In 1959 the Headmaster wrote to the Borough of Wallsend,
Northumberland, England, asking if Council had a Coat of Arms which
might serve as a basis for the school badge. A coat of arms did exist
and permission was given to use the Borough Coat of Arms in the design
of the school badge.
Wallsend in England is so called because it grew up on the site of a
Roman Army camp established at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall, a wall
established across England from east to west to protect England from
raids by the northern peoples living in what is now Scotland.
The
emblem of the Roman Army was the golden eagle, and was proudly carried
into battle. The coat of Arms for the Borough of Wallsend showed the
Roman eagle standing on a portion of the wall.
The Latin 'motto adopted for the school is "Alis volat propriis" which
means literally "He flies with his own wings." Loosely translated this
means "Depend on yourself, not on others."
Just as the eagle depends on the strength of his own wings, so should we
develop whatever talents we have and use them to make a success of our
lives.
The colours on the school badge are burgundy, gold and sky blue. The
gold is the gold of the Roman eagle and the blue the colour of the sky
behind him. Burgundy had for many years been a recognised Wallsend
colour.
Wallsend High School began its inaugural year in 1960 and was officially
opened on 10th April, 1961, by the Hon. E. Wetherall. M.L.A., Minister
for Education.
The
impressive ceremony was conducted in the Assembly Hall where almost 1000
persons were seated. Official guests were seated on the stage. Parents
(approx 300) were seated in the body of the hall together with 600 of
the students. The First Year students (who were not at the school during
the inaugural year) were first assembled outside the hall and inspected
by the Minister on arrival. They then moved to seats in the Canteen
shelter where an amplifier enabled them to hear the proceedings which
took place.
Callaghan College was formed in 2001. Wallsend became a middle schooling
campus catering for Year 7-10 students. Senior students complete studies at our Jesmond Campus.