St John’s College in Victoria thank Archbishop Makarios for its ‘revival’ in 2020

·

The entire community of St John’s College in Preston, Victoria have thanked His Eminence Archbishop Makarios for “his trust, guidance and dedication to the revival” of Australia’s oldest Greek Orthodox College.

In a statement, the College confirmed that even before His Eminence’s arrival in Australia, he had received suggestions for the closure of the school, due to “the limited number of enrolments, its large debts, general poor financial situation and especially the negative record of academic performance.”

However, Archbishop Makarios quickly turned his efforts to supporting the College, “securing more than $3 million for its operational needs, displaying personal interest and constant care to ensure its continued existence,” according to the statement.

“Thanks to the personal commitment of His Eminence and the fervent support of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, St John’s College has now turned the page and is emerging as a leading Greek Orthodox College, of which the entire Victorian Greek community can once again be proud,” the College writes.

Under the leadership of the new School Principal, Anna Urban, who was appointed by His Eminence in early 2020, St John’s College recorded an enviable increase in enrolment, with more than 80 new students to have joined the St John’s family since December 2019. Today, the school has 264 students.

It is also noteworthy that in the VCE exams of 2020, the school achieved its best ever result. Specifically, St John’s managed to rank 54th among 582 schools in the State of Victoria. This is an outstanding improvement in the school ranking, as in the last three years (2017, 2018, 2019) it was ranked in positions 415, 237 and 344 respectively.

St John’s also surpassed in the relevant ranking some of the most famous private schools in Victoria. The school’s average study score was 34 and the percentage of students with a grade above 40 was 15%, while two thirds of St John’s students at VCE level achieved an ATAR of over 40. This is a remarkable student achievement, unprecedented in the history of St John’s.

“With the support of the Board of Directors and the financial support of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, Ms Urban spearheaded a process of continuous improvement and progress in all areas – from school facilities to educational programs, staff training, management, values and enhanced school culture,” the College says.

“All members of the College express our pride and joy at the progress made in 2020 and reaffirm our commitment to the Archdiocese and the local community that we will continue to work dedicated to the vision embodied in the school’s emblem: ‘To always excel’.”

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Earlwood’s Greek spirit centre stage as ‘Plateia’ Festival secures state funding

The City of Canterbury Bankstown will host the “Love Earlwood” festival thanks to the NSW Government’s Open Streets 2025-28 Program.

Greek Consul General honoured at Hellenic Club farewell event in Sydney

Sydney’s Greek community came together on Thursday for a dignified farewell dinner in honour of Greece’s Consul General, Ioannis Mallikourtis

Field of candidates announced for 2025 Greek Community of Melbourne Board election

Greek Community of Melbourne has officially called elections for a new Board of Directors, with members set to head to the polls on June 29.

Australia Cup 2025: Strong Greek heritage club presence as Final 32 locked in

The cast for the Hahn Australia Cup 2025 Round of 32 has been decided following the completion of the Preliminary Rounds.

Apostolakis and Trimis named on Young Matildas squad for upcoming training camp

CommBank Young Matildas Head Coach Alex Epakis has settled on a 32-player squad for a domestic training camp to be held in Sydney.

You May Also Like

South Melbourne falls short against Heidelberg United in close contest

Heidelberg United displayed resilience as they overcame South Melbourne 1-0 on Sunday, June 16 at Olympic Park.

NT Government grants land for St Savvas of Kalymnos Greek Orthodox church in Darwin

The government of the Northern Territory has granted land for construction of the new St Savvas of Kalymnos Greek Orthodox church in Darwin.

Robert De Niro begins filming new movie ‘Tin Soldier’ in Thessaloniki

Filming has begun in the Greek city of Thessaloniki for the new action film, Tin Soldier, starring Robert De Niro and Jamie Foxx.