Coast Christian School’s principal reunites with former kindergarten student turned teacher
A historical connection between Coast Christian School’s principal Matthew Drennan and new kindergarten teacher Georgina Battle has students amazed.
Central Coast
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When Matthew Drennan was head of the junior school at Green Point Christian College in 2002, he remembers a bright, bubbly kindergarten student named Georgina Pal.
Fast forward 20 years and that bright student is now a kindergarten teacher at Coast Christian School in Bensville where Mr Drennan has been principal for the past three years.
Mr Drennan said he couldn’t believe it when he saw Georgina’s name – her married name now Battle – pop up as a kindergarten teacher candidate for 2022.
“It’s funny how things work out, it was so good that she applied and is now working alongside me,” he said.
“I absolutely remember her as a student as my eldest son was also in her class. I also remember the family well. I watched Georgina grow up and actually appointed her junior school and senior school captain at Green Point. I knew she had been doing well.”
Mrs Battle said it was “quite bizarre” how everything had come full circle and said she remembered Mr Drennan from her early school days at Green Point.
“I have the best memories of school which is why I wanted to become a teacher,” she said.
“I remember morning assemblies and chapel where Mr Drennan would work in clips from movies … just so many good memories”.
Mrs Battle said when she was 16, her sister suddenly passed away and the school rallied around her and their family.
“I just felt so much support from that community,” she said. “The way that the school came together made me think ‘wow, teachers have such a special relationship in a child’s life’.”
Mr Drennan said he was not Mrs Battle’s only connection to Coast Christian School, as she also did her Year 10 work experience there with the school’s other kindergarten teacher Louise Wotton.
“Makes you wonder,” Mr Drennan said. “I think at some point, it seemed like this was where she was going to come and teach.”
Mrs Battle said she remembers being asked to read a book to the kindergarten students during work experience.
“I remember thinking ‘this is it’,” she said. “It’s so rewarding, there’s no other job where you can be so invested in childrens’ lives.”
She said when she saw the job advertised, she knew straight away she wanted to apply.
Mr Drennan said when they told Mrs Battle’s kindergarten class the connection, they thought it was pretty cool.
“They like the story and so do their parents,” he said.
“Although, I think it’s hard for them to get their head around their teacher being a little kid.”
Mr Drennan said he also had parents at the school that he taught during his 17 years at Green Point Christian College.
Coast Christian School is continuing to grow and record successful results in all areas.
“When I arrived in July 2019 we had 74 kids,” Mr Drennan said. “We now have 180 so we must be doing something right with enrolments increasing by more than 100 per cent.”
He said for the first time in the school’s 22 year history, they had enough students for a second kindergarten class which is the reason they brought on Mrs Battle.
He put the school’s growth down to having great staff.
“Staff are the greatest asset that any school possesses and we are very fortunate in that respect here,” he said.
Mrs Battle said while her first few years of teaching had been subject to all the interruptions of Covid, she had found her feet.
“It really threw me in the deep end and made me work more creatively,” she said.
“It made me realise how teaching is above and beyond just learning content. There’s all the little interactions in between. I value those aspects so much more now, it’s really set me up well for the rest of my career.”
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