Kathy’s passion rekindled

By John McLaurin 

THE chance to return to the rural school environment is what enticed Kathy Holding to take up her new post as principal of St Anne’s Central School in Temora.

Last year Ms Holding was employed as the secondary curriculum officer at Catholic Education based in Manuka and although she enjoyed her time there, the lure of the bush was too strong.

So when former St Anne’s principal David Keenan departed for St Luke’s in Shepparton, Victoria, Ms Holding answered the call.

Over the summer months, she took up the senior leadership position of the Western Deanery school of 240 students.

And it is a part of the world that she knows only too well.

St Anne’s Central School principal Kathy Holding. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Prior to her time working at Catholic Education, Ms Holding was the assistant principal at Hennessy College in Young, the second of her two stints in that position.

Before that she was assistant principal at Sacred Heart Central School in Cootamundra and she also spent some years teaching at what was Trinity Secondary School in Harden.

Although it’s early on in her term as principal, Ms Holding likes what she sees at St Anne’s, particularly the number of educational and extra-curricular opportunities afforded to the students.

“It is a very supportive school here,” she said. “We don’t go wanting for much. All students use an impressive range of ICT to enhance their learning. The students are wonderful and the staff have been simply amazing, enabling me settle in so well.

“I am very passionate about quality education for country kids. They can achieve just as much as their city cousins can and I believe that our rural students are more resilient. This is something which I greatly admire and it was a reason why I returned to the country.”

Having worked on both sides of the education system, Ms Holding’s enthusiasm for delivering the best possible outcomes to all students is well and truly evident and if her time at Catholic Education has reinforced anything, it is the need for teachers to collaborate.

“Teaching can be a very isolating experience,” she said.

“We need to share and learn from our colleagues much more than we do.”