This year Beaconhills College celebrates 40 years of education in Pakenham.
Many thousands of students have completed their education at the College, which first opened in Toomuc Valley Road, Pakenham in 1982.
A second campus at Kangan Drive, Berwick, opened in 2003.
The College grew from humble beginnings, starting in 1982 with just 34 students and five staff, led by founding principal Frank Millett.
The idea of a local, independent, Christian school came from a group of parishioners at St John’s Anglican Church, Upper Beaconsfield in 1980.
By March 1981 a steering committee was formed, with John McConchie appointed as chairman.
As the local community grew, so did the college.
By 1988, it had 388 students and 30 teachers, blossoming to more than 1000 students a decade later.
Little Beacons Learning Centre was established on a separate site in 2007, moving onto the Pakenham campus in 2013.
2003 marked the realisation of the College’s vision to become a multicampus school, with the opening of the Berwick campus. By then, there were 190 staff and 1636 students across both campuses.
As the college’s international program flourished, in 2019 a modern new boarding residence next to the Pakenham campus opened.
Beaconhills is currently the only school in the Casey and Cardinia region offering boarding.
In 2020, a second Little Beacons Learning Centre opened on the Berwick campus, making both campuses Early Years to Year 12. Today the college has more than 3000 students.
Former student and now staff member Danielle Negri said she was eternally grateful to her parents for choosing Beaconhills for her education. Ms Negri now teaches in middle school and has two young sons in Early Learning at Little Beacons.
“I completed VCE in 2003 at the Pakenham campus and as it turns out that was not the end of my journey at the school. I later returned in 2008 as a nervous and excited graduate teacher at the Berwick campus,” Ms Negri said.
“I loved my time as a student. The opportunities provided to me were countless; from the academic experiences to the Year 9 program, debating, Duke of Edinburgh Award and of course, the ensembles, Rock Eisteddfods and productions in the performing arts faculty which are still some of my fondest memories.”
She said these opportunities – and more – established lifelong friendships.
“I also know attending as a student has had such a profound impact on the type of teacher I want to be. If I can contribute to students even having a fraction of the joy I felt attending school each day, I know I have made a big difference.”
The celebrations come as Beaconhills College this year welcomes new executive principal Stephen McGinley, who was formerly the college’s deputy headmaster and head of education.
Mr McGinley said Beaconhills College had truly “come of age”, becoming a thriving community college offering outstanding holistic education based on the six pillars of Learning That Matters.
“Each of the pillars form the foundation of our holistic education. They represent what we believe matters for our students, for their future,“ he said.
“Through our Learning That Matters, our aspirations for Beaconhills children are for them to grow to become lifelong learners.
“We know this will set them on a pathway of constant growth and opportunity beyond school – and it’s an aspiration which, as a community, we can all share for our students.”
An Open Day from 10am to 2pm on Saturday 30 April will form part of the college’s 40th celebrations.
Beaconhills is also inviting any of the thousands of former students from the past four decades to join a special ‘Rediscover Beaconhills’ alumni tour of the school on Open Day.
Open Day at both the Pakenham and Berwick campuses will feature student-led tours, displays and demonstrations.
