35 Year Service Awards

Congratulations to George Hatzikostas and Stephen Paatsch for their recent recognition by the Department of Education for 35 years of teaching.  Both George and Stephen attended the Lakeside Banquet & Convention Centre in Taylors Lakes on Wednesday 15th October and were part of approximately 50 Department employees to be recognized and presented with their certificates.  

Both George and Stephen spoke at the event and spoke of very similar experiences.  Both were telephoned by the Department in 1990 and offered teaching positions at Sunshine College and Elwood College respectively.  No applications or interviews back then!  And for both, University High School has become only their second school; Stephen transferring in 2002, whilst George arrived here in 2022.

Each spoke of how wonderful the ceremony was with each recipient invited to the microphone for an opportunity to reflect on their respective professional journeys. So many stories of  joy and sadness and challenges and rewards that reflected the changing times of teaching in Victoria.