SPECIAL REPORT
HOT LIST 2019 JEN MCVEITY Creator SEVEN STEPS TO WRITING SUCCESS
KAREN SPILLER Principal JOHN PAUL COLLEGE
Not only does Karen Spiller inspire and influence the staff of John Paul College to achieve great things, but she also challenges the hearts and minds of its students. Just 18 months into her principalship, Spiller has helped dramatically turn around the primary school’s results; its 2018 NAPLAN results landed JPC as one of the most improved schools in the country. Spiller has held national and state leadership roles in significant educational bodies and remains the state chair of Independent Schools Queensland. She has presented at national and international conferences and is well recognised and respected for her powerful and dynamic presentations, professional knowledge, and collegiality, as well as her desire to make a difference for students and staff alike. In 2018, she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for her contributions to the education field.
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www.educatoronline.com.au
Jen McVeity has been described as a “human dynamo” – and for good reason. McVeity is a former teacher, award-winning author of more than 20 books and the creator and CEO of Seven Steps to Writing Success, the largest educator of writing literacy in Australia. A firm believer that words are the power behind knowledge and growth, McVeity created the Seven Steps 13 years ago to inspire students to love writing. Today, more than 1.5 million students and 60,000 teachers around Australia have been trained in the Seven Steps program, which has proved to improve writing scores by at least 10% in 10 weeks. Some schools have skipped an entire NAPLAN band, while others have seen as much as a 35% increase in scores.
JOHN SAVOPOULOS Director of students, Years 7–12 ST JOHN’S COLLEGE
Throughout his teaching career, John Savopoulos has made his students his number-one priority, and his achievements reflect his diligence and leadership. In 2018, Savopoulos helped students at St John’s College improve their average ATAR score, ranking and median study score. As a result, the college was recognised by the Herald Sun newspaper as one of the 25 most improved schools in Victoria.