Principal Peter Cooper said the school, which caters to years 3 to 12, was looking forward to the expansion and was preparing the necessary application to deliver curriculum for Preparatory to Year 2 from the beginning of 2023.
With respect to the name change, he said the decision had emerged from a variety of complex factors.
“What has not been commonly known is that throughout this time the school has not owned the property at White St, the surrounding boarding houses, nor the school’s name. The current site is occupied under a long-term retail lease, and the name is granted under a licence agreement,” Dr Cooper said.
“The current board of directors is of the realisation that for the school to continue to thrive and advance, alternative arrangements must be explored that will require some significant decisions to be implemented.”
The most significant decision is likely to be considered a change of the school’s name.
“The name of any institution is its identity, perhaps none more so than a school, as the name of a school holds powerful memories of childhood, adolescence, friendships, mentors, success, to name but a few. It also provides a focus for the hopes and ambitions of those who seek to join it,” Dr Cooper said.
“While there is justifiably great affection and history associated with ‘The Kilmore International School’, the licensing arrangements imposed on the school for the use of this name are unsustainable.
“Therefore, the board of directors have resolved that from July 1, 2022, the school will be known as Colmont School.”
Colmont will continue the tradition of valuing an internationally minded education and preparing students for the International Baccalaureate Diploma.
The name ‘Colmont’ has two distinct parts: col, the lowest point between two peaks, and mont, the peak. It epitomises the journey the school takes in its quest for knowledge, seeking to lift itself to a higher level of understanding and preparedness to act. This is reflected in Colmont’s motto, intelligere et agere, Latin for ‘to understand and to act’.
Parents, students and staff have been fully advised of the change and will continue to be informed as through the transformation.
“I can assure our entire school community that our standards of teaching, our quality staff, our approach to learning, our principles and our values are not changing,” Dr Cooper said.
“We are determined to navigate these changes with a continued commitment to providing a stable, caring learning environment for students, including the ongoing delivery of the world-class International Baccalaureate Diploma.
“We understand these are all significant changes for our school community to embrace and it will take time to adjust.”
The school has recently scheduled school tour dates throughout Term 2 and will soon announce its Innovation Scholarship. More information can be found at colmont.school
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