Vaucluse College
Vaucluse College FCJ in Richmond, Victoria, Australia was founded in 1882 by the Faithful Companions of Jesus. The school was originally known as Mount St Joseph College and later was changed to Vaucluse College FCJ.
The main buildings of the college including the convent were designed by the architect GW Vanheems and constructed in stages between 1897 and 1904 to supplement the 'Eurolie' building already on site. These buildings, including the small gatehouse are listed as being of historical significance to the Richmond Hill area by the Heritage Council of Victoria. At various times, the college consisted of a junior school, a senior school which offered matriculation and accommodation for boarders. The school officially closed on 8 December 2000 due to changing demographics in the inner-city Melbourne region.
The Vaucluse site is currently used as the Waterford campus for St Kevin's College.
House system
The students of Vaucluse College were divided into four houses that competed against each other in three areas: Athletics, Swimming and Performing Arts.These houses were named:
- Byrne
- Daly
- D'Houet : in honour of Marie-Madeleine d'Houët, Foundress of FCJ Sisters
- Lardner
Curriculum
Vaucluse College provided secondary education for girls between Years 7-12 including VCE. The teaching was primarily performed by a mixed sex staff supplemented by a small number of Sisters from the FCJ convent on campus.Students at the college benefited from a very broad curriculum that covered five main fields of study: Science, Arts, Humanities, Business and Sport.
Within these streams the following subjects were taught at a senior level:
- Science: Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics.
- Arts: Drama, Music, Art.
- Humanities: English, English Literature, Social Studies, Religious Education, French and Italian.
- Business: Economics, Legal Studies, Accounting and Computing.
- Sport: Physical Education and Health.