News and Events

Founders' Day Festivities

2009 is a very special year for Mentone Girls' Grammar School as we celebrate 110 years of educating remarkable women. The School recently celebrated ‘Founders' Day' with a beautiful, moving church service at St Andrew's in Brighton followed by a range of fun activities including old fashioned games, student and staff dress up in ‘vintage' clothing, and of course a giant birthday cake.

The cutting of the cake was made particularly memorable with the presence of one very special family who represented three generations of Mentone Girls. Current Year 10 student Cassandra Neylan was accompanied by her mother Gayle from the Class of '72 and her grandmother Moys Sinclair who left the School in 1938, with both Gayle and Moys in their old School uniforms!

Since the very first day of class in 1899 when the School had just five pupils to today's thriving community of more than 6,000 students and Old Girls, Mentone Girls' Grammar has held fast to the philosophy of the four Simpson sisters who founded the School, "to be bold, to do one's best and to never give in".

At the turn of the 20^th Century there were very few opportunities for ladies to be educated and the Simpson sisters saw a real need in the community. As a result of their foresight and determination, and their fundamental belief in the education of women, that little school quickly found its place in the hearts of the Mentone locals, forming as much of the town's fabric as the iconic coastline upon which it is situated.

‘Mentone Girls' must have been extraordinarily different women. They chased new ideas of academic achievement and sporting success, and they held a fundamental belief that they could achieve anything.

These values and the philosophy instilled by the Simpson sisters provided an environment in which the pupils, and the School, could thrive. It was this strong foundation that saw a number of Mentone Girls ‘break the barrier' and enter professions usually reserved for men.

Fran Reddan, who took over as Principal in 2005, believes it is this strong foundation and sense of purpose, as well as the life-long connection that is built between the students and their school that has enabled Mentone Girls' Grammar to stand the test of time.

"We believe our continued success comes from a K-12 school that is large enough to offer breadth and depth, but small enough that students are celebrated as individuals within a community. Our Mentone Girls of all ages are encouraged to defy their own boundaries and limitations, to aspire to excellence in everything they do, and to make a real difference to the people and environment around them.

"That's what makes Mentone Girls' Grammar stand out among Melbourne's leading schools. That is why ‘Mentone Girls' become ‘Remarkable Women'; women who make a difference in the global community; women who get 110% from life," said Ms Reddan.