Denison State School opened as a new, multi-age school in January, 1997. Situated in the town of Emerald, in the Central Queensland Highlands, Denison State School is one of three State Primary Schools.
History
Our school is in the County of Denison and the Parish of Selma. These land descriptions have been used as far back as 1865 (first appeared in the Queensland Gazette 21 June 1865). However, because the Lands Department no longer uses this method of land description, the name 'County of Denison' has become obsolete. So, by naming the school Denison State School, we have preserved part of Emerald's history, as well as creating a sense of identity for our school.
Our name
The County of Denison was named after Sir William Thomas Denison (1804 - 1871) who was the Governor General of the Australian Colonies in the 1850s. He graduated from the Royal Military College in 1826, as a Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers. He was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen's Land and arrived in Hobart Town in 1847. Later in 1854, he was named Governor General of the Australian Colonies and sailed to Sydney on 13 January 1855. Being a trained engineer, one of his interests was providing public works. He was also very involved with charity and education.
Our logo
The Denison State School logo includes a bearded dragon lemon scented gum, gum nuts and wattle, all distinctly Australian features of our environment here in Emerald. They signify our pride in being Australian, particularly Queenslanders from the Emerald area and our sensitivity to and appreciation of our Australian flora and fauna.
Our motto
'Believe in Yourself' was chosen as our motto because it focuses on each individual, student or staff member, and our responsibility to ourselves to do our very best, which gives us strength collectively to make our school great for everyone.
Our mission
There are many valuable lessons we can learn from our own and other's experiences. Our past deserves respect and acknowledgement; however we need to look forward and use our present knowledge to face new challenges, to take risks and find new solutions. We 'grow' into our future as whole human beings developing academically, socially, emotionally and physically. This should continue our whole lives.