Wellbeing, technology and student empowerment were at the forefront when the Cessnock Community of Great Public Schools (CCGPS) held its Education Week awards on Wednesday.
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More than 70 awards were presented at the ceremony at Mount View High School, recognising student achievement, staff excellence, educational programs, leadership and community volunteers at Cessnock and Mount View High School and their 13 partner primary schools.
Cessnock Principal Network director of educational leadership Martin Rosser said Education Week is a wonderful opportunity for schools to open their doors and share their quality teaching and learning with the community, while celebrating students' achievements.
Mr Rosser said the 2019 Education Week theme 'Every student, every voice' was a celebration of student empowerment.
"It's a theme that underpins our ambition for every student in our schools - to be known, valued and cared for," he said.
"Recent research, co-funded by the department, shows that valuing and acting on the ideas, opinions and expertise of all students has significant positive impacts on student wellbeing.
"This partnership in learning and listening also helps build a better education system."
Mount View High School's innovative Five Ways to Wellbeing program earned principal Desley Pfeffer this year's Excellence in Leadership award.
Ms Pfeffer - who was recently seconded from her position at Mount View to a role at the NSW Department of Education state office - said it was "deeply rewarding" for the school to be recognised with this award.
The school partnered with the Cessnock Healthy Lifestyle Network in March 2018 to roll out the wellbeing program into the wider community.
"Our school's focus on student wellbeing is so important. Simply put, if we don't feel great then we cannot achieve our potential and that is evident for both student and staff," Ms Pfeffer said.
"The introduction of the Five Ways to Wellbeing framework has been a richly rewarding focus of my leadership as principal and underpins the school's wellbeing program, especially the introduction of positive education.
"It gives us the opportunity to explicitly talk about, explore and teaching the language of wellbeing."
Nine schools received achievement awards for a wide range of fascinating programs, including Abermain Public School for its lmaginaturalists program; Bellbird Public School (Writing Initiative/Daily Writes); Cessnock East Public School (Student Choice and Voice); Cessnock High School (SEEK - Supported Education to Empower Kids), Cessnock Public School (Deadly Cooking), Cessnock West Public School for its Robotics Team, Laguna Public School for its whole school water safety and swimming program, Mount View High School for its wellbeing program and Nulkaba Public School for its technology program.
Mr Rosser said Cessnock schools are "leading a national conversation" about the future of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in the classroom.
"The schools in the Cessnock Network are future-focused, preparing and equipping young people with the skills, the knowledge and the capabilities they need to lead and flourish in tomorrow's world," Mr Rosser said.
"And by creating future-focused learning spaces that integrate advanced technology and promote connection and collaboration, the classroom is expanding beyond the traditional four walls.
"By placing our students at the centre of all our decision-making, we are continually striving for improvement and innovation, so that young people in our care, learn in a world-class education system."
Fourteen teachers and 17 students received excellence awards, while 15 non-teaching staff and 18 community members were recognised for their contributions to their schools (see the full list at the bottom of this article).
The awards were hosted by Mount View High School leaders Fei Fei Liu, Rose Lucas, Georgia Bradley and Bohdan Thorley, with catering by the school's hospitality students, and featured performances by the Cessnock Community of Great Public Schools choir, the Aboriginal Dance Group, Mount View student Mya Ehsman, the Nulkaba Public School guitar ensemble and the Cessnock West Infants School infants dance ensemble.
Cessnock Community of Great Public Schools 2019 Education Week award winners
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION BY A SCHOOL COMMUNITY MEMBER
- Tracy Toner, Abermain PS
- Shannyne Wade, Abermain PS
- Deb Harmer, Bellbird PS
- Michelle Schreiber, Bellbird PS
- Brian Procter, Cessnock East PS
- David Lewis, Cessnock HS
- Pat Olsen, Cessnock PS
- Angela Wallace, Cessnock West PS
- Amanda Ekert, Congewai PS
- Luke Crump, Ellalong PS
- Kelly Fountain, Kitchener PS
- Milly Ablett, Laguna PS
- Natalie Moore, Laguna PS
- Felicity Lucock, Millfield PS
- Will Doran, Mount View HS
- Gary Wills, Nulkaba PS
- Michelle Wills, Nulkaba PS
- Honor Grunsell, Paxton PS
EXCELLENCE IN STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
- Harrison Fitzgerald, Abermain PS
- Charlie Clark, Bellbird PS
- Sophie Prater, Cessnock East PS
- Jesse Knight, Cessnock HS
- Chloe Kirkland, Cessnock HS
- Logan Vasilis, Cessnock PS
- Pyper Jacobs, Cessnock West PS
- Cherry Harris, Congewai PS
- Lillian Mansfield, Ellalong PS
- lzzibellah Kebblewhite, Kearsley PS
- Evie O'Neil, Kitchener PS
- Lucy O'Donohue, Laguna PS
- Samara Tiedeman, Millfield PS
- Brendan Green-Hill, Mount View HS
- Ryan Stace, Mount View HS
- Ash Petrysen, Nulkaba PS
- Evan Nugent, Paxton PS
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION BY A NON-TEACHING STAFF MEMBER
- Vicki Zuhnemer, Bellbird PS
- Jeff Hugo, Cessnock East PS
- Michelle Huckfeldt, Cessnock HS
- Karen Simon, Cessnock HS
- Tracey Hughes, Cessnock PS
- Deborah Costa, Cessnock West PS
- Christine Sattler, Congewai PS
- Kathryn Tomlinson, Ellalong PS
- Lesa Weekes, Kearsley PS
- Kerryn Archbold, Kitchener PS
- Kate Charnock, Millfield PS
- Renee Hawes, Mount View HS
- Tracy Bailey, Mount View HS
- Allan Blake, Nulkaba PS
- Leeanne Ledbrook, Paxton PS
EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING
- Teresa Sheldon, Abermain PS
- Kylie Cowling, Bellbird PS
- Luke Simmons, Cessnock East PS
- Laura Andrews, Cessnock HS
- Eliza Lewis, Cessnock HS
- Sally Eagleton, Cessnock PS
- Vanessa Guilmartin, Cessnock West PS
- Leah-Jane Filby, Congewai PS
- McKenna Hutt, Kitchener PS
- Sally James, Laguna PS
- Scott Bragato, Mount View HS
- Amy Johnson, Mount View HS
- Kendall McCallum, Nulkaba PS
- Corrin Shoesmith, Paxton PS
SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
- lmaginaturalists, Abermain PS
- Writing Initiative/Daily Writes, Bellbird PS
- Student Choice and Voice, Cessnock East PS
- SEEK - Supported Education to Empower Kids, Cessnock HS
- Deadly Cooking Program, Cessnock PS
- The Robotics Team, Cessnock West PS
- Whole School Water Safety and Swimming Program, Laguna PS
- Wellbeing Program, Mount View HS
- Technology Program, Nulkaba PS
EXCELLENCE IN SCHOOL LEADERSHIP
- Desley Pfeffer, Mount View High School
