World War I formed the first school branch of the Red Cross Society in Queensland. The school subsequently had branches of the Australian Student Christian Movement and the League of Nations Union, two companies of Girl Guides, and a Cot Fund which supported the ill and disabled. The still functioning Queensland Girls' Secondary Schools Sports Association (QGSSSA), was initiated by her. On Saturday 24 January 1942, Military authorities visited Somerville House with a view to taking it over. The school was officially commandeered by the Australian Military Forces on 1 February, and was later used as Base Section Three Headquarters of the United States Army, East Asian Command, for the duration of the Second World War. Pupils from north of the Brisbane River were transferred to Raymont Lodge, at Auchenflower, while those from the south went to the former Queen Alexandra Home, Coorparoo; boarding students were sent to Moiomindah at Stanthorpe, which became the school's administrative centre. Based at Stanthorpe, the Principal at the time, Elinor Frances Craig, managed the three dispersed centres and frequently commuted by rail to maintain a presence in Brisbane. The school returned to South Brisbane with minimal inconvenience in January 1945, and classes commenced on 6 February. The American forces still occupied the upper floor of the school's education block with an armed guard at the door. The years since the war have seen many changes to Cumbooquepa, which is now used as a boarding house. Restoration work was undertaken in 1980 in order to preserve the building. The first new building since the library in 1934 was opened in 1960, the MK Jarrett School of Music and Drama. This has been followed with further construction, including the Aquatic Centre, Seymour Centre, classrooms, and the Valmai Pidgeon Performing Arts Complex, opened in 2000. In 1986, Old Girls of the School rallied from around the country in protest of an offer to the School Council from an overseas syndicate, to purchase the School for use as a trade centre, adjoining the Expo '88 site. This offer was eventually rejected. On 15 June 1999, the school purchased the adjacent heritage-listed Old South Brisbane Town Hall. The school uses the buildings for offices and function rooms. Principals Curriculum Somerville House typically performs well in statewide examinations, scoring the second highest rating for academic outcomes from girls' schools, directly after Brisbane Girls Grammar School in the Queensland Studies Authority's