Marsden State High School named the country’s top secondary school
A Logan state high school has been named Australia’s best, and the school’s headmaster recognised as the country’s top principal.
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Marsden State High School has been named the country’s top secondary school of the year and its popular principal Andrew Peach named the country’s top public school principal.
The accolades were announced at today’s prestigious Australian Education Awards, the country’s highest education awards.
The school, which has more than 2500 students, also won the country’s top accolade for its Professional Learning programs.
It was a finalist in a record nine out of 25 categories, beating off prestigious competition from Sydney, Perth and even Logan.
Principal Andrew Peach said his staff’s hard work had paid off and he was proud the school would now be recognised as a national leader in education.
“I’m exceptionally proud of the Marsden community and the efforts of our staff to build such an outstanding school,” Mr Peach said.
“While we weren’t able to attend the awards ceremony in Sydney, it was great to be able to celebrate the awards with our staff at the school.
“To have our programs recognised at such a high level shows that true excellence is right here in Logan, and that our community can live and learn locally and expect and receive the very best.
“Our community knows the great work that happens in our school and in many others.
“We’ll continue to support schools that come to us for assistance like John Paul College, confident that we can play a role in the success of students across Logan.
“We understand the great pride our community takes in our success, and we don’t need to push our progress through comparisons to others.”
Marsden was up against seven other public schools in the top school category including Campbelltown Performing Arts High School; Kurri Kurri High School; Liverpool Boys High School; Maryborough State High School; Orange High School, Department of Education Plumpton High School and the prestigious Southport State High independent Public School.
In the Professional Learning Program category, Marsden beat rival John Paul College, which is also based in Logan.
The two schools went head to head during the week after John Paul College, a private school at Daisy Hill, paid for a billboard to declare it was Logan’s top school.
The billboard features four John Paul College students, and labels the school as a finalist in today’s prestigious awards.
The claim is qualified in small print at the bottom of the sign, 15m above the ground, with the words “NAPLAN 2019 results”.
Others in the Professional Development category included Brigidine College at Indooroopilly; Caringbah North, Jannali, Miranda North Public Schools; Genazzano FCJ College; Haileybury; Iona Presentation College in Perth and Stuartholme School in Brisbane.
Marsden came second in the Best School Strategic Plan category behind Kurri Kurri High school and in front of Ormiston College, which is also in southeast Queensland.
But the awards and accolades did not stop there and Marsden teacher Fiona Pennisi-Mitchell came second in the teacher of the year category behind Ben Peacock from St Philip’s Christian College.
The school was also a finalist in the Best Stem Program; Best Student Wellbeing Program; Education Rising Star of the Year; and Special Education School of the Year.
John Paul College was also a finalist in the four categories of Primary School Principal of the Year — non-government; School Principal of the Year — non-government (Karen Spiller); along with the Best Professional Learning Program category and Best Co-curricular Program.
Redland city’s Ormiston College was also a finalist in eight categories and Beenleigh State School was also a finalist.
John Paul College said its billboard claim of being Logan’s Top school was based off NAPLAN 2019 results, which also has the disclaimer for source of origin.
“Our professional learning program was introduced by our principal Karen Spiller and reflects the research of Robert Marzano on effective schools and that it is the individual teacher in the classroom that makes the greatest amount of difference to student outcomes.
“At JPC we support the professional development of our teachers by encouraging our teachers to pursue postgraduate, Masters study and HALT certifications.”
NOMINATIONS
Best Co-Curricular Program
Brighton Grammar School Year 9/10 B2M Program
Genazzano FCJ College
John Paul College
Maryborough State High School, Fraser Pop festival
Ormiston College
Plumpton High School
Snowy Mountains Grammar School
St Andrew’s Anglican College
Trinity Anglican School Outdoor Education
Best School Strategic Plan
All Saints’ College, Perth
Balcombe Grammar School
Ipswich Girls’ Grammar School including Ipswich Junior Grammar School
Kurri Kurri High School Strategic Stages
Marsden State High School whole school strategic plan
Maryborough State High School
Ormiston College
Best STEM Program
Hastings Secondary College
Marsden State High School
Melville SHS
Saint Stephen’s College
St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School
St Martin’s Catholic Primary School, Carina
St Patrick’s College Townsville
Strathcona Girls Grammar – All Aboard the Tinker Train
Best Student Wellbeing Program
Brighton Grammar School
Cowra High School Learning Hub
Haileybury
Kempsey South Public School
Marsden State High
Melbourne Grammar School – Grimwade House
Mooroopna Park Primary School Well-being Team
Moreton Bay College
The King David School
Best Use of Technology
