MEET THE TEAM @ SCSC
Arts & Technology Team
Each fortnight we will feature mini staff bios to help our community get to know more about the dedicated staff team we have at Surf Coast Secondary College. This week is our Arts team.
Steve Robertson
What did you do before teaching?
In my other life before teaching I was a chef. After completing school I moved to England where I ended up working in pub kitchens. I caught the cooking bug and upon my return to Australia I completed my chefs apprenticeship. Over the years, I worked in many different restaurants and also worked in corporate and sports catering. At 28 I went to university to study my other passion; History and International Relations. I got addicted to study and 6 years later I completed my Masters in teaching.
What subjects do you teach?
I teach Food Technology and History
Why do you love working at SCSC?
Great staff, great kids and a fantastic sense of community. I get great satisfaction from creating a positive environment and having a positive impact on the day to day lives of young people.
Shannon Rose
What did you do before teaching?
Lots of things! During my uni days (studying fine art, photography and teaching) I worked as a barista and waitress and then spent a couple of years working as a photographer and graphic designer for the magazine ‘Psychotherapy in Australia’ and did the occasional freelance photography job shooting weddings and families.
What subjects do you teach?
I teach Media, Visual Communication & Design and Art. I’ve also spent many years as a VET Fashion and Textiles teacher.
Why do you love working at SCSC?
The students! They’re pretty fabulous at SCSC, always fun, friendly and ready for a chat!
Sharon Harris
What did you do before teaching?
After graduating from university I travelled to America and participated in 'The Camp America Program’ in Michigan. I inadvertently ended up living in America, working as a nanny for a family in Key West Florida for 12 months. Following this, I travelled around Europe and then returned to Australia working for Telstra and then AMP in sales. After having my twins I returned to teaching almost 19 years ago.
What subjects do you teach?
Food Technology
Why do you love working at SCSC?
The best part of working at SCSC is the amazing supportive staff which makes coming to work enjoyable. I have a fortunate subject where most students really enjoy participating in and having the opportunity to watch them engage, learn and grow is a privilege. We have a very comprehensive program in Food Technology at SCSC. Our department is always looking at new initiatives to enhance this program and offer the students a really engaging curriculum from Years 7-12.
Regina Bishop
What did you do before teaching?
Well, I’m a bit boring and went straight to university after school and straight into teaching. At that time, there was a shortage of teachers so I’ve just been teaching ever since, which makes me close to teaching for about 200 years (give or take a year). I’ve taught at public and private secondary schools (such as Geelong Grammar), TAFE and University. I travelled on my own and with my family for a number of years and taught in both the UK and Germany. The school in the UK was the most interesting as it was an EBD, which is a school for boys Years 7-11 with emotional and behavioural disorders. Very challenging but very rewarding. That’s where my interest in teaching special needs really took hold and I undertook further study at University College in London and here when we came home.
What subjects do you teach?
Literacy.
Why do you love working at SCSC?
The students are wonderful human beings and the staff are very supportive and will go the extra mile to help anyone who asks.
Susan Barlow-Clifton
What did you do before teaching?
After art school(s) - I went to five different arts schools as I loved learning. I lived and worked in Japan, Taiwan and Indonesia for a few years taking every opportunity to learn about traditional and contemporary culture. This led to a scholarship from the Australia Council for the Arts to study Renaissance painting in Italy, where I lived in an 11th Century villa outside Florence. I eventually ended up teaching back here at the University of Tasmania, Deakin Uni and at the Gordon Institute. My eleven years working at the Geelong Regional Gallery led me to being really interested in art education and when given the opportunity to start the Art program at Surf Coast I jumped at the opportunity.
What subjects do you teach?
Studio Art and Visual Communication.
Why do you love working at SCSC?
Despite living high in the snow in the Japanese Alps for years I am a coastal person. I grew up at Bells Beach and love surfing. There is something very special about our students and their view of the world. They have been exposed to a wide range of experiences and ideas and are willing to be challenged and engaged in big ideas. Our art department is very well resourced, totally supported by the school and interested students are offered the opportunity to work through a remarkable range of materials and experiences. One of my greatest pleasures is catching up with students who have graduated and are now flourishing as adults - they all reflect with pride on their time at Surf Coast Secondary College.
Rachel Bride
What did you do before teaching?
I have been teaching since 1990 (30 years) so it is pretty difficult to remember what I did before teaching. I worked in gyms and at restaurants to help pay for life while I was studying and I did run a little handmade jewellery business with a friend while I was on family leave, bringing up my 2 girls.
What subjects do you teach?
I am very passionate about anything connected with health and fitness and this of course involves food. I have taught P.E and junior Maths but now I am so lucky to be able to focus on my absolute passion, which is food. I feel strongly about the importance of teaching students about how to look after their body with good nutrition as well as teaching students how to make healthy food still taste good. I really love the food curriculum as it looks at food choices in terms of our health, our environment and from an ethical perspective. As a keen world traveller, I also like to expose students to different cultures' food and lifestyle, there is always lots we can learn about living healthier and happier from other cultures.
Why do you love working at SCSC?
I have been teaching at this school from the beginning. I was involved in the original planning committee for the secondary school and was lucky enough to then be involved in writing the curriculum and setting up the culture of the school from scratch. Any one that knows me understands that Surf Coast Secondary College just means so much to me. I am so proud to have been a part of growing this school from 50 students to over 1000. The students, staff and parents all are so dedicated to making this a place we are all proud of. The students are truly amazing and I love learning about their interests, passions and plans for the future. I have had both of my own girls come through this school, my eldest Georgia was in the very first cohort of 50. She still speaks so highly of her Surf Coast Secondary school education and still likes to tell me how well she was prepared with skills and an inquisitive mind set to be successful at University.
Louise Dalton
What did you do before teaching?
Before teaching I worked in offices doing desktop publishing. I also worked in retail and hospitality while I was studying Art (Sculpture and Painting) at Monash, and at Victorian College of the Arts.
What subjects do you teach?
I teach Year 7-8 Visual Art, and Visual Communication for Years 9-11.
Why do you love working at SCSC?
I love working at SCSC because it’s a strong community where the students and staff are extremely supportive of one another. The approach and the spaces are innovative and learning is strongly valued, alongside wellbeing and social awareness.
Simon Gale
What role do you have at SCSC?
I’m the Food Technology Assistant.
What do you like about working at SCSC?
I love working with the kids and my fellow colleagues. I feel incredibly to lucky to work at place that enables you to flourish and grow as a person.
What other professional roles did you have before working at SCSC?
I’ve spent most of my working life as a chef across many restaurants around Torquay and overseas in Canada/America.
Kylie Willingham
What role do you have at SCSC?
I am very lucky to be the school Arts Assistant - providing support to teachers and students in Art, Visual Communication, Media and Performing Arts. I have an incredibly varied range of duties, from preparing and cleaning up spaces to managing budgets and ordering in supplies. It’s always busy and lots of fun.
What do you like about working at SCSC?
The teachers and staff at Surf Coast are the most amazing, dedicated group I have ever worked with and it constantly inspires me to work alongside people who are so committed to our students. I also absolutely love seeing the beautiful smiling faces of our students, catching up on their news, celebrating their successes and talking through their frustrations. We really do have the most amazing kids in our community.
What other professional roles did you have before working at SCSC?
Early on, I studied horticulture and worked in both wholesale and retail nurseries. I also worked as a laboratory technician for a few years and have had many different jobs in hospitality. I have four sons and when the youngest started school, I went and studied education support and started at SCSC in an integration role in 2014.