The Northholm School spirit was in full force for the first day of Term 3, Tuesday 22 July as we celebrated Northholm Grammar’s Foundation Day. Each year, Foundation Day honours our history and what makes our School special. For this significant day, students were welcomed back to School with an inspirational celebration full of performances and guest speakers.
The Foundation Day service opened with a photo display showcasing the development of the Northholm Grammar campus from its former life as a horse stud. Through the hard work of the passionate community, Northholm Grammar found its beginnings in 1983 as a family-centred school striving for a common goal: a high-quality educational experience for their children. The opening of Northholm Grammar was a culmination of years of work by the founding parents, School Council and the establishing staff. For Foundation Day 2025, Northholm Grammar was fortunate to welcome Foundation Council Member Richard Lennon, accompanied by his son, Simon, and grandchildren, Jimmy and Bridget. Richard had been instrumental in the establishment of Northholm Grammar in the early 1980s.
While much has changed over the 42 years of history, Northholm Grammar has remained true to the original charter to provide a comprehensive and holistic education for students, building an impressive reputation of academic excellence alongside pastoral and co-curricular achievement. This reputation was embodied by student performances during the Foundation Day service, including an insightful student reflection by Evangeline Morrison (Year 12), a saxophone piece titled Quatre Voyages by Zane Stolee (Year 12, HSC Music 2) and a performance by our Symphonic Wind Ensemble. In the same spirit of excellence, Banjo Lorenz (Year 12) was presented with his Acorn Badge in recognition of 10 years at Northholm, since joining us in Year 2 in 2015.
Northholm Grammar also welcomed guest speaker Vasili Koutlis, Northholm Alumnus Year 12 1990. Vasili reflected on his time at the School and the impact Northholm had on his chosen career path in Design. He encouraged students to believe in themselves, sharing a story from his time at Northholm about overcoming self-preconceptions to create a painting he was proud of.
Foundation Day is a wonderful opportunity for our School community to reflect on where we have come from and the bright future ahead. As aptly said by our Principal, Nate Atkinson, “We will strive for excellence in all areas. When it comes to the pursuit of excellence, I am reminded almost daily [of the quote] … ‘We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.’”
Dive deeper into the history of Northholm Grammar here.