Aurora College
Emmanuel College
Genazzano FCJ College
Haileybury
Ormiston College
Saint Stephen’s College
Southport State High independent Public School
Strathcona Girls Grammar – Strathcona’s Tinker Train
Boarding School of the Year
Immanuel College
SCOTS PGC College
St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School – Boarding School
St Ursula’s College, Toowoomba
The Scots School Albury
Toorak College
Toowoomba Anglican School
Wesley College Melbourne, Learning in Residence (Boarding)
Department Head of the Year
Adam Nahal, Australian International Academy Melbourne
Bek Duyckers, Perth College Anglican School for Girls
Bryn Humberstone, Brighton Grammar School
Deb Smith, Maryborough State High School
Iain Taylor, Saint Stephen’s College
Joel Speranza, Ormiston College
Michael Ha, Hillcrest Christian College
Rachel Cureton, Southport State High
Samantha Reynolds, Saint Stephen’s College
Scott Dirix, Indie School
Education Rising Star of the Year
Alice Upcher, Marsden State High School
Amy Young, Cowra High School
April Bryson, Lakes Grammar – An Anglican School
Daniel Chen, Saint Stephen’s College
Lloyd Godson, Hastings Secondary College
Melissa Allen, Haileybury
Parris Laurie, Mater Dei College
Samantha Fletcher, Southport State High
Innovation in Curriculum Design
Creative Silicon Chips – Carey Baptist Grammar School
Liverpool Boys High School
Saint Stephen’s College
Project Illuminate – Toorak College
Southport State High independent Public School
St Margaret’s Berwick Grammar Certificate of Global Responsibility Group
Strathcona Girls Grammar – Strathcona’s Tinker Train
Innovation in Learning Environment Design
Carey Baptist Grammar School Learning Design Guide
Ormiston College
St Luke’s Catholic College
Queensland Department of Education Youth Engagement Team
St John’s Anglican College
Trinity College Gawler South Australia
Trinity Lutheran College: Senior Learning Precinct
Primary School of the Year – Government
Beenleigh State School
Fairy Meadow Demonstration School
Glendore Public School
Granville Public School
Kempsey South Public School
Laurimar Primary School
Piara Waters Primary School
Prospect North Primary School
Primary School of the Year – Non-government
Ballarat Clarendon College Junior School
Bethany Lutheran Primary School
Brighton Grammar School – Junior School
Haileybury
Ormiston College
Redeemer Lutheran School
Snowy Mountains Grammar School
St Paul’s School
Primary School Principal of the Year – Government
Adam Knights, Beenleigh State School
Donna Wright, Bandiana Primary School
Jason McBean, Laurimar Primary School
Julie Murphy, Elizabeth Vale Primary School
Khalil Khay, Glendore Public School
Marg Clark, Prospect North Primary School
Maria Green, Oakdale Public School
Todd Miladinovic, Wyong Public School
Primary School Principal of the Year – Non-government
Grenville Green, Haileybury
Helen Elliott, All Hallows Primary School
Kerrie Nelson, Giant Steps Australia
Kiri Pearce, Enkindle Village School
Lindsay McQuattie, John Paul College Primary School
Matthew Boundy, The Scots School Albury
Nicolee Eiby, Ipswich Girls’ Grammar School – including Ipswich Junior Grammar School
Will Wallace, Lakes Grammar – An Anglican School
Regional School of the Year
Good Shepherd College
James Fallon High School
Kangaroo Island Community Education
Kempsey South Public School
Maryborough State High School
Snowy Mountains Grammar School
St Patrick’s College Townsville
The Scots School Albury
School Principal of the Year – Government
Andrew Peach, Marsden State High School
Chad Bliss. Orange High School
Khalil Khay, Glendore Public School
Maxine McSherry, Kangaroo Island Community Education
Michael Saxon, Liverpool Boys High School
Nigel Hughes, Southport State High
Simon Done, Maryborough State High School
Stella Jinman, Cecil Andrews College Perth WA
School Principal of the Year – Non-government
Brett Webster, Ormiston College
Gavin McCormack, Farmhouse Montessori School
Karen Jebb, Genazzano FCJ College
Karen Spiller OAM CF, John Paul College
Kerrie Nelson, Giant Steps Australia
Kristy Kendall, Toorak College
Ros Curtis, St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School
Simon Lees, Toowoomba Anglican School
Secondary School of the Year – Government
Campbelltown Performing Arts High School
Kurri Kurri High School
Liverpool Boys High School
Marsden State High School
Maryborough State High School
Orange High School, Department of Education
Plumpton High School
Southport State High independent Public School
Secondary School of the Year – Non-government
All Saints’ College
Ballarat Clarendon College
Haileybury
Immanuel College
Ormiston College
SCOTS PGC College
St Paul’s School
Toorak College
Special Education School of the Year
Cranleigh School
Gawura School (St Andrew’s Cathedral School)
Giant Steps Sydney
Marsden State High School – Special Education Unit
Teachers Mutual Bank Teacher of the Year – Primary School
Carla Gagliano, Masada College
Demi Lu, Toorak College
Jane Couché, Saint Stephen’s College
Michelle Breen, Trinity Anglican School
Michelle Richardson, The Knox School
Stella Azizian, Santa Sabina College
Naomi Doherty, St Philip’s Christian College Cessnock
Wendy Murphy, Kingswood South Public School
Teachers Mutual Bank Teacher of the Year – Secondary School
Alison McLennan, Orange High School
Ben Peacock, St Philip’s Christian College Cessnock
Christine Huynh, Liverpool Boys High School
Fiona Pennisi-Mitchell, Marsden State High School
Kate Brown, Toorak College
Samantha Reynolds, Saint Stephen’s College
Toby Hurd, Mater Dei College
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