Principals Message

Next week is Public Education Week with this year’s theme: "Proud to belong".

There is a long and proud history of public education in Narrandera with the first school opened in 1873. This was less than 20 years after the first public school in New South Wales was opened – The Kempsey National School in 1851. The first school to open in the Riverina was in Wagga Wagga in 1861. 

There were a number of schools (secondary and primary) which changed names and locations in Narrandera with the current Narrandera High School site opening in 1962. 

Fast-forward to today, more than 2,200 public schools are now operating across the state providing quality education for more than 785 000 students. 

In the last school holidays, I was working at school preparing for Term 3 and a family came into school. They were looking at the honour boards in the foyer through the window. I went out and spoke to the family who were past students of Narrandera High School. Cathy Cox was School Captain in 1987 and her mother, Janice Cox (nee Gillespie) who was with her was School Captain in 1955. The family were able to point out other members of their family on the Dux boards and reminisce about the sporting houses (apparently Uroly never won anything while they were at school). The family took photos with the Honour Boards and spoke with fondness of their time at Narrandera High School. The families no longer live in Narrandera and enjoyed their time looking around at how some parts of the school are the same and how some have changed. 

In my time in Narrandera, I have met numerous people who are former students of Narrandera High School – from my optometrist to staff at my previous school. All of these people talk of Narrandera High School with fondness and tell me such positive stories of their experiences with their friends and teachers. I am proud of the quality educational and social experiences that students have at Narrandera High School and of how these experiences shape them in their lives after school. 

During Education Week, I want to acknowledge the role of the staff (teaching and non teaching), parents and carers and the P&C have in ensuring that all students at Narrandera High School have the wide ranging opportunities to be happy and productive members of the Narrandera community. All members of the school community play an important role in our students education. 

Tania Maddison

Principal