St Kevin’s College in Toorak appoints its first female principal` in 100 years
St Kevin’s College in Toorak will welcome a new principal at the start of 2021, with the appointment a first in 100 years for the elite Melbourne school.
Education
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St Kevin’s College in Toorak will be led by a woman for the first time in its 100-year history.
The school has announced its new principal will be Deborah Barker, who is currently the head of Santa Maria College in Northcote.
Ms Barker will succeed Acting Principal John Crowley from the start of next year.
Ms Barker’s appointment follows an extensive search following the resignation of the previous principal Stephen Russell earlier this year.
Ms Barker said she felt “privileged to be invited to take up this significant role.
“St Kevin’s has a proud history of excellence across a range of academic, cultural and sporting pursuits”.
“I am really looking forward to engaging with the staff, the College Advisory Council, the students and their families to provide our young people with every opportunity to experience success in their lives in the very best tradition of Edmund Rice, a tradition based on faith, inclusion, service and respect,’’ she said.
The appointment of Ms Barker follows a tumultuous time for the top Toorak school after their students were filmed singing misogynist chants on a train. A grooming charge was also laid against a former external athletics coach leading to the sudden departure of many senior staff earlier this year.
Bobby Court, the chair of the Edmund Rice Education Australia board which runs the school, said Ms Barker was “well known as an accomplished lead educator dedicated to the highest standards of learning outcomes and the unconditional support of a safe and inclusive community for each student in her care”.
“She is well known to many in Catholic education in Victoria and comes to us with the highest recommendation of her colleagues.
“Deborah also is a deeply committed person of faith and will bring her authentic faith witness to the role of spiritual leader and community builder at St Kevin’s.”
Ms Barker has held senior positions at a number of other Catholic schools, including Deputy Principal: Faith and Mission at Our Lady of Sion College, Box Hill and Director of Religious Education at Mount Lilydale Mercy College. She is also Vice President of the Principals’ Association of Victorian Catholic Secondary Schools and a member of the
International Baccalaureate: Australasian Heads of School.
She also has a Masters in Educational Leadership and Management from the
University of Melbourne, a Bachelor of Education, a Bachelor of Theology and more recently she has pursued studies in Educational Leadership at Harvard University, Boston.
Mr Crowley will be starting a senior role with Edmund Rice Education Australia in 2021.
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ST KEVIN’S ACTING PRINCIPAL TAKES NEW JOB