The first seven weeks of the school year have flown by, but Great Lakes College's (GLC) new principals are enjoying the challenge of adapting to their new environments.
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Davina Bowen was appointed GLC Senior Campus principal in 2020 while Sally Chad was appointed the principal of GLC Tuncurry Campus.
Both women share a focus on improving academic outcomes among students and upholding the college's key message that "all students are known, valued and cared for."
The women also share a background as principal education officers for NSW Department of Education School Services, where Davina worked at Maitland and Sally worked at Newcastle.
Our focus is about making sure every kid leaves here knowing who they are and that they're valued and have a trajectory in life.
- Sally Chad
For Davina, whose experience in education stretches back more than 20 years, her decision to take on the role of senior campus principal came from a desire to have a more direct impact on student learning.
As a principal education officer responsible for the coordination of literacy and numeracy advisers across the State, her previous job saw her dealing more with educational staff than students, whereas at GLC she interacts with both on a daily basis.
Her first time as a school principal, she's amazed by the energy in the role and excited by the opportunity to focus solely on senior students.
"The benefit of it is that you can focus on their level of learning and their social issues," Davina said.
With well over 400 students attending the senior campus, she also likes the fact the college offers a broader range of subjects than most regional high schools.
"It allows us to provide a strong and diverse curriculum," she said.
For Sally, who served as relieving and acting principal at Quirindi High School before her time with School Services, the opportunity to combine the skills she learned in her previous two positions was instrumental in convincing her to take on the role of principal at the Tuncurry campus.
"It was the opportunity to come into a school and lead a school and implement the knowledge and skills I had gained in School Services," she said.
With three principals running the three different campuses that make up the college, Sally was also excited about working collaboratively with her fellow leaders.
"The idea of working in a college setting really appealed to me," she said.
Apart from wanting to improve academic outcomes among students, particularly in the areas of numeracy and literacy, Sally also aims to ensure the students develop a sense of their future potential and feel a connection between what they're learning and the real world that awaits them.
"I don't want them to have an education like I had where I burnt everything when I finished because I hated it," she said.
"Our focus is about making sure every kid leaves here knowing who they are and that they're valued and have a trajectory in life."
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