History
Wahroonga Adventist School began in a room at the rear of the Sydney Adventist Hospital in 1905. It was established to meet the needs of children whose parents worked at the hospital. By the end of that year, the hospital room was no longer available and land was found for a small timber building to be erected behind the present shop on Fox Valley Road. American teacher, Lucille Sisley, was the first teacher and by 1907 there were seven pupils aged from six to fourteen. Numbers increased to twenty by 1910. There was no pedestrian crossing and only the occasional sound of horses and sulkies passing by the classroom could be heard. Children were taught basic subjects.
THE SCHOOL MOVES
By March 1922, the school had increased to 44 pupils and it was noted in school minutes of the day that it was “well-nigh impossible to run a successful school under the present conditions”. It was therefore voted and passed by the church members that “a suitable building be erected without delay”. Work commenced in April, and the new classroom was completed by September 9, 1922. It was a wooden structure comprising of two rooms, classes 1 to 3 in one room and 4 to 6 in the other. The new school was opposite the current school. By 1932, the school’s enrolment had grown to 56 pupils and the school was already outgrowing its premises.
THIRD TIME BLESSED
Former student Edmond Stockton supervised the construction of the present school and the first part of it was completed in 1941. Two rooms on the right were for Primary students and rooms on the left were for the High School pupils. The beginning of 1942 saw one hundred students enrolled — seventy in the primary and thirty in the secondary.
THE PLAYGROUND ARRIVES
Donations helped finance the buying of playground materials. Pipe and wood was fashioned into swings, a roundabout, see saw, jungle gym, a log swing and two-step bars at Baldwin’s Engineering in Castle Hill. By June 1957 enrolments had grown yet again and some classes were being taught in the old school building across the road. Money was raised for extensions to the school and in 1961 these were completed. 1962 commenced with an enrolment of 126 students.
YEARS 7 TO 9 MOVE & FURTHER EXTENSIONS TAKE PLACE
In 1965, due to overcrowding, a decision was made to move the Junior High School and students to Burwood (later Strathfield) Adventist High School. The present school commenced as a Primary School with one teacher to each classroom. In 1969, an architect was approached to further extend the school. The second story was completed in the late 1970’s. New playground equipment was installed in the early 1980’s and the original equipment was removed by the early 1990’s due to changes in safety regulations.
OUR PRESENT SCHOOL
Wahroonga Adventist School is a co-educational Christian school catering for children from Prep to Year 12. The school is owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Schools (Greater Sydney), is part of a world-wide system of schools and is the largest protestant private school system in the world, which has had a history of excellence for over 120 years.
