School on a high

By Jade Lawton
SOME 200 Year 9 students attended their first day at Nossal High School in Berwick.
The select-entry secondary college welcomed foundation students from suburbs across Melbourne, with some travelling from as far as Epping and Braybrook, on Monday 1 February.
Principal Roger Page said some families even relocated to Casey so that their child could attend the school, which joins the prestigious Melbourne High School and MacRobertson Girls High School as the state’s third select-entry college.
Students and staff are currently working out of the Monash University campus as work on the school buildings, next door to the university on the old Casey airfield, was delayed.
Mr Page said the students would be in their new classrooms in March but until then were enjoying the university campus.
“It’s already quite pleasant here, and we have the run of the place because the university students aren’t back yet,” he said.
Nossal has started with the full Year 9 curriculum, which includes philosophy, architecture and advanced maths as electives.
“It is a bit different to what you get in mainstream schools. It is an academically selective cohort of students and many of them have shown interest in taking up things like advanced maths,” Mr Page said.
Australian research biologist Sir Gustav Nossal, the school’s namesake, will visit the school on 16 February for a foundation ceremony.