Meet Our Teachers
large service projects throughout my educational
literacy rates and promoting a strong culture of
career and the one in particular that stands out to reading and appreciation for literature in the school
me is the time I spent serving a small community community. However, her experiences tailoring to
with a large Indigenous student population in the needs of her students is what really led to her
Australia.” passion for student development outside of the
classroom and laid the foundations for the begin-
At Kuranda District State College in Queensland,
ning of a life-changing service project at Kuranda.
Trisha established a resource center and a coop-
erative skill development program for students in
She and the staff at Kuranda District State College
Grades 8 to 12, primarily catering to a small commu- hired a school nurse who medically evaluated
nity with a large number of Australian indigenous students from indigenous families. “Initially, the
students. In this position, she frequently liaised students were afraid to go to the school nurse and
with the parent community, developing good com- she had absolutely no visitors. So, we began to
munication skills and cultivating her leadership follow our Grade 8 students when they did their
skills. As the Head Foundation Teacher–Librarian, hearing tests and we found that there were a few
she supported academic programs, increasing elements that completely changed the students’
The Keystone Magazine 36