From the Students

Interview with a Principal

For this Edition, Ali Agha Wali Zada sat down with our College Principal, Scott Diamond to discuss everything NBC!

Ali: First of all, I would like to say Eid Mubarak. We have a lot of students from across our college that celebrate Eid and as their principal, I'd like to extend that to you. 

Ali: The first question I have is who is your favourite student and why? 

Mr Diamond: I can't answer that. 

Ali: I'm kidding! 

Ali: In three words, if you have to describe Northern Bay College, what would those three words be? 

Mr Diamond: Happy, inclusive, and aspirational. 

Ali: I would definitely agree with those words. Thank you. 

Ali: Going on inclusive, could you give me some information about the multiculturalism that we have at our school? 

Mr Diamond: We’re very fortunate to work in a multicultural environment at Northern Bay. There's some 50 plus nationalities that are represented at our school, which is amazing. Within each nationality group, there's also language groups that are represented. That was showcased at our Harmony Day, which we did have on Saturday. Which was great to see so many families and different communities that came together that make up our school community. I won't forget Richard Marles’ surprise and astonishment and great excitement at recognising that we had such a such a significant Burundian family population at our school, and his desire to learn more about them. 

Ali: What is your favourite part of seeing students grow and learn at Northern Bay College?

Mr Diamond: We're unique being a P to 12 school. So, you know, we've got lots of young people who are at the school for thirteen years and many of those students are still employed at the school. So, the young people who've been connected to our school for all their childhood and now, for all their adult life. The impact they make on the school, but also the impact the school makes on them is special. You know, one of the special bits is the fact that we employ so many of our former students. That's a pretty unique thing about our school that the young people want to stay around. I think that’s something we should really be proud of and celebrate. 

Ali:  What is one of the thing that you're most proud of at Northern Bay College? 

Mr Diamond: The welcoming atmosphere that is present. There's a belief of what a school in our area is supposed to be like, and I think we categorically break that external stereotype. So in terms of pride, it think any school principal who doesn't say the students is probably missing the mark. Closely followed by that, is the dedication from our staff.

Ali: What is the best advice you could give to a student that is their first day at Northern Bay College? 

Mr Diamond: I think the best advice is tosay yes to opportunities, and I think you and your colleague, Captain Farsana are good examples of that. There are so many amazing opportunities that our students get from across the college.

Ali: What is the most creative project you've seen at Northern Bay College? 

Mr Diamond: I think that’s the link up that we had with the Tabassom School in Kabul, when we had a table full of year nine and ten student leaders speaking to a table full of student leaders in Kabul during a school day. Sometimes we get a little bit too carried away with trying to come up with the most amazing thing that we can do. But just being able to sit and be in someone's company, you know, can deliver the most astounding results.  I'll never forget that day. That was pretty special. 

Ali:  How does it feel for you in the mornings to see students arriving when you're at the gate or saying goodbye at the end of the day?

Mr Diamond:  I love that so many of our kids will say good morning and have a good night. Some of the kids will stop and ask, what you're doing on the weekend. Talking to adults isn't easy for young people so that the fact that our students feel that confidence and that safety to be able to do that is really nice. It’s very natural for our kids to interact with the adults to support them. When you ask the kids at Northern Bay if they're looking forward to the holidays and, you know, a lot of them would rather be here. 

Ali: I'm definitely one of them! How do you feel about the new building that we have at Goldsworthy? What are the opportunities that this building can provide to our students? 

Mr Diamond:  I think the significant investment that's happened at the Goldsworthy campus is a great example of why all communities need to have public facilities that they can be proud of. The guiding statement that happened from our discussions with students before we went into the building process was that the students wanted a school that they could be proud of. One of the students used the term ‘stopped traffic’, and I definitely think we've got that. We've got a building that when people drive past, they go ‘I wonder what that is?’ .

Ali:  I also love the opportunity that these facilities give to the community to be able to have a space that community can utilize for different events. 

Mr Diamond: There's a lot of time school facilities, that sit dormant, and you know, they should be used as a community facility.

Thank you Ali and Mr Diamond for holding such a wonderful interview!

Ali Agha Wali Zada

College Captain