Perth Mod Since 2005
Perth Modern School
Perth Modern School’s history dates back to 1909 when building commenced on its current site to cater for the academically gifted children of Perth who may not have had a secondary education without it. The first intake of students was in 1911.
The School would become synonymous with producing some of Australia’s most well-known individuals including Prime Minister Bob Hawke, Economist Ross Garnaut, Lawyer and Feminist Margaret Battye, QC and WA Governor Malcolm McCusker, Building magnate Len Buckeridge, Business woman and philanthropist Janet Holmes à Court, plus many more.
Here we present the school’s history in detail since 2005, when the school was once again repurposed to cater for academically gifted children from throughout Western Australia.
The Gallop State Government announces from 2007 Perth Modern School will become WA’s only academically selective secondary school.
Extract - From the Principal (Perth Modern School Newsletter), March 2005: As well as providing $17 million for the upgrade of the site, Year 8 students entering the school from 2007 will undergo a selection process so that by 2011 (our centenary) the school will be re-furbished and totally selective in enrolment.
European Music Tour to England (ANZAC DAY), France (ANZAC DAY) and Italy.
Building of new Arts and Technology precinct, library, reception area and lecture theatre commences to provide upgraded facilities for the new intake of academically selected students the following year.
Inaugural year of the annual Pin Ceremony to welcome the new intake of students for the following year.
Last year of the Intensive English Centre at Perth Modern and it moves to Greenwood SHS.
Associate Principal Val Furphy was the first appointee to the new Gifted and Talented School.
Announcement by State Government to build new stadium in adjacent Kitchener Park.
First intake of new academically-selected students into Years 8, 9, 10 and 11 at Perth Modern School.
City Beach Residential College opens to provide boarding facilities for students from the regions.
European Music Tour of Perth Modern School students to Italy, Hungary and France.
The first Sphinx Foundation Scholarships to prospective students awarded by the Perth Modernian Society.
Renovation of Science Labs at Perth Modern School commence.
Michael Taran achieves WACE Beazley Medal.
West Australian Certificate of Education (WACE): Perth Modern achieves a total of 36 WACE awards.
New Liberal government announce the new stadium will be in Burswood, not Kitchener Park. Perth Modern School celebrated its Centenary with a year-long calendar of events. Lois Joll is appointed Principal. Ms Joll was merit-selected for the position after extensive experience in senior roles in the public and private systems. As Director of Secondary Education at the Department of Education with oversight of gifted education she proposed and led the repurposing of Perth Modern School from a comprehensive to a selective academic school. Graduation of first cohort of academic selective entry students. Prime Minister Julia Gillard visits Perth Modern. Sixteen members of the Schola Cantori perform at CHOGM. European Music Tour to Hungary, England (ANZAC DAY), Belgium and France. First cohort of academically selective students to graduate since repurposing of the school. WACE: First place for government schools on the academic league table, one student achieves a 99.95 ATAR, a total of 91 WACE awards achieved including three Subject exhibitions.
Launch of the ‘Building the Dream’ campaign for a new gymnasium at Perth Modern School. International tours to France, China and Japan. WACE awards: First place on the academic league table for government schools, three students achieve a 99.95 ATAR, seven General Exhibitions and five Subject Exhibitions achieved.
Former Prime Minister Bob Hawke AC visits Perth Modern School. International tours to the USA (NASA), Nepal, Italy and Greece/Italy. WACE awards: State’s highest median ATAR with 95.4, one student achieves a 99.95 ATAR, a total of 89 awards including six General exhibitions and four Subject exhibitions.
2014 marked 100 years of the Sphinx Magazine, to be celebrated by the History Centre Inaugural Modernian Fellow Awards which were announced by the Perth Modernian Society. European Music Tour to Hungary, the Czech Republic, Austria, Belgium and France. International Tours to China and Japan. Jamin Wu achieves WACE Beazley Medal. WACE Awards: six General exhibitions and eight Subject Exhibitions achieved.
Tyler McCusker Sports Centre opens at Perth Modern School. International tours to the USA (NASA) and Italy. Hui Min Tay achieves WACE Beazley Medal. WACE awards: first place on academic league table, six students achieve a 99.95 ATAR, a total of 79 WACE awards achieved including nine General Exhibitions and seven Subject exhibitions.
Launch of the ‘Raise the Roof’ campaign for a new 700-seat multipurpose auditorium at Perth Modern School. International tours to China, Cambodia, Mongolia, Japan and Italy/Greece. Caitlin Revell achieves WACE Beazley Medal. Patrick Olofsson awarded Rob Riley Memorial Prize as highest achieving indigenous student in WA. WACE awards: first place on academic league table, three students achieve a 99.95 ATAR, nine General exhibitions and five Subject exhibitions and a total of 205 awards achieved.
