Long history
The Geelong Lutheran College community is excitedly preparing to celebrate a significant 60-year milestone for its St John’s Newtown campus.
“Lutheran education has a proud history in the Geelong region, first beginning in the 1850’s,” GLC Head of College Jill Lange-Mohr said.
“The original school was in Germantown, an area that we currently know as Grovedale.
“After a period in which the Lutheran school went into recess, it was rekindled in 1962 with the opening of Geelong Lutheran School at its current site.”
The school community currently sits at 297 students but, following the implementation of the masterplan, will progress to a double-streamed school of 350 students.
It was out of the success of St John’s Newtown that members of the Lutheran Church decided to develop a P-12 campus at Armstrong Creek, a facility that 13 years on accommodates more than 800 students.
“It’s really gratifying to know that St John’s Newtown is such a loved and respected part of Geelong’s educational landscape,” Ms Lange-Mohr said.
“We move forward, confident in the knowledge that it’s a wonderful school community that provides outstanding primary education.”
An important part of the changes occurring at St John’s Newtown has been the demolition of the adjacent flats and the development of the new classrooms. The facility will cater for two new learning spaces and a focus room. The classrooms are very spacious and include a glass-operable wall. Landscaping, outdoor seating and play spaces will also be established.
Another significant development at St John’s Newtown is the construction of the new undercover basketball court, stage area, playground and play space. The students’ Christmas holiday period actually proved to be a time of accelerated construction, meaning the school population was able to return to fabulous new facilities. Our pictures show the space at the rear of the Newtown school under construction. The undercover facility will prove a highly valuable resource, particularly when whole-school events might otherwise be impacted by inclement weather.
The College community feels very blessed to have two significant construction projects happening at this time in the history of the school, as 60th anniversary celebrations begin.
Wes Cusworth
Marketing/Community Relations
