Stories and highlights

Marrickville High School Strengthens STEM Partnership with CSIRO and Celebrates Women in STEM

Marrickville High School is excited to announce the continuation of its successful partnership with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), offering outstanding STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) opportunities to enrich our students’ learning experience.

This term, our community was privileged to welcome two exceptional STEM ambassadors who have since inspired and engaged our Year 7 and 8 students:

• Dr Natasha Kumar, a distinguished neuroscientist, researcher, and senior lecturer at UNSW and CSIRO, delivered an interactive and thought-provoking presentation on March 20. Students explored the fascinating fields of neuroscience and pharmacology through hands-on experiments that demonstrated how the brain responds to different stimuli, providing real insight into medical research pathways.
• Mr Leon Berkelmans, Senior Economist at the Reserve Bank of Australia and a regular contributor to our Mathematics Stretch Club, returned on March 24 to mark Pi Day. His engaging session used the creative lens of pizza sizing to deepen students’ understanding of economics and mathematics in practical, real-world scenarios.

At Marrickville High, we take pride in our Women in STEM program, which offers specialised classes, talks and workshops designed to empower girls in Maths and Science classes. These initiatives aim to build confidence, showcase role models, and encourage girls to pursue future careers in STEM fields, while fostering an inclusive environment where all students benefit from the mentorship and expertise of dedicated teachers and STEM ambassadors.

We extend our thanks to Dr Kumar, Mr Berkelmans, and CSIRO for their ongoing support in nurturing curiosity, innovation, and critical thinking within our school community. Marrickville High School remains committed to providing rich STEM learning experiences that inspire all students and prepare them for rewarding futures.

Stay tuned for more exciting STEM events and opportunities at Marrickville High School.

Major funding announcement for Marrickville High School

Marrickville High School hosted the Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car, Member for Summer Hill Jo Haylen, the Secretary of the NSW Department of Education Murat Dizdar and our Director, Educational Leadership Chris Pevy-Buenen for a policy announcement on Inspire - Inspire - [Placeholder] (HPGE) in NSW Public Schools. The full details can be found here https://education.nsw.gov.au/news/latest-news/upgrades-to-increase- opportunities-for-high-potential-students

During their visit they met and spoke with our students from our Year 9 STEM class, those from our Robotics club, as well as our 2025 school leaders.

Marrickville High School has been selected to receive $6 million in funding for upgrades to facilities that will enhance our capacity to provide our students with breadth of opportunity and ensure that our facilities are able to meet the needs of students today and in the years ahead.

As part of this program and in addition to the funding, we will be working in partnership with the Department of Education’s HPGE team to ensure that we are best positioned as your local comprehensive public high school to provide those opportunities for students to identify, develop, explore, and enhance both known and unknown talents.

This is an exciting opportunity for our school and community and plans are well underway for how to maximise the impact of this investment. The works will occur over the course of 2025 some of which include:

• upgrading existing Food Technology and Hospitality learning spaces to meet Industry standards
• upgrading those Science labs that are still in their original condition from when the site was built in 1974.
• adding soundproof break out spaces to our Music rooms
• purpose built break out spaces in our library for Senior study and small group tuition

This a great way to end the year at Marrickville High School and provides us much to look forward to as a school community in 2025.

Marrickville High School HSC High Achievers

It is wonderful to see Marrickville High School, your local comprehensive high school, listed among the top four most improved schools in NSW, and in the top two schools in Sydney for HSC results from 2015 to 2024. This incredible achievement is a testament to our dedicated staff, hardworking students, and supportive parent community.

Sydney Morning Herald, We re-ranked schools by HSC average scores. Only one achieved more than 90, August 18, 2025

Meet our 2026 school leadership team

We are proud to introduce Marrickville High School’s new School Captains, Maggie and Tom, and Vice Captains, Alice and Jordan. These students have shown exceptional commitment, integrity and spirit, truly reflecting our values of Aspire, Connect and Thrive. We look forward to their leadership they will bring in the year ahead.

Image L to R: Jordan (Vice Captain), Tom (Captain), Maggie (Captain), Alice (Vice Captain), Mr Steven Holz (Principal)

HSC CAPA Showcase - what a night!

On Wednesday 21 August, our Year 12 students lit up the library in this year’s HSC CAPA Showcase, transforming the intimate setting into a vibrant celebration of creativity. With moving Music and Drama performances and a stunning Visual Arts display, the evening highlighted the passion, talent, and hard work of our graduating students. It was a warm and memorable night shared by families, friends, and staff.

Wear it Purple Day

On Friday 29 August. Marrickville High School proudly celebrates Wear It Purple Day with a joyful and inclusive event featuring delicious food, great music, and plenty of purple spirit! This special day is our way of standing in solidarity with LGBTQIA+ youth, promoting a safe and supportive environment for all students. It's a celebration of diversity, acceptance, and the powerful message that everyone deserves to be proud of who they are.

CAPA Showcase

On Wednesday 24 September, Marrickville High School’s CAPA students were joined by ensembles from Marrickville Public and Wilkins Public Schools for this year’s CAPA Showcase. Over 350 people attended the event, enjoying impressive performances and creative displays across music, drama, and visual arts.

Thanks to the P&C CAPA Committee and parent volunteers, the night also featured a successful BBQ and raffle, raising over $6,700. A big congratulations to everyone involved!

Congratulations to Year 11 Student – Shortlisted for the Inner West Council's Young Creatives Competition

Marrickville High School is proud to congratulate Year 11 student Alice BD on being shortlisted for the recent Inner West Council’s Young Creatives Competition.

Alice’s original prose fiction piece, The Space Between, was selected for inclusion in the competition's prestigious Writers’ Anthology, published by the Inner West Council Library. Her work stood out for its originality, emotional depth, and sophisticated storytelling - a remarkable achievement in a highly competitive field of talented young writers.

Alice is the fifth Marrickville student in the past three years to be nominated for a prize in the Young Creatives Competition, reflecting the strength of our English and creative writing programs, as well as the passion and talent of our students.

We congratulate Alice on her success and look forward to following her future creative pursuits.

^{What a performance! Shrek Junior - The Musical}

Marrickville High School was exceptionally lucky in Term 1 to be accepted into the first ever Combined Schools Musical, Shrek the Musical, run by The Arts Unit. Our committed ensemble of 19 actors, singers and dancers rehearsed for more than two hours each week throughout Term 1 in preparation for the event which took place on March 25th at Mona Vale Public School. We are so proud of all our performers – we thank them for their time and commitment. Thank you also to the CAPA team that led the students through the experience.

R U OK? Day

On Monday 8 September, Marrickville High School marked R U OK? Day with a series of thoughtful and engaging activities aimed at promoting mental health awareness and the importance of checking in with others.

Students enjoyed yellow jelly cups, oranges, and sweet treats, while friendly games like tug of war brought the school community together. Yellow ribbons and accessories were worn as a visible reminder to start meaningful conversations and show support.

Throughout the week, Year Advisers continued checking in with students to encourage open discussions and connection. Sometimes, a simple question can make a big difference.