The Minister for Education and Skills, Nick McKim, today congratulated Ogilvie High School on the significant contribution it had made to public education in Tasmania over the past 75 years.

Mr McKim said that Ogilvie High has been an integral part of the local community and it was a pleasure to celebrate the 75^th anniversary especially when the school is so clearly valued by the community.

"Over the years, the school has been a wonderful learning environment for thousands of students who are involved in community life in so many ways, whether it's through academic activities, participation in sporting teams or community work," he said.

"The School was co-educational until 1963 when it became the first all girls' comprehensive high school in the state.

"Today, it is still the only all-girls' high school in the state education system with a student population of 830 and 115 teaching and non-teaching staff.

"The 'Old Boys' network remains strong with men travelling from around Australia to attend the strictly men-only Old Boys' lunch each year in October.

"In 1962, Noreen Miller became the first woman to be appointed Principal of a Tasmanian high school.

"Ogilvie also has produced three Rhodes Scholars,  Dorothy Steane (1991), Susan Dando (1999) and Jessica Trebilco (2002)

Mr McKim said that the school offers a diverse range of academic and non-academic educational programs for girls and a number of enriching optional choices including Robotics, Outdoor Education, the Arts, Sciences and Action for Social Justice.

"An initiative this year has been the introduction of a new uniform at Ogilvie; the first re-design to deviate from the brown and fawn of the past.

"Ogilvie High School has presented many positive opportunities for students and staff to embrace change - life is about evolving and actively creating change and change is a natural progression of life."