Teacher award - Ms Powell 

Caitlin has contributed to various communities in her Early Career, inclusive of; regional equity in education and raising awareness for First Nations education and projects within her teaching.

As a graduate teacher Caitlin took on a teaching position at Kyabram P-12 College where she was given a teaching load of two Year 12 classes, one of which was combined lass. The dedication to excellence which Caitlin showed in her graduate year was reflected not only in her students’ results but also in the ripple affect she had on the school community. Two of Caitlin’s students received early offers to the Victorian College of the Arts as a result of her mentoring. Caitlin dedicated time to learning innovative practices across all methods of Visual Arts in order to engage students across the College. This innovation is evident in her ability to target the individual student’s talents in order to make their creative studies relevant and engaging; as Art is a core subject, Caitlin has had to contend with students resisting engagement, however, her belief that art has an important role to play in wellbeing underpins her practice and allows her to find a way to make relevance for all students. In one instance, this even meant allowing a student to bring in his pet chicken for a live drawing class.   Caitlin always puts the students at the core of her work in education, and beyond the classroom she has taken on the role of Year Level Coordinator at all the schools she had worked at. Currently, she is the Year 12 Coordinator at St Paul’s Anglican Grammar. She leads by example, always treating students with resect, dignity and never shying away from meeting them on their level in extra-curricular activities. Likewise, she treats her colleagues with professionalism and respect, always open to learning from others. She wants the best for all of her students and is vocal about the notion of education as a pathway to any avenue; to Caitlin, learning does not occur only in the classroom, and she models this daily in her approach to leadership.

During her time in Kyabram, Caitlin was a driving force for collaboration in the arts sector of the local community. Some of Caitlin’s achievements in the Kyabram community include: organising an exhibition of student art from various schools in the region; creating a network of art teachers in the Goulburn Valley, from varying education sectors, who can collaborate to give the best opportunities to their regional students; volunteering at the annual Kyabram Debutante Ball and community theatre as a set designer and painter. These demonstrate Caitlin’s ability to marry her role as educator to that of community member, knowing that in a small town like Kyabram success in one role is dependent on the other. Similarly, Caitlin took every opportunity she could do bring students into community contributions with her, allowing them access to art projects first hand.  Furthermore, Caitlin collaborated with local Bangarang and Yorta Yorta peoples to design and construct an Indigenous Garden at Kyabram P-12. The project was originally part of the College’s NAIDOC week activities, but Caitlin garnered the support of her classes to keep the project as a school priority.

Over the course her teaching career, the strongest theme in her work is Caitlin’s active stance on closing the gap and addressing equity divided in education. She has consistently worked in the fields of Indigenous equity in education as well as the equity issues facing rural and regional students. Caitlin has volunteered with the Indigenous Student Success Program through the University of Melbourne, attending camps with her own students but also assisting in program development. In 2018 Caitlin was asked to go to Mildura to work with Indigenous Students in an art program. This sustained record is reflected in her commitment to the Indigenous Garden in Kyabram, and more recently the way that she teaches First Nations art with cultural appropriateness and sensitivity in the classroom; Caitlin understands that one of the first steps in addressing equity issues is to teach about them. She instils in her students the desire to perpetuate the fight for equity. One of her career goals is to work in remote communities of Australia. Caitlin has always pursued jobs in regional Victoria believing that access to quality education is not a luxury for metropolitan students. In both Warragul and Kyabram she exposes students to a range of possible futures; excursions into Melbourne, partnerships with local community projects and is willing to share her own lived experience of pursuing the arts.

We are very proud of her efforts and hard work. 

Kerry Gannon

9-10 Learning Community Leader