St Andrew’s Anglican College have ushered in a new era with the official commissioning of new principal, Karen Gorrie.
Ms Gorrie is the third principal to lead the College since it was founded in 2003, and takes over from the long-standing tenure of Reverend Chris Ivey, who held the role for 18 years.
The service, which was officiated by Archbishop of Brisbane, The Most Reverend Jeremy Greaves KCSJ, was attended by both past principals, principals from across the Sunshine Coast and dignitaries from within South East Queensland.
With a strong vision for the future, Ms Gorrie brings a wealth of experience and a passion for fostering academic excellence, community spirit and holistic development – a seamless fit with that which the College has built it’s strong reputation on.
Now the school year is underway, Ms Gorrie is excited to get to know and understand the people and culture of St Andrew’s, while also looking forward to how she can build on and positively contribute to the next stage of the College’s growth and evolution.
“I strongly believe that the people within the community is what makes a community, so I can’t wait to take time to listen to students, teachers, staff, and parents to gain a clear understanding of the school’s values, culture, and accomplishments that they as a community are really proud of and value immensely,” she said.
“I really want to take the time for the St Andrew’s community to get to know me too, and for us to work together to identify areas to grow and develop within the school.
“As I step into the role of principal, one of my key goals is to build on the positive relationships and sense of community that already exists within the school. I want to continue fostering a culture where students, staff, and families feel valued, supported and empowered.
“I genuinely believe students want to be ‘noticed.’ I think that in an age where more and more people interact on devices, it is important to build a culture that ensures people are truly engaging with each other, whether it’s in the classroom or outside.
“I would like to ensure that every student feels they have a voice and a role to play in our school’s success.”
With over 25 years of experience in education, Karen has shown dedication and commitment to innovation in student-centered learning and focused on independent learning in a positive and inclusive school environment. Karen believes in providing opportunities for every student to fulfill their learning aspirations and building the foundations for future success.
This personal philosophy aligns perfectly with the mission and focus St Andrew’s has on building Personal Capacity to enable students to find purpose and move confidently into their futures.
“All students have the need, and more importantly the right to learn,” she said.
“It is our goal as educators to ensure that we do all we can within the environment in which we operate for each student to reach their potential. It is critical that we see each student as an individual, and attempt to facilitate for each student an achievement of their varied goals and potential.
“Each individual student deserves to be noticed, to be nurtured, and access learning to reach their potential.”
As the College embarks on this next phase of growth, Karen is focused on building upon the solid foundation established by her predecessor while guiding St Andrew’s towards new achievements and opportunities.
A huge part of achieving this will be building a culture a high expectations, balanced by a supportive and engaged community that is committed to growing collaboratively.
“A strong school culture is one where students, teachers and staff work together as a team, continuously learning from each other,” she said. “I like to encourage open communication where teachers share best practices, students feel comfortable asking questions, and families are engaged partners in the education of their children which in turn enables them to strive towards reaching goals that they may not even realise they can achieve.
“Students thrive when they are challenged academically and personally, but it is just as important to ensure they have the social and emotional support to meet those challenges. Fostering resilience and helping students develop the skills to persist through obstacles and view mistakes as learning opportunities is really important to me.”
Karen Gorrie is an educator with more than 25 years of experience, most recently as the deputy principal of St Margaret’s Anglican Girls’ School in Brisbane. Previously, she has held leadership positions within first-class schools in the Anglican system since 2002 in Brisbane and North Queensland.
