From the Archives

From the Archives – A Whole School in One Photograph! 

Capturing a whole school photograph has always been a challenge, particularly at a school the size of Northcote High School. Bringing hundreds of students and staff together, arranging everyone in position and ensuring they are all looking towards the camera is no small undertaking! 

As part of our Centenary celebrations, we have been revisiting two remarkable photographs from the school's earliest years, both of which capture the entire school community. 

The first was taken in 1926, the year Northcote High School opened, providing a wonderful record of the school's original cohort of students and staff. The second dates from 1929, when the school's Main Building was officially opened, marking another significant milestone in our early history. 

These photographs offer a fascinating glimpse into the school's beginnings, capturing not only the students and staff of the time but also the growth and development of Northcote High School during its first few years. Today, they provide an invaluable record of the people who formed our earliest school community. 

As we celebrate 100 years of Northcote High School, these images remind us that every generation of students and staff has contributed to the school's story. While organising a whole school photograph today, with approximately 1,500 students, presents a very different logistical challenge, the idea remains just as meaningful. 

And so, 100 years on, we have created a whole school photograph of our own! 

This term, students and their Connect teachers came together to form the numbers 100, creating a special photograph to mark our Centenary. Coordinating approximately 1,500 students was quite an undertaking, particularly finding a time when everyone could be on the school park. The photograph was captured across two days, using a drone to bring everyone together in one remarkable image. 

The photograph will feature in our Centenary edition of Ripples, a special publication celebrating the 100-year history of Northcote High School in a format inspired by our much-loved annual school magazine. 

We hope you enjoy finding yourself, your friends or your child in the photograph. Just as the photographs from 1926 and 1929 have become treasured records of our school's early years, we hope that this image will hold a special place in our history for generations to come. 

Northcote High School's first whole school photograph, 1926. 

The whole school community photographed in 1929, the year the Main Building opened.