Twenty local teachers considered to have gone above and beyond to make a difference in the lives of their students were honoured at the 2024 Hobsons Bay Rotary Education Awards on October 15.
Organised by Rotary Altona City, the awards recognise both experienced and early career stage teachers, both individually and for their work in teams.
According to rotarian, former school principal and founder of the awards program, Julie Mason, teacher recognition was especially important at a time of chronic shortages and overworked staff.
“Schools will suffer if we don’t hang onto new teachers,” Ms Mason said.
“In Victoria, there’s a significant gap between the number of teachers required and those being trained. The awards provide a deep affirmation as awardees are nominated by their school leadership team and recognised publicly at the awards dinner.”
Those recognised this year included physical education teacher Rhett Dadswell from Altona P-12 College for his work in encouraging thousands of students to develop a love for healthy active living.
Greta Aranha from Emmanuel College Notre Dame Campus was awarded for fostering a positive and inclusive learning environment in technology and demonstrating transformative leadership.
Emmanuel College St Paul’s Campus year 11 and 12 teacher, Marc Nicolas, was recognised for delivering a range of awareness building and outreach programs.
Team awards went to the new metrics lead team at Bayside College for running a program that seeks to improve teaching, assessment and reporting and librarians from Williamstown High School for creating a welcoming, engaging space for all students.
Cade Lucas.
