Celebrations for Galen Catholic College's 50-year anniversary will kick off today, with student leaders directing a series of school tours around the campus.

The sold-out tours, along with a gala evening at the Quality Hotel Wangaratta Gateway on Friday night and an anniversary mass at the school on Saturday morning, will showcase not just the growth of Galen through the years, but of Catholic secondary education in Wangaratta.

Billed as a commemoration of 'Generations of Galen', the celebrations will acknowledge the college's heritage as the evolution of the city's earliest Catholic secondary schools: St Joseph's High School (later St Joseph's College) and Champagnat College.

St Joseph's, an all-girls school, can trace its beginnings to the 1888 arrival in Wangaratta of four Brigidine Sisters from Ireland who opened the Brigidine Convent.

Champagnat College opened in 1955 as a day and boarding school for boys, as well as a juniorate for the Marist Brothers.

The co-educational Galen Catholic College opened in 1975 (the milestone marked by the 50-year celebration), catering initially for year 11 and 12 students.

In 1983, Wangaratta's three Catholic secondary schools amalgamated to form the expanded Galen, which welcomed students from years seven to 12.

As past and present staff, students and families prepare to mark the anniversary this weekend, current teachers Pat Arcuri and Julie Nolan are among those eagerly anticipating the celebration.

Mr Arcuri, deputy principal - student development, will be MC for Friday's gala evening, and said he looked forward to seeing old friends and familiar faces across the weekend.

A student at Galen in the 1990s before returning as a teacher in 2002, Mr Arcuri said the school had played a central role in his life.

"For me, Galen has been more than just a school - it's been part of every chapter of my life," he said.

"I came here as a student, I returned as a teacher, and I even met my wife here. I'm looking forward to celebrating those connections and the shared memories that make Galen such a special place."

Mrs Nolan, who began at Galen as a graduate teacher in 1991 and continues today as a drama teacher and house leader, is also excited about the prospect of reconnecting with past students.

"I can’t wait to catch up with our alumni," she said.

"I love hearing their stories - the ways Galen has shaped their lives, often in ways they only realise later.

"That's what makes occasions like this so special."