Marist College Kogarah

Marist College Kogarah was established in 1908 as the Kogarah Boys' School, a primary school for boys. The Marist Brothers agreed to establish the school after requests by John O'Driscoll, parish priest of the new parish of Kogarah. During 1908 a hundred pupils were enrolled, it then being the only Catholic boys school in New South Wales south west of Newtown. As demand for secondary education grew in the region, junior secondary classes were added to the school in the late 1920s. By 1938, it was a full secondary school, presenting pupils for the Leaving Certificate. By the 1940s, it was the largest Catholic school in Australia.^{[citation needed]} In the 1960s, the school became part of the new Archdiocesan system of schools and this had important consequences for Kogarah. Parish schools were preferred for primary education and so in 1982 primary classes ended at Marist Brothers Kogarah. From 1984, senior girls were enrolled in Years 11 and 12. This was, however, short-lived, due to the establishment of Bethany College in 1993.

Over the years the school has had three crest designs. They all have in common a red cross dividing a shield into four fields. Above the shield is the school motto Finis Coronat Opus, meaning "The End Crowns the Work"; below is the school name. The redesigns were required after the school's name was altered. The crest's symbols were also rearranged after the first redesign. The fields contain the following symbols:

• The Marist symbol
• The Southern Cross, the symbol of Australia
• The Waratah, the symbol of New South Wales
• An open book to symbolise learning

The present school house system has been operating since 2000. As each new student begins at the school, he is allocated to a house and its colour. The school has four houses that have been named after people that have made a lasting impact on the school. Students are involved in House Competitions which include Sporting, Cultural and Academic events. The four houses are:

• Cooper: Named after Alfred Cooper, a benefactor of the school.
• Gonzaga: Named after the first principal of the school, Brother Gonzaga Brown.
• Gilroy: Named after Cardinal Gilroy of Sydney, who was enrolled in the school on the first day of lessons in 1909.
• Lindwall: Named after Ray Lindwall, a first-grade St George rugby league footballer and cricketer who represented for Australia at Test level.

The following individuals have served as principal of Marist College Kogarah:

• List of Catholic schools in New South Wales
• Catholic education in Australia