The Old Town of Assisi, birthplace of St Francis, sits atop a hill in Central Italy overlooking valleys of green and distant mountain ranges.
Buildings surround a piazza, a town centre, a sanctuary safe from any dangers of Roman and pre-Roman times.
Assisi is physically a long way from Yarrabilba, but the principles of San Damiano – the original name of a chapel, monastery and cross in Assisi – remain the same.
When opened next year, visitors will be able to access the new college by crossing a bridge over a lake, all forming a corner of the school grounds to be known as “The Sanctuary”.
The buildings’ rooves will represent the terracotta tops of terrace houses at its Italian sacred namesake.
Principal Peter Edwards says he wants students to feel safe in a respectful environment that in 2021 will have just 75 Year 7 students.
The school will grow. And those there will be studying religion, maths, science, English, humanities, food and nutrition, industrial art, visual art, Japanese and health and physical education.
They’ll be given the rare opportunity of seeing and utilising new equipment and facilities at each turn. Every chair, table, whiteboard and other piece of equipment will be new.
At a tuition cost of $2500 per year, including a laptop, some students will be travelling up to 20km to be part of something new. But also something fresh, innovative and distinctly personal.
“It’s true that the school will be affordable, but the real attraction is that we’ll know every student by name,” Mr Edwards said.
“This is a Catholic school with sound Christian values, morals and standards. It’s not however, just a school for Catholics. We will be welcoming students from all backgrounds to help lay the foundations of a wonderful school for the future.”
Mr Edwards said contemporary teaching methods would see students learning in collaborative environments, working together on tabletop whiteboards to solve problems and share ideas.
Outside, paths will be lined by hoop pines and surrounded by fig trees, again a step into St Francis’s times.
“It’s all about getting outside, allowing young teenagers to learn in a positive environment,” Mr Edwards said.
“There will be fun places to learn, comfortable chairs to laze in the library, high stools and lounges in classrooms which allow students to stand or sit, and innovative lesson times.
“We’ve coined ‘genius hour’ which allows students to follow their passion. It might be a language they want to learn, robotics, farming, who knows – it’s really up to them.”
San Damiano College is a co-educational secondary college and enrolments are now being accepted for Year 7s in 2021.
The first cohort of Year 12s will graduate in 2026.
