Kalamunda Senior High School is a long established school with proud traditions. Drawing on the hills and the surrounding suburbs, the school has a strong sense of community stretching across three generations. Nearly 30 per cent of our current students have parents who attended Kalamunda as did their grandparents. Many of our graduates have excelled in and taken on leadership roles in their chosen fields – notably the arts, education, medicine, engineering, Olympic representation, journalism, entertainment and the public service.
Kalamunda has a particular focus on the arts and is a Gifted and Talented Visual Art School. GATE students receive tuition on Saturday mornings to enhance their artistic skills and abilities. Each year the excellence of their work gains recognition through wins and top rankings in regional and state awards. In addition the school consistently obtains top 10 school rankings and annual inclusion in the Perspectives and numerous other exhibitions.
Kalamunda has a vibrant music program including a concert band, guitar ensemble, string ensemble and a choir. Camps and overseas tours have provided students with an opportunity to perform internationally as well as in many local and regional venues and events. Art and music are also complemented by strong dance and drama programs which make use of the excellent 250 seat Performing Arts Centre located next to the school.
Kalamunda graduates are in high demand and this demand reflects the excellent reputation of the school in the arts and academic studies. The school offers an extensive range of courses leading to studies at university and TAFE colleges. Outstanding results and high rates of graduation have been achieved by students over the years with one student recently attaining a perfect ATAR score of 99.95.Outstanding students are nurtured and extended in the school’s Academic Excellence program and excellence in primary schools is acknowledged by the annual presentation of Academic Scholarships
Kalamunda has great pride in its annual swimming, athletics and cross country carnivals which brings together the whole school community including parents, teachers, ex-students and students. Students also have many opportunities to compete in school teams representing many fields of endeavour. Kalamunda was inducted into the Blackwood Marathon Hall of Fame in 2006 after participating in the competition for 20 years and continues to participate, regularly taking out top placings
Kalamunda offers a welcoming and supportive environment for all students. A strong and committed student services team, including a Manager, Heads of Middle and Senior School, a Year 10 coordinator, transition coordinator, chaplain, nurse and school psychologist, who work together to help students and their families with learning and other issues which affect teenagers.
Where enrolment permits Kalamunda also welcomes international fee paying and exchange students who bring a wonderful multi-cultural dimension to our very Australian school. We also have strong links with our sister schools in Japan and trips and exchanges to Indonesia, Italy and Japan reflect the strong ties to the countries of the three languages taught at Kalamunda.
Kalamunda is, indeed, the best kept secret in the hills.