St Francis de Sales College

For other uses, see Francis de Sales (disambiguation).

St Francis de Sales College
Location
Mount Barker, South Australia Australia
Information
Type	Independent/Catholic
Motto	"Wisdom; God's Gift, Our Endeavour"
Established	1999
Principal	Mrs. Pam Ronan
Enrolment	1000+
Campus	Reception - Year 12
Colour(s)	Bottle Green, Navy Blue & Wattle Yellow
Website	stfrancis.adl.catholic.edu.au

St Francis de Sales College is a Catholic co-educational school in Mount Barker, South Australia. It teaches students from Reception until Year 12.

History

Founded in 1902 by the Sisters Of Mercy under the name of St. Scholastica as convent and day school. In 1959 the school expanded into a new building separate from the convent, The Dell. The sisters Of Mercy withdrew from teaching in Mount Barker in 1977, but the primary school continued to expand. The Mount Barker Parish School changed its name in 1986 to St Francis De Sales School. In 1997 a successful application was made for the primary school to expand into an R-12 College.; it opened in 1999 with 212 students. The first year 12s graduated in 2004.

The Ralston Building was built, and portable classrooms added. St Francis De Sales College educates students from all over the Adelaide Hills, including from Birdwood, Stirling, Meadows, Strathalbyn, Lobethal, Nairne, Callington, Monarto and Littlehampton; students also Murray Bridge and other towns in the Murraylands area.

The college's original houses were Sturt (blue), Flinders (green) and Barker (red); after the number of students increased, in 2007 four new houses were adopted. Savoy (blue), Geneva (red), Padua (green) and Lyon (yellow). These houses are named after important places in the life of the college's patron saint Francis de Sales: where he was born, studied, was a bishop and where he died.

House system

House		Coat of Arms	Description
	Lyon	Lion	Named after the city in France where Saint Francis de Sales died on 28 December 1622 Colour: Yellow.
	Geneva	Mitre	Named after the city where Saint Francis de Sales was Bishop, Doctor of the Universal Church. Colour: Red.
	Padua	Book	Saint Francis de Sales studied Law here in 1588 Colour: Green.
	Savoy	Crown	Named after the City that Saint Francis de Sales was born in on 21 August 1567 Colour: Blue.

Alumni

• Danielle Catanzariti, actress
• Jesse Budel, composer