Cobram Secondary College’ principal Kimberley Tempest took up a special position as MC at the Education State Principals Conference on May 30.
She was invited to participate in the conference after Schools and Regional Services deputy secretary Dr David Howes came to the CSC graduation ceremony in February this year.
Ms Tempest said she was planning to go to the conference as an attendee when the organisers contacted her about the role.
“I had a (video) call from the organisers ... (they said) David has asked us to talk to you about being the MC, and I was pretty much floored, that wasn’t what I was expecting,” she said.
“I was the first one in person to actually do that and it was a big deal and a big honour ... I would expect I would never get to do anything like that ever again.”
The conference brings together state school principals and teaching staff from around Victoria for workshops and panels on various teaching and leadership aspects; this year’s focus was “Stronger Together: Every Student, Every School”.
Ms Tempest helped MC the panels and introduced various speakers from all backgrounds across the conference’s two-day program.
The program focused heavily on student and staff wellbeing in an effort to improve educational outcomes and potentially change lives.
It was this aspect of the conference that Ms Tempest said she felt partial to, based on her journey as a student and experience as a principal during COVID-19.
“We’ve really had a tough couple of years ... (it’s) taking principals out of the school for just a couple of days to look at the big picture,’’ she said.
“(Also) how wellbeing is crucial for learning, you can’t have one without the other and the importance of education in terms of the capacity to change lives. Which is where my heart is, that’s why I come to school every day.
“I’m the first in my family that went to Year 12 and then went on to university, so for me I have a real connection to making sure our kids see that’s achievable, that is possible.”
Ms Tempest is now hoping to bring the lessons and big-picture ideas she has learned back to the school community.