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Princes Hill’s Saturday School of Modern Languages has attracted attention for its innovative and successful language teaching. The school has developed curricula that are now widely used in Victoria and interstate, and has achieved excellent academic results. In 1988, the Saturday School of Modern Languages was rewarded with a new name, the Victorian School of Languages, and was given the authority and responsibilities of a state school, complete A with its own School Council, financial responsibility and determination of curriculum policy.²⁶

Princes Hill School Park Centre

In 1973, Alleyne Sier and Frank Keenan, Director of Parks and Gardens of the Melbourne City Council, realised a unique project at Princes Hill. Following amendments to the Youth, Sport and Recreation Act in 1973, which permitted the use of schools for community purposes, they won the support of the Minister for Youth, Sport and Recreation, Brian Dixon, and opened the schools as an after—hours community centre, known as the Princes Hill School Park Centre.²⁷

The Princes Hill School Park Centre incorporates the Primary School, Secondary College and the Melbourne City Council. Its constitution sets out the aims of the Centre, the rights of use, and roles of the Director, the Management and Co—ordinating Coordinating Committees representing the schools, the Melbourne City Council, the Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation, the Carlton Association and the Centre.

Aiming to enhance the sense of community, the Princes Hill Park Centre provides space and opportunities for neighbourhood residents of all age groups to participate in physical, cultural, social, educational and recreational activities. Although the constitution refers to participants being residents within the neighbourhood of the schools, ‘users come from Princes‘ Hill, Carlton, North‘ Carlton, Parkville, South Brunswick and sections of Fitzroy.²⁸ The school buildings, the arts and crafts centres, the theatre, the gymnasium and the park are available to participants. In‘ the past, these facilities have been used for film screenings, for theatrical, musical and dance performances, and to offer tuition in such varied courses as ceramics, microwave cookery, computers, French polishing, yoga, aerobics and evening language classes for adults.²⁹

Today, the Princes Hill Park Centre has a wide network of affiliated groups, including the North Carlton Station Community House, North Carlton Residents’ Association, Carlton Community Welfare Group, Carlton Youth Services Group, Princes Hill Primary School Parents’ Club, St Michael’s Anglican Church, Mirimbah Country Centre, Princes Hill Tennis Club, Princes Hill Junior Amateur Football Club, One-C-One and the Kay Gee’s gymnasium.