54 Years of Achieving Excellence Together
Our gates opened on the 5th February 1969 with 62 students and a handful of teachers. Originally a 15-acre fruit orchard owned by the Theile family, and residing on the lands of the traditional owners, the Wurundjeri tribe of the Kulin Nation, our school has grown with the suburb of Doncaster to become a vibrant community of learners.
Mr Frank Russell was our first Principal and we opened as Doncaster High School.
Our school motto at the time was ‘Manu et Mente’, or ‘by hand and mind’.
Here is a summary of our journey so far.
Opening in 1969 with only two classrooms, a staff room and an amenities block, the 1970s was a time of rapid expansion for the school. By decade’s end, we opened our College Library, the school Canteen, the ‘David Perry’ Gymnasium, and additional classrooms and portables to accommodate a student population of 1200.
The College House system also commenced with students naming the houses after rivers in Victoria: Kiewa (blue), Ovens (red), Yarra (yellow), and Murray (green).
Principals: Mr David Perry (1970 – 1975), Mr Bill Brown (1977 – 1986)
The 1980s marks the establishment of College traditions such as the Billy Cart races, the publication of our College Yearbook, Cornucopia, the annual Italian spaghetti eating competition, and our strength in interschool sports. In 1988, our school was the top performing state school in swimming and squash, and in 1989, Ken Rigby stated that Doncaster High School runs the most successful state schools’ sporting program in Victoria.
Principal: Mr Juris Hyrnko (1987 – 1999)
In 1991, Doncaster High School is renamed Doncaster Secondary College and we celebrated our 25th anniversary.
The College introduced several student support programs, including the Peer Leader Support program as well as the opening of our Senior Centre and Careers office.
1996 marks the beginning of the College’s International Student program.
Opportunities in co- and extra-curricular activities take off! In this exciting decade, the College completes major infrastructure works including the DSC Sports Field, the Presentation and Performance Centre and the new Food Technology rooms.
A new College motto is introduced: ‘Working together, learning together’
Principals: Mr Rod Allen (2000 – 2005), Mr Frank Sal (2005 – 2010)
Our school has always evolved its facilities and programs to offer a dynamic learning environment for our students. As a reflection of this commitment, the 2010s delivers more facility upgrades with the opening of the state-of-the-art DSC Sports Stadium.
The introduction of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program and the School-Based Apprenticeship Traineeship (SBAT) program empowers our students to develop skills for the future of work.
Boosting sustainability measures, our College installs a self-funded 300kW rooftop photovoltaic solar system.
Principal: Ms Eva McMaster (2010 – 2020)
Our College history is rich and demonstrates our unwavering commitment to maximise our students’ learning growth.
