Introducing new staff - Part 2

Rebekah Keenan Mount

Rebekah considers herself to be a calm, curious and creative teacher.  She has taught English, Humanities and Drama in both co-ed and single-sex schools in Melbourne and the UK.  For the last ten years, she taught English Learning Area and Curriculum Literacies to pre-service teachers at Melbourne University. This was an immensely rewarding experience, supporting these teacher candidates to think deeply about their practice as they plan for and implement learning opportunities for their own students.

Rebekah has enjoyed writing interdisciplinary curriculum for the Song Room and Heide Museum of Modern Art, chairing author panels at the Melbourne Writers Festival Schools’ Program, and presenting workshops for VATE and AATE. As an educator her particular passions include: critical reflection in teaching, teaching for understanding, thinking dispositions and using drama and art to teach complex texts. 

Rebekah's interests include: viewing films at the Westgarth Cinema, seeing bands at the Northcote Social Club, cooking for and spending time with her family and friends, great coffee and gelato. 

Rebekah is incredibly excited to be joining such a warm, vibrant and innovative teaching and learning community at Northcote High School. She looks forward to getting to know, teach and learn alongside you all.

Dean Ashton

Ever since he showed his parents how to program the VCR at six years old, Dean Ashton has been engaging with and teaching media. After a movie-laden undergraduate degree and a Masters in Creative Media he went on to work in industry for many years, working across most aspects of filmmaking with a range of organisations from local businesses to international music acts and corporations. With his specialty in Post-production he has revelled in the challenge set out by the words “Dean will fix that in the edit” heard often in recorded footage. After helping local refugees and at risk youth create music videos through Moreland Council, Dean re-engaged with his love for education and made the leap back into study to get his teaching degree. 

Much like the many disparate elements you need to put together in the post-production process, Dean feels that there are many aspects of a student’s life which go towards contributing to their identity and this has formed the basis of his educational philosophy. He looks forward to joining the Northcote High community and helping develop student’s knowledge of how to engage with Media as digital producers. Just don’t ask him what his favourite movie is…

Julian Lee-Holman

Julian has lived two contrasting lives in two countries: firstly, a wilfully irresponsible and poor independent filmmaker in Bristol in the UK, and secondly, a fine upstanding family man with two children, a mortgage and a crazy Airedale Terrier puppy called Augie who sinks her teeth into everything within gum range. 

 In Bristol, Julian taught screenwriting at University, established an independent film festival, and launched a cinema that is twenty years old this October.  After years of Project Management following his 2008 arrival in Melbourne, he decided to return to teaching.  After the MTeach at University of Melbourne, he taught at Templestowe College and is now excited to be at Northcote High.

Julian wants to teach secondary because he is fascinated by the developing minds and insights of young people.   He loves writing and developing student ideas and stories and is a huge fan of inquiry learning.  He also believes that critical thinking might just save us all. 

Julian is passionately committed to his family and friends, to House Music, to fine writing and to Bristol City Football Club.  His hobby is crate-digging for vinyl, often with his 8-year son who may or may not be an electronic dance music prodigy.

He is most looking forward to: meeting the students

He is most apprehensive of: Hoddle Street – he lives in St Kilda

2018 Language Assistants

The language faculty and our school community has the pleasure of welcoming our Chinese and Greek assistants for this year. Venizelos and FE will bring authenticity and cultural insights in our classrooms.

Venizelos Kapetaneas

Venizelos Kapetaneas is fifty years old. He moved to Australia last year from Greece. For many years, he taught Greek literature, Latin and Ancient Greek language. He has a family of three daughters in primary and high school. His wife is also a teacher. The Greek government supports his placement here to help in the teaching of Modern Greek language as a second language. He is looking forward to working with all of you this year.

Xu Fei

Xu Fei is the new Chinese language assistant at Northcote High School. She comes from Jiangsu, China, where she is currently completing her masters degree at East China Normal University, majoring in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language. Xu Fei loves playing badminton and doing handwork. She loves Chinese, wants to be a good Chinese teacher, and hopes to get along well with all in the following year!