Our Lady of Mercy College, Australind

Early history and origins The Sisters of Mercy opened St Joseph's School in 1883. The Marist Brothers founded St Francis Xavier's College as a boys' school for the Bunbury region in 1954. By the end of 1972, the enrolment had risen from 84 to 290. In 1955, Sacred Heart High School (opened 1899) merged with St Joseph's. In 1973 the Bishop of Bunbury, Myles McKeon, ordered the amalgamation of St Francis Xavier College (Marist Brothers) and St Joseph’s School (Mercy Sisters). The amalgamation of the two schools formed Bunbury Catholic College. As a second campus to BCC Our Lady of Mercy College was originally constructed as a second campus for Bunbury Catholic College to “alleviate the enrolment pressures [on BCC] but also [to] open up more enrolment places for students in [the Australind area]”. It was referred to as the Mercy Campus (with the original campus being known as the Marist Campus) and opened in 2015, catering for Years 7 through 9. On 5 July 2019, Rob Crothers was announced as the new principal of the school as Denise O'Meara retired from the role after 12 years. Crothers had previously been principal of Nagle Catholic College since 2014. As an independent school Signage around the campus was replaced in the week following the conclusion of lower-school classes in December 2019. The College became officially independent on 1 January 2020. The first classes as an independent school were held on 3 February 2020 for Years 7 and 12, with the first Year 8–11 classes held the following day. The school directed parents to keep their children at home beginning 27 March due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The College reopened for Year 11 and 12 students on 29 April, and in a limited capacity for students in other years. It resumed full operation on 8 May. == Campus ==

The OLMC campus is constructed on former farmland close to the suburb of Kingston. At the completion of Stage Two of the construction process, the campus consists of: • Catherine McAuley building (Stage One): consisting of general purpose classrooms, the CM building also provides the facilities for upper-school exams. • Ursula Frayne Learning Commons (Stage One): the UF building contains the College administration and library. • Champagnat Technology Centre (Stage One): formerly referred to as simply the Technology and Enterprise building, the CT centre provides industry-standard facilities for hospitality, trades, and computer-aided design. • Angela Costello building (Stage Two): the AC centre houses the bulk of student classes and consist entirely of general purpose classrooms. • Placida Hayes Science Centre (Stage Two): currently the newest building on campus, the PH Centre provides six specialised laboratories for chemistry, biology, and physics. The College currently expects work on the gymnasium (to be linked with the Read faction) to begin in late May or early June. Aside from the main buildings, the College also provides an AFL oval, soccer pitch, basketball/netball and volleyball courts. In 2017, the College also acquired the neighbouring block of land, previously Geographe Grammar School (a non-denominational Christian primary school) which had closed at the end of 2015 due to low enrolments. It is referred to as the Mercy Centre (alternatively as Mercy 101 for its street address) The Stage One design won the 2015 Think Brick Horbury Hunt Commercial Award and was also awarded a Commendation in Educational Architecture at the 2016 and 2017 WA Architecture Awards. == College activity ==

Academic OLMC offers courses in the general, VET, and ATAR frameworks, allowing students to achieve a WACE. In 2020 the school was ranked 27th in Western Australia with a median ATAR of 85.20, the highest of any regional school. Arts OLMC has notably performed several biannual musical productions in conjunction with BCC. Productions are performed at the Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre. Sports OLMC holds an annual cross country event and school sports carnival. The school is a member of Associated & Catholic Colleges of Western Australia. and the vehicles were prepared at the OLMC campus prior to each event. Extracurricular activities The College participates in the annual Western Australian Debating League regional competition, and were 2016 Junior Champions and 2018 and 2019 Junior Runner-ups. OLMC is the equal most-successful school in the South West Philosothon, with three consecutive team wins. == Publications ==

Current Mercy Snapshot The Mercy Snapshot fills the role of the former newsletter, containing announcements regarding the College. Issue 1 was published on 13 May 2020. Mercy Stories focuses on college life and events, describing itself as a "students' voice". Former Newsletter The College newsletter was a fortnightly publication containing notable news and announcements regarding the school. It was replaced by the Mercy Snapshot and the Mercy Stories service on 13 May 2020, after only four editions. The Daily Bulletin The College produced The Daily Bulletin, a daily notice paper which contained announcements regarding College activities, student groups and services, and notices from staff. It ran from the school's inception in 2015 as a BCC campus until 20 February 2020. From 2015 to 2019 the Bulletin was produced in collaboration with BCC and contained both campuses' notices, until it was split in 2020 to two different publications. Publication of the OLMC Bulletin ran for only 18 days with 14 editions. == Houses ==

Houses at OLMC are linked to specific buildings, which share the house’s colour. • Students who commenced in 2019 or earlier were assigned to Bunbury Catholic College houses, and were transitioned to OLMC houses in 2020. == Principals ==

Name The name of the college was open to suggestions from the community. Parents, students, and staff were then encouraged to vote on the potential names with the 10 most popular put to Bishop Gerard Holohan for the final decision, which was announced on 22 May 2019. Motto The College’s motto was decided upon by the inaugural principal, Rob Crothers. It is intended to outline the values of the College. Colours The College colours were chosen by the Parents & Friends association and staff. Navy "is the colour of the largest [strand] and the Mercy cross" representing the centrality of the College's faith and the unity it inspires. Light blue "symbolises understanding and compassion", and green represents "nature and growth" while linking the College to the local landscape. == See also ==