Members of the Servite Order came to Australia in late 1951 and by 1958 had established St. Philip’s Regional High School for Boys in Tuart Hill. The school opened with 95 students in two classrooms, covering grades 5 and 6. In 1968 the name was changed to Servite College, and in 1973 it became the first co-educational Catholic secondary school in Western Australia. For the school's first two years, all teachers were priests or brothers, then in 1960 the first lay teacher was employed; the first lay principal was Jack Shanahan, in 1976.
Operations
Facilities
Information technology is prominent; the Seven Holy Founders Centre gym and auditorium are the pride of the school. A state-of-the-art science block, completed in 2003, is the most recent addition. In spite of severe limitations on space, there are opportunities for sports both within the confines of the campus as well as at a large nearby public oval. Servite College’s participation in inter-school sports competitions has been very rewarding. In 2009, the school underwent a minor scale structure change; year seven students were introduced to the school as the Saint Alexis technology wing was demolished to build a newer building, all students do exams half-yearly, and year ten students are able to choose from a variety of Western Australian Certificate of Education subjects in the preparation for their upper school levels.
School structure
The students are put into six priories : Annunziata, Senario, San Clemente, St Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows and St Anthony. Each played a role in the history of the Servite Order that was founded in Italy around 1200AD by the seven holy founders. They are further split into contact groups of about 25 students; each containing years 7-12.
Campus
Besides the classrooms, Servite College has a technology centre, a science block, an auditorium/lecture theatre seating over 200 persons, and a gymnasium. These areas do not have airconditioning. The central area of the campus is landscaped and offers opportunity for students to gather, converse and socialise. A large practical and creative arts centre is located in a separate building; here are found facilities for woodwork, cooking, drama and dance. Music theory and practice is catered for in several adjacent locations. Servite is an institution that caters to more than 900 students. Servite does not have an oval or swimming pool. In 2008 Servite demolished the 50-year-old southern wing of the school in order to build a modern, three-story-high building that was to be named after Chris Ross who began his journey many years ago in a Chicago Servite school; however, he felt inclined to pass the naming of the building to celebrated Servite saint Saint Alexis. He has done a lot of work for the school and is currently the School's council president.
In September 2010 a Servite College teacher of religion, Aaron Patrick Baker, was sentenced in the Perth District Court after pleading guilty to counts of possessing 2,176 images and 102 videos of child pornography. Servite College terminated Baker's employment. Baker was given a custodial sentence of 15 months, with a nine month non-parole period and was ordered by the court to be put through psychological counselling and a sex offender treatment program. In March 2019, Arthur Frank Mowle, was jailed for five years after pleading guilty to five charges stemming from the royal commission into child sex abuse. Mowle was working at Servite College when in 1986 he twice abused a Year 9 student who suffered from migraines. He would place his hand under the boy’s pants and underwear, telling him: “It’s OK. Sometimes migraines are caused by issues in this area.”
