Australian Consul-General and Senior Trade Commissioner in San Francisco[35]
- Bill Louden – Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor (2009–2013) and Dean of Education (2006–2008) of University of Western Australia[36][37]
- Vince Lovegrove (1947–2012) – journalist, music manager, television producer, musician
- Raoul Marks – dual Emmy Award winner for main title design on True Detective and The Man in the High Castle[38]
- Vinay Menon – Rhodes Scholar 2012,[6] John Monash Scholar[39]
- Steve Pennells – journalist, 5-time Walkley Award winner including Gold Walkley in 2012, 18 WA Media Awards[40]
- Graeme Robertson – Rhodes Scholar 1971, former: Director of Muresk Institute of Curtin University; Director-General of WA Department of Agriculture[6][41]
- Diane Stone – professor in Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick, UK and Professor in Public Policy at Central European University in Budapest.[42][43]
- Lesley Vidovich – Winthrop Professor, Graduate School of Education, University of Western Australia[44]
- Reece Waldock – Director General of WA Department of Transport, Commissioner for Main Roads, CEO of Public Transport Authority of Western Australia. Former WA Commissioner of Railways[45]
- Steve Ward – boat builder; built 1983 12-metre class America's Cup winner Australia II, and challengers Australia, Australia III, Australia IV, Challenger 12 & South Australia.[46]
- Bruce Williams – Commissioner of Fair Work Australia, former Commissioner of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, Perth[47][48]