W.A. Labor announce they will move Perth Modern School into a high-rise building in the CBD if they win the upcoming State election in March. After appeals from members of the Perth Modern School community this decision is reversed. In June, ending months of speculation, the new State Labor Government announce that an inner-city college will be built on 1.73ha at Kitchener Park. Perth Modern School to remain the only academically selective school in Western Australia. European Music Tour to Italy, Austria, Solvakia and Hungary. International Tours to China, Cambodia, Mongolia, Japan and Italy/Greece. WACE Awards: First place on the academic league table, six students achieve a 99.95 ATAR, State record of 13 General Exhibitions and seven Subject Exhibitions.
Perth Modern School celebrates 50 years of Specialist Music. International tours to China, Japan, Cambodia, France, Mongolia and USA (NASA). Pooja Ramesh achieves WACE Beazley Medal. Claudia Walton-McDermott awarded Rob Riley Memorial Prize as highest achieving indigenous student in WA. WACE awards: First on the academic league table, breaking state record for median ATAR with 97, five students achieve a 99.95 ATAR, 17 General exhibitions and nine Subject exhibitions achieved.
New 700-seat multipurpose auditorium project at Perth Modern School gets approval to go to tender. European Music Tour to Italy and France. International tours to Cambodia, Greece/Italy, Italy and India. Maya Stasiuk awarded Rob Riley Memorial Prize as highest achieving Indigenous student in WA. WACE awards: First on the academic league table, four students achieve a 99.95 ATAR, 16 General exhibitions, seven Subject exhibitions and a total of 252 awards. Breaks state record with 67 students achieving an ATAR of 99+.
Names for the multipurpose auditorium were chosen by key donors with Cyril Tyler, Sir Paul Hasluck, Violet Gill and Jerry Haire being honoured. Honour Boards featuring alumni who had served in WWI and WW2 were updated with additional names previously omitted. A digital Honour Board for WW1 and WW2 was created and added to the school website. Grease was performed as the whole school musical. New Senior School uniform items introduced. There were no international or national tours due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however school camps and tours to Ningaloo and the South-West took place. NAPLAN was cancelled due to the pandemic. WACE: Students achieved a State record of 72 achieving an ATAR of 99+, Perth Modern was the number ranked school in the State for the WACE, achieving a median ATAR of 97.55. Twenty-one students achieved a General Exhibition and six Subject exhibitions were achieved.
The Cyril Tyler Auditorium opens in September with a large scale concert and festivities and is the venue for the Presentation Ceremony in November. The Irene Froyland Future Learning Centre opens. There were no international or national tours due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however school camps and tours to Rottnest, Ningaloo and the South-West took place. Two students were selected for International Science Olympiad teams. Perth Modern School was again first on the academic table for the ATAR rankings. Lawrence Nheu achieved the Beazley medal: WACE, five students achieved a perfect ATAR of 99.95, 65 students achieved an ATAR of 99+, 12 General Exhibitions were awarded along with eight Subject Exhibitions.
Mitchell Mackay is appointed Principal. Whole school production of Legally Blonde is performed in the Cyril Tyler Auditorium, which breaks Perth Modern ticket sales. The Class of 2022 achieves incredible results in the WACE with seven perfect ATARs of 99.95, 77 ATARS above 99, 17 General Exhibitions and five Subject Exhibitions. Perth Modern School topped the State in performance in an incredible 26 subject areas with The West Australian newspaper declaring the school the best school in the WACE. The Beasley: WACE medal for top student in the State was awarded to Jessica Doan.
Perth Modern School holds an inaugural Harmony Concert as part of Harmony Week. Student Benedict Widjaja participates in the Centenary Portrait project, painting a portrait of Modernian Gordon Ewers who is 107 years old. Rishita Sarkar in Year 12 goes on the Premier’s Anzac Tour to Sydney and New Zealand. A Year 10 team from Mod wins the Da Vinci Decathlon. Bronwyn Rasmussen is appointed the Perth Modern School Board Chair. The Perth Modern School Museum Association publishes the book ‘Music at Mod’ about the school’s specialist music program. In the WACE, four students achieved a perfect ATAR of 99.95, 66 students achieved an ATAR of 99 plus, 14 students achieved a General Exhibition, 41 students achieved a Subject Certificate of Excellence and 114 students were awarded a Certificate of Distinction. Subject Exhibitions were awarded in Economics, Human Biology, Mathematics Specialist, Philosophy and Ethics and Visual Arts.