History
STRATHCONA IS THE CATALYST
OF A LIFE-SHAPING MOMENTUM
12 February, 1924
Founding
Strathcona Girls Grammar School was founded by Miss Henrietta Hughes and Mrs Florence Mabel Livingstone
12 February 1924
Original House Named
The original house at 34 Scott Street was named after Lord Strathcona of Canada
1928
Basketball match at Strathcona
1932
Strathcona Sports Day at Glenferrie Oval
1941 - 1942
Miss Bessie Sweetland, Headmistress
1943 - 1953
Miss Dora Bulie Featherstone, Headmistress
1943
The Baptist Union purchased the School
1948
School Hymn created
Prefect Val Hutchinson wrote the School Hymn and composed the original music
1949
Spicer Block
On the 10 November the Spicer Block was opened
1950
Mellor House
Mellor House was purchased to be used as the Junior School. Named after Head of Junior School Joan Mellor.
1954 - 1956
Miss Helen Menzies Smith, Headmistress
1969
Australia’s first separate Year 9 girls’ campus
Tay Creggan was purchased and Australia’s first separate Year 9 campus was established.
1973 - 1989
Mr Ken Lyall OAM, Principal
1974
First pupils visit
Mr Lyall with Strathcona’s first two pupils, Mrs Una Cromie and Mrs Jean Lovegrove (Austin)
1975
A Royal Visit
Princess Margaret visited Tay Creggan on her Royal Tour
1990 - 2000
Mrs Ruth Bunyan AM , Principal
1994
New Humanities and Administration Block Opened
On the 5 March the new Humanities and Administration block was opened containing the Lyall Chapel
2005
Charlotte’s Web filming
Scenes from Hollywood’s Charlotte’s Web was filmed in the front rooms of Tay Creggan
2005
Opening of the New Mellor House
2008
Creative Performing Arts Centre Opens
29 August Ms Nehama Patkin OAM opens The Shirley Bourne Gallery in the Creative and Performing Arts Centre (CPAC)
2011
Opening of the Aquatic and Fitness Centre
17 March 2011
2012
Featherstone Hall is refurbished
30 October His Excellency the Hon. Alex Chernov AC QC Governor of Victoria opened the refurbished Featherstone Hall
2015
Mrs Marise McConaghy Principal
2015
Contemporary Learning Centre Opens
19 June Opening of the Contemporary Learning Centre by Dr Vanessa Murrie (’90) BSc (Melb), M.S. (Mayo Grad. School), PhD (Cambridge)
2018
Students met Nobel Peace Laureate Malala Yousafzai
Malala advises Principal, Mrs Marise McConaghy, to teach our girls to be “Respectfully Rebellious”.
2019
Wall of Inspirational Strathcona Women launched
2019
Strathcona won the award for Best STEAM Initiative at the EduTech Asia Awards. This award recognises a school that has taken their STEAM curriculum to the next level, created interdisciplinary learning experiences for its students by successfully incorporating both inquiry and problem-based learning methods.
2020
Continuous Learning during COVID-19 Pandemic
Students and teachers adapted brilliantly to learning virtually at the end of Term 1 as Australia went into home isolation to flatten the curve of the pandemic.
