Excursions and Incursions

Our students enjoy getting out of the classroom to explore, learn and try new things. These experiences help them grow, build confidence and see how their learning connects to the world.

Chess

Chess is enthusiastically played in the library each lunch time and the school routinely fields six teams in the Metropolitan Schools Chess Competition within Junior, Intermediate and Senior Divisions.

The competition runs throughout Term 2. Individual teams also participate in one day tournaments during other times of the year. All teams greatly enjoy the challenge, camaraderie and good fun of these competitions.

Performing Ensembles

Becoming part of an ensemble is one of the most rewarding experiences at Sydney Technical High School.

Playing in a group fosters teamwork, discipline, and leadership, while improving performance skills and musicality.

Students develop friendships across year groups, gain confidence through public performance, and experience the excitement of creating music together.

Ensembles also provide unique opportunities such as music camps, competitions, and masterclasses with industry professionals.

Student Representative Council

Elected representatives from each school year group participate in the democratic process, discover leadership, engage their peers in finding a voice, become more tolerant and cooperative members of society and develop a sense of responsibility, pride and loyalty to their school.

As well as being a voice for the student body the SRC at STHS organise, coordinate and participate in a variety of leadership activities throughout the year. These include a joint dance with St George girls, and SRC week includes a teacher versus student debate, talent quest, pizza day and fashion parade. We are a White Ribbon Day School, support RUOK? Day and Wear it Purple which acknowledges student gender diversity.

Grade Sport

We are a leading foundation school in the St George Secondary Schools Sports Association, with an unparalleled record of being the dominant Boys summer and winter sport champion school for the Zone since 2001, as well as annual Zone Boys Champion school in the three carnivals; swimming, cross country and athletics. The St George Zone is one of the largest in the State, and every Wednesday approximately 2400 students from our area schools compete in venues all around the St George area. Many of our elite athletes go on to represent the St George Zone at Regional and State level, and on occasions have had the opportunity to represent the school and Region at a National level. A number of our exceptionally gifted sportsmen are the recipients of Blues awards that recognise their skills and long term contributions as leaders in their chosen sports.

Environment Team

Many students from all years volunteer to be part of the school's Green Group (formerly known as the Environment Team). The group, under the guidance of a teacher volunteer, promotes various sustainability projects around the school and meet regularly. They participate in specific days that celebrate maintaining our environment such as ‘Clean Up Australia Day’, ‘Plant a Tree Day’ and ‘Green Day’.

In the past, the Green Group installed water coolers around the school, and manufactured a Tech water bottle, to promote healthy drinking habits amongst students and to reduce plastic waste. The group sponsor a koala at the Featherdale Wildlife Park, south of Sydney. As well, they have initiated a number of hanging gardens to enhance the environment and beautify our red brick buildings.

The school is on a large site, and the Green Group also assist with garden maintenance, including the peaceful Mathew Goodall Memorial Garden, established as a result of Centenary fundraising in 2011.

Interact

Interact is Sydney Technical High School’s Volunteering social justice committee.

Interact organises and executes a series of events, raising funds for several charities including the World’s Greatest Shave and participating in global awareness projects such as the Push For Better Competition by Lifeline Australia.

Providing students with momentous opportunities to develop social justice skills through events, Interact boosts  student confidence and gives them a voice in a supportive and inclusive group environment.

Through Interact, students are encouraged to creatively conceptualise, organise, promote, and execute events collaboratively with their peers, equipping them with public speaking skills, organisational skills, and team-work skills.

Members gain such vital skills which place them as outstanding applicants for leadership roles and university applications.

All students within the Sydney Technical High School community are strongly encouraged to become actively involved with Interact, to maximise their schooling experience.

Alumni

The school motto, ‘Manners Makyth Man’ is a guiding principle for the many alumni groups that contribute to the life of Sydney Tech. We are most grateful for the financial assistance offered to deserving students through alumni scholarships. As well, our current students enjoy listening to the experiences and narratives of ex students who have gone on from Tech to run global business enterprises, work for established companies like Microsoft and Apple, make films, lead engineering firms, sports organisations and universities.

Ex Techies are everywhere, contributing their many and diverse talents to Australian social, political, cultural and economic life. We welcome our alumni back to school, and hope to nurture strong networks between current and past students. The school values the knowledge and wisdom ex Techies can share with the school.

Bob Booth Archive Room

The school archive is housed in the Bob Booth Archive Room. It comprises documents, photographs and artefacts relating to the founding of the school in 1911 and its history. Sydney Tech spans three educational sites; Ultimo; Paddington and Bexley, and information relating to alumni, past teachers and the life of the school can be readily found in the archives.

The archive contains the most complete set of research files relating to Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, an Old Boy of the school, in Australia. The research files were most recently used by Peter FitzSimons for his book on Kingsford Smith, "Charles Kingsford Smith and Those Magnificent Men", published in 2010.

In 2011 the archive was renovated for the school Centenary Celebrations and was extensively used by Dr John Morrison in his book "The Story and Times of Sydney Technical High School, 1911-2011", published in 2011 to celebrate one hundred years of school history.

In 2022 the archive room was relocated into Pemulwy on site.