Figtree High School

Figtree High School is a comprehensive public high school located on Gibsons Road in Figtree, a suburb of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.HistoryFigtree High School was established in 1969, with 242 First Form students enrolling as the first students to attend. The first principal of the school was Ken Brokenshire, with Robert Everitt, the Deputy Principal and nine assistant teachers. Because construction of the school was not finished at the time, students and teachers borrowed furniture from Dapto High School and attended classes in seven portable buildings in the grounds of Dapto High School. Construction finally finished in July 1969, being announced "Australia's most modern high school" by the local newspaper, and students re-located back to their new building in Gibsons Road. Of the original 242 students enrolled in 1969, 87 elected to enter the Senior School and completed their Higher School Certificate in 1974.The school was built in close proximity to the famous, historic Figtree that the suburb was named after, and this tree was adopted as the school emblem. But in 1987, after a significant storm, the tree was terminally damaged and was removed as a safety precaution. Students referred to the school as 'Figstump High' for this time. After much discussion, a new fig tree was planted on the site of the original tree in 1997.EnrolmentCurrently there are approximately 1100 students in the school.StaffThe current principal of Figtree High School is Karen Burke, with the current two Deputy Principals being Trish Morgan and Jo Clifford. There are 52 classroom teachers and a total of approximately 100 staff members including behaviour teachers, physical disability teachers and school assistants.