THE school began as a higher elementary school in 1913 and was proclaimed as a high school in 1919. The technical component was added in 1973 from which time the school has been known as Kerang Technical High School (KTHS).
Principal Dean Rogers said the name, KTHS, says it all.
“Being the last so-named school in the state of Victoria, we have retained the name because it best represents what we offer students,” he said.
“As a technical high school, we are able to successfully offer both an academic pathway for students leading to university and a trade pathway leading to an apprenticeship.”
Mr Rogers said English, maths, science and the humanities have always featured strongly at KTHS and the VCE results were testimony to this, with duxes from KTHS consistently receiving an ATAR in the 90s.
“The technical wing has been a strong feature of KTHS. It caters for students in woodwork, automotive, agriculture, engineering, welding, metalwork and hospitality.
“The facilities, the enthusiastic tech staff and the pathway offered by the technical wing have ensured that it is an important component of the school and community.
“More recently, the school has undergone a refurbishment plan with both the red brick building and the library being upgraded to better reflect the learning needs of the students at KTHS.”
A new purpose-built food technology wing was also added to cater for hospitality.
“We are proud of this dual pathway and the results we have been able to achieve,” Mr Rogers.
“Our school is committed to an education that provides a learning experience that enables every child to achieve success within the framework of adhering to the values of respect, resilience and responsibility.
“This is a journey we have embarked on after extensive consultation with the students, parents, staff and the wider community to engage students in their learning.
“More recently we have begun to implement a school-wide positive program to collaboratively develop the school values within the school community.”
Mr Rogers said many opportunities are provided for students to develop their leadership skills. There are school captains, vice captains, house captains and student representatives on the school council.
“One of the most important opportunities is participation in the student voice team. Here students have the opportunity to influence the events, activities and wellbeing of the school community while learning about how to conduct a meeting,” he said.
“They regularly meet and provide suggestions to improve the school. The most recent was a visit to another school to see how they display their values.
“KTHS has a proud reputation of providing a rich co-curriculum program which caters for the most students in the school.
“There is a high participation rate by students and the programs have been strongly supported by parents.
“Every effort is made to implement programs/events which cater for individual needs.”
These include pathways to VET and VCAL, the Alpine school, middle school trips, Year 7 transition camp, instrumental music, Year 10 work experience, Great Victorian Bike Ride, urban camps and the Feathertop hike.
Since 2007, KTHS has partnered with the Rotary Club of Kerang to offer an alternative to the end of Year 12 schoolies week, with a community aid program to Cambodia.
“KTHS is always welcoming, and we are keen to show off what we have to offer,” Mr Rogers added.
The best way to find out about our school is to visit. Appointments for a tour can be made at any time by contacting the office on 5452 1062.
The KTHS Facebook page is also another great way to get a sense of all the “wonderful things we have to offer”.
