MICHAEL HORNBY Acting principal Mabel Park State High School (QLD)
Michael Hornby has moved into an acting principal role at Mabel Park State High School at the age of only 35, thanks to an already-inspiring career working in schools in similar low socioeconomic areas. Approaching education with the mindset that every student should have the opportunity to succeed no matter their background, Hornby used his previous substantive post as deputy principal at Ipswich State High School to make a powerful difference to student lives over a five-year period. Some of his achievements and career highlights to date include launching an extensive Teacher Peer Coaching Program that was able to dramatically improve student results, the establishment of a $5m Trade Training Facility for students, and the building of a highly successful Sporting Excellence Program.
CAIN MCDONALD
GERRY MARTIN
Principal
Head of humanities, director of learning (Years 10-12)
Tatachilla Lutheran College (SA)
A principal of Lutheran colleges since the young age of 27, Cain McDonald left a mark on his first school when he introduced new classes and streams while overseeing critical building projects that attracted millions of dollars in government funding. In 2015, at age 35, McDonald was appointed principal of Tatachilla Lutheran College, and has already overseen a restructure of leadership across the whole school, rolled out a 1:1 iPad program, commenced the development of a framework and understanding of the culture of a thinking school, introduced positive psychology practices in the school, and is embarking on a full master plan and strategic review of the college. McDonald has done all this with a leadership style that shows ‘wisdom beyond his years’, due to his ‘measured team approach to decisionmaking’. His leadership is variously described as empowering, approachable, supportive and compassionate, and he has gained high respect among staff by fostering professional and personal respect in his team.
PENELOPE MCGEE Assistant principal
St Michael’s Grammar School (VIC)
Wiripaang Public School (NSW)
When students study history in Australian schools, they will be benefitting from Gerry Martin’s influence on how it is taught. Having joined St Michael’s Grammar School in 2007, Martin was appointed head of humanities in 2012, with achievements in the area including being chosen to consult on the design and review of the Australian history curriculum, and serving on the History Teachers’ Association of Victoria Board from 2010–2015 and as its Vice-President from 2012–2015. Some of Martin’s other accomplishments include rewriting the VCE Revolutions Study Design and all Foundation to Year 10 skills, as well as designing and collating the Extended Investigation, a new cross-curriculum subject that is being introduced in 2016 at St Michael’s Grammar. He was recognised last year with a second semester secondment to the VCAA to act in the role of curriculum manager (history and civics), and has been promoted at his school this year to director of learning (Years 10–12).
Penelope McGee is an ‘intelligent, insightful, collegial, caring young educator who strives for equity and quality in NSW public schools every day’. McGee had a difficult challenge on her hands when called on to help amalgamate two complex schools into Wiripaang Public School, but is said to have shown outstanding leadership while acting as a ‘collegial and decisive change agent’. With a need to rebuild the school from the ground up, McGee has been instrumental in putting in place the systems and structures required, including encouraging quality, effectiveness and purpose in newly built policies and procedures, such as the school’s early learning and performance development frameworks, and designing effective, choice-driven teacher professional learning. As a leader of Early Action for Success at the school, she has engineered a powerful shift in literacy and numeracy results in K-2.
www.educatoronline.com.au
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