COLLEGE

10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Each week, we will ask two of our staff members about the changes they have seen since the beginning of their journey at Surf Coast Secondary College in 2012 to now.

This week, we will hear from two of our awesome teachers Rachel Bride & Susan Barlow Clifton:

Rachel Bride

What were you doing before you started working at SCSC in 2012? 

 I was working at Torquay College part time in a 5-6 classroom and part time relieving teacher (CRT).  With my oldest daughter about to enter high school, I put myself on the Secondary School planning committee. From there, I ended up working as a CRT to write curriculum and I became very interested in teaching the innovative curriculum our team was writing. 

What has been the biggest change to the College since you started back in 2012? 

 The biggest change is definitely the growth of the school.  We started in 2012 with only 50 year 7’s.  When we were small, as a teacher, you knew all the students and their families really well.

What has been the most positive or influential moment during your career at SCSC?

• The day in our first year when the whales were in Torquay and we had a spontaneous excursion for Science and the whole school walked down to hang out with our Whales
• It was amazing to work in a small team and plan cross curriculum projects in our early years. This experience really refuelled my passion about educating young people.
• Having a student get into Top designs in our first year of teaching VCE 12 Food and student in top 1% of State in our First year of a new Food Studies course

How has your time at the College impacted you both professionally and personally?

Well, I feel totally connected with this school and proud of so many different things we have achieved as staff.  This connection was further strengthened by the fact that my own 2 girls were educated here. This means that it has really impacted me both professionally and personally.

What are you looking forward to about the future of SCSC and your role working with young people here?

I think the latest challenge of learning to adjust to a pandemic and remote learning has been challenging and I look forward to trying to have a positive influence to support students and staff through this. 

I always enjoy working with students and seeing them enjoy learning about food and their health.  I look forward to every new group of students and to find the ones that really love cooking. 

Susan Barlow-Clifton

What were you doing before you started working at SCSC in 2012? 

It was a very interesting time as I had been working at the Geelong Regional Gallery and The Gordon and Deakin University.  I was also juggling an Asia Link grant that took me to Indonesia several times a year to work with communities in remote regions on an arts project for the museums.  I had been in these jobs for many years and ready for a change. 

What has been the biggest change to the College since you started back in 2012? 

It was a very small school community when we started, and we had the flexibility to work on many projects across subject matters.  Some fantastic events occurred in that period.  Whole school theatre performances, incredible cultural events generated out of a shared passion for cultural understanding and ethical food.

What has been the most positive or influential moment during your career at SCSC?

I think we were incredibly lucky to have the support of our school's leaders and the extended community to establish Artwave, our annual art exhibition and showcase of the fabulous music and food programs at the school.  Artwave is always a celebration of so many students and their creativity but also a time to say thank you to artists, musicians, film makers and who have supported us across the year. We really missed this opportunity last year and so this years event will be incredibly exciting for everyone.

How has your time at the College impacted you both professionally and personally?

I have really appreciated time spent within the Torquay community.  It gives me so much pleasure meeting past students and sharing their successes.  I am so proud of knowing that their time at Surf coast has contributed to their values and outlook on life.  We are so lucky to be part of a creative community

What are you looking forward to about the future of SCSC and your role working with young people here?

I hope that future generations at the school continue to be able to participate in such a lively and varied arts program.  We should never take supports for the arts for granted.