St. Aloysius' College has probably one of the best locations for any elementary or high school in the world. Located in Kiribilli/Milson's Point, the school is located by the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Two main campuses constitute the school. One is for junior school (grades 3-6), the other is for the senior school (grades 7-12).
From certain vantage points in the school, you can see the entire bay with global iconic structures such as the Sydney Opera House, the Center Pointe Tower, and of course the Sydney Harbour bridge. When viewed from Circular Quay, you can see a giant white cross on the side of the building.
Like many of Sydney's private schools, the school has a long and rich history. All students wear two types of uniforms. A summer semester uniform and a winter semester uniform.
The school is an all boys Jesuit day school. The Jesuit educational philosophy is to develop all aspects of a student versus specifically focusing on mere academics. Many students are well rounded with good academics and heavy involvement in extracurriculars such as sports or volunteer services.
The school is generous with providing financial assistance or scholarships to its students. In terms of demographics, the school has many students of various ethnic and socio-economic background. This enables students to learn and understand that each student is valuable despite his personal differences.
The school's motto is Ad Majora Natus, which is Latin for "Born for greater things." The expectation for the students is that they will contribute to society in ways greater than they expected.
The school has a beautiful chapel with beautiful stained glass windows. The main images of the stained glass windows include Jesus Christ and St. Aloysius Gonzaga, the namesake of the school. Surrounding him are the four main Saints that constitute the institutions' houses. For non-Australians or British, the houses are similar to that of the houses in Harry Potter. The houses are Owen House (Green), Southwell House (Blue), Campion House (Red) and Olgivie House (Yellow). They are named after St. Nicholas Owen, St. Robert Southwell, St. Edmund Campion, and St. John Olgivie. All were Roman Catholic Jesuits executed by Protestants for their faith.
The statue of St. Aloysius Gonzaga was moved from the corner of the senior school and place into the center of the senior school campus. The statue is painted in white and the sword of St. Aloysius was broken off years ago. It's funny that it was never repaired.
The school is walking distance, unfortunately uphill, to the Milson's Point train station. If you go north, you can go to North Sydney, if you go south, you will go into the Central Business District and across the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Close by to the school is a great fish and chips shop. Your fish and chips will be freshly cooked and wrapped in newspaper (old school style). Don't forget to add chicken salt or vinegar to your order for a delicious kick to it. Once you get your order, spend some time eating it under the Sydney Harbour Bridge at Bradley Park. read more