# Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar School

Strathcona Girls Grammar School is an independent, Baptist, day school for girls, located in Canterbury, an inner-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Established in 1924 by Florence Livingstone and Henrietta Hughes, the school currently caters for approximately 800 students from Preparatory to Year 12 over three campuses. Year nine girls attend Tay Creggan, an historic building on the Yarra River in Hawthorn. Years 7 to 8 and 10 to 12 are located in Canterbury, and the primary school is located in a newly renovated purpose-built premises in close proximity to the Main Campus in Canterbury.
The school is affiliated with the Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA), the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), the Association of Independent Schools of Victoria (AISV), the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia (AGSA), and is a founding member of Girls Sport Victoria (GSV).

## History

Strathcona was established in 1924 by its founding principals, Florence Livingstone and Henrietta Hughes, with a small number of pupils, both boys and girls.
In 1942 the school was purchased by the Baptist Union for the purpose of establishing a Baptist school for girls, and the school was renamed Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar School.
Ms Featherstone commenced as headmistress in 1943, serving the school for 10 years. Enrolments increased rapidly and despite strict building restrictions after the Second World War, facilities were expanded providing for up to 200 girls.
In November 1969 Strathcona purchased the historical building 'Tay Creggan' and it is now the Year 9 campus, located in Hawthorn on the banks of the Yarra River. Built in 1893 in the Queen Anne style as a family home, it became an important and fashionable part of Hawthorn social life. It was designed by architect Guyon Purchas for his own use. He was later forced to declare bankruptcy and sell the house.

## Principals

There have been a total of nine principals (formerly headmistresses) of Strathcona since the school was established in 1924. Note, between 1924 and 1941 there were two headmistresses at the same time who were the co-founders of the school.
| Years served | Name |
| 1924–1941 | Henrietta Hughes & Florence Livingstone |
| 1941–1942 | Bessie Sweetland |
| 1943–1953 | Dora Featherstone |
| 1954–1956 | Helen Smith |
| 1957–1972 | John Morley |
| 1973–1989 | Ken Lyall |
| 1990–2000 | Ruth Bunyan |
| 2001–2014 | Helen Hughes |
| 2015–2023 | Marise McConaghy |
| 2024–Present | Lorna Beegan |

## Curriculum

Strathcona Baptist Girls’ Grammar School offers the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) for their Year 11 and 12 students.
| Year | Rank | Median study score | Scores of 40+ (%) | Cohort size |
| 2012 | 9 | 37 | 32.9 | 148 |
| 2013 | 12 | 36 | 30.3 | 142 |
| 2014 | 20 | 36 | 23.5 | 168 |
| 2015 | 23 | 36 | 21.5 | 174 |
| 2016 | 18 | 36 | 25.8 | 165 |
| 2017 | 19 | 36 | 25.8 | 163 |
| 2018 | 22 | 35 | 24.6 | 159 |
| 2019 | 15 | 36 | 27.9 | 154 |
| 2020 | 9 | 36 | 28.2 | 154 |
| 2021 | 25 | 35 | 20.5 | 166 |
| 2022 | 15 | 36 | 25.1 | 171 |

## Sport

Strathcona is a member of Girls Sport Victoria (GSV).

### GSV premierships

Strathcona has won the following GSV premiership.
* Tennis – 2004

## Notable alumnae

Alumnae of Strathcona are known as Old Strathconians and are part of the school's alumni association, the Old Strathconians' Association (OSA). Some notable Old Strathconians include:
* Jill Baker – Publisher and former newspaper editor
* Pamela Gutman – Burmese art historian, member of the Refugee Review Tribunal; deputy director of the Research Institute for Asia and the Pacific at the University of Sydney; Senior Advisor for the Foreign Affairs Department
* Margaret Anne Jackson – professor and Director, Law Discipline, School of Accounting and Law, RMIT Business, RMIT University
* Regan Lamble – Australian representative to the 2012 Olympics in Athletics and selected for the 2016 Rio Olympic Team for the 20 km Race Walk.
* Norma Redpath OBE – Sculptor
* Prudence Anne Sibree – Parliamentarian and Solicitor; Member for Kew in the Legislative Assembly in the Victorian Parliament from 1981 to 1988.
* Jo Stanley – TV and Radio personality
* Jess Wilson – Current state MP for the Kew District