Welcome new staff 

Joining our community : Part 2

We are delighted to have a number of new staff join our community this year. Over the next couple of newsletters we will bring you a short introduction to each of them. Please say hello when you see them around. 

Tom Macalister

Hello there everyone at NHS and let me give you a brief history of my journey so far. I’ve spent the last decade or so bouncing around the university system accumulating a Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science and a Bachelor of Science along with starting my Masters of Teaching. When I didn’t have my head buried in textbooks and journal articles, I volunteered teaching English as a second language at a school in Colombia for a few months before travelling a few surrounding countries. I also worked as a tutor in chemistry and at the Victorian Space Science Education Centre. 

What I’m looking forward to most about working here at NHS is becoming part of the tight knit family and community in senior school. This will involve assisting in any way I can with my work as senior sub-school administrator and bringing some positive energy to their office and to students who I meet. While I’ve never worked specifically in school admin before and have a few things to learn, I’m confident that the fellow administration team and those in senior office will provide all the support I need in these first few months. 

Dannielle Ritchie

My name is Dannielle Ritchie and I will be working at Northcote High School as a Library Technician. Previously I was working in the library at Hume Central Secondary College at the Blair Street Campus (Year 7-9). I have also worked at Kimono High School in Mie Prefecture, Japan.

At University I studied a BA of Archaeology at La Trobe University and a MA of Cultural Materials Conservation at the University of Melbourne. 

My interests include textiles, drawing and paper collage, Japanese tea ceremony, and of course reading. Recently I have been reading books about Japanese traditional crafts and their place in Japanese culture.

One of my favourite things about working in a library is getting to know people and helping them find reading material which interests them. I especially enjoy helping reluctant readers find material which sparks an interest in reading for fun. 

I'm excited to look through the library shelves and discover what the Northcote High School Library collection holds, and am looking forward to meeting you all and finding out what you like to read.

Adam Scanlon

Hi everyone, I’m Adam and I’ll be teaching Global Politics and Humanities at Northcote High School in 2022.

I’ve taught for eight years in the public sector and I’m really looking forward to working at Northcote High School.  I’m incredibly passionate about teaching Global Politics and Humanities.  These subjects naturally generate curiosity and encourage students to think critically about the world they live in – and I hope to foster this in the students that I teach. 

Beyond Global Politics and Humanities, I also teach VCE Psychology and have recently been working on the Year 11 and 12 textbooks in preparation for the 2023 Study Design.

Outside of teaching, most of my time is spent hanging out with my two-year-old son.  I’m also a big sports fan – namely, footy, basketball, and soccer – but I’ll watch almost anything!

I’ve heard great things about Northcote High and I’m excited to make new connections with staff, students and the broader school community.