Top Brisbane girls’ school principal retires, hunt on for replacement

The well-liked principal of one of Brisbane’s best girls’ schools has stepped down, with a search now on for a new leader.

Highly respected Stuartholme School principal Kristen Sharpe has retired, with a search now on for a replacement to lead the Toowong Catholic girls’ school.

Ms Sharpe retired earlier than planned due to health reasons, with staff and students farewelling her late last week.

She had led the day and boarding school for six-and-a-half years through its most testing time, the Covid pandemic, including a period of several weeks where boarding students were locked in their dormitories after a Covid-19 outbreak.

Stuartholme School principal Kristen Sharpe has stepped down.

Her tenure also coincided with the school’s centenary in 2020.

A replacement has not yet been selected, but deputy principal Daniel Crump, a two-decade teaching veteran who has been deputy since 2020, will be acting principal until a new leader can be found.

“Since joining Stuartholme in 2016, Ms Sharpe has led the school through systemic educational change and through her vision, began a program of work to ensure the school’s facilities continue to cater for the needs of our students well into the future,’’ the school said on its Facebook page.

“Ms Sharpe will be particularly remembered as a leading advocate of the benefits of girls’ education and the rights of boarding students to continued education.

“We ask God to bless Ms Sharpe as she enters the next phase of her life in her retirement.’’

Ms Sharpe was previously principal at Cairns’ St Monica’s College — from January 2011 to December 2015.