St Clare’s Catholic College, Taree celebrated a remarkable milestone last week, marking 100 years of education in the Manning Valley with a day full of fun, memories and community spirit.
The College’s story began in 1926 as St Joseph’s High School, when the Sisters made the courageous decision to extend education to secondary level in response to the needs of local families and young people.
From those beginnings, the school has grown and evolved into the St Clare’s community we know today, shaped by generations of students, staff and families and a century-long tradition of faith and learning.
Students and staff embraced the occasion by dressing as 100-year-olds before helping bury a time capsule packed with school uniforms, a list of students and staff, and a map of the school grounds that will be opened in 2076.
Year 11 student Addison Hogan says they spent weeks building the time capsule, painting the tube and making fun videos to put inside it.
The celebrations also highlighted the school’s rich history through the story of teacher and former student Phillip Carney, whose grandfather was one of the first St Clare’s students. After attending the school himself, he came back to teach in 1995.
Mr Carney talked about what has changed over the years. “Obviously the size of the school, we’ve doubled and at one stage almost tripled the population that was here when I was a kid. The opportunities, there’s vast opportunities for the kids,” he said.
