Aviation High

Aviation High, formerly Hendra Secondary College, is a high school in Clayfield, Queensland, Australia. The Principal is Mr David Munn, with two deputy principals, Mrs Susan Smith and Mrs Mandy Forbes.

History

Aviation High is located in Clayfield, Brisbane, near the Brisbane International Airport and Toombul shopping centre. It has had a number of name changes over the years; ‘Hendra Secondary College’, as it was known previously, opened on Tuesday 29 January 1963 as Hendra State High School. In 1990 the name changed to Hendra Secondary College, and provided not only education to students, but also to adults who could enroll in the school and participate in grades 10-12. The Principal is Mr David Munn who was appointed in Semester 2 2013.

There are three sporting houses at Aviation High, Miller, Hinkler and Kingsford-Smith. They are named after famous Australian aviators Robin Miller, Bert Hinkler and Charles Kingsford-Smith respectively. The competition between the houses are tight in the annual Cross-Country, Swimming, Athletics and Intra-School sport.

The extra-curricular activities offered by Aviation High are often utilised by not only students, but also members of staff. Two activities are key to the aviation focus the school has, the 'UAV Program' and the less popular 'Rocketry Group'. The UAV program is a successful entrant to the annual UAV Outback Challenge, held at Kingaroy and Calvert in alternative years. The school won the event in 2009, and several students have received the Airmanship Award, for displaying diligence and sportsmanship during the 2 day event. The Rocketry Group has never placed or received an award in their event, also held once a year. The UAV Challenge is held by Engineering Teacher Steve Wright, with assistance from Manual Arts (Aeroskills Technology) teacher Jack Clarke, Physics Teacher Jan Gough and Head of Technology Denise Dunn. The Rocketry Group is held solely by maths teacher Robert Hart, and is a way for Year 8 students to learn skills, before being accepted into the better equipped UAV program.