The Toolooa story
The word “Toolooa” originates from the Aboriginal name Tuluwa. The Tuluwa people were the main tribal groups, and the original inhabitants of the Gladstone region. The school was established in 1981 with 11 teaching staff and an enrolment of almost two hundred year 8 students.
Toolooa State High School was built on the land owned by the Gooreng, Byellee, Gooreng Gooreng and Tarabulang Bunda tribes. We acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, and pay our respect to the Elders, past, present and emerging.
Now, Toolooa SHS is home to well over 1000 students, with approximately 80 teaching staff. The school has not only grown in enrolments over the years – but also in size – with several new buildings being constructed on the school grounds. Toolooa SHS is now also well-connected to the local community, with a range of exciting opportunities for students.
Sporting Houses (Careports) at Toolooa are named after nearby islands. Students may belong to Curtis (Red- Dragon), Elliott (Blue - Dolphin), Heron (Green - Heron), or Keppel (Yellow - Tiger). Students are assigned to Careports based on their form class. This sometimes makes for some sibling rivalry in households! Throughout the year, students participate in a range of events in order to score the most points for their team.