Awards celebrate outstanding achievements in Catholic education
Schools
Outstanding teachers, volunteers and support staff were recognised for their excellent contributions to Catholic education at a glittering awards ceremony last month.
The Catholic Education Awards were held on May 15 as part of Catholic Education Week and followed a Mass at St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral celebrated by Archbishop Patrick O’Regan.
Now in its fourth year, the awards serve to acknowledge the outstanding achievements and contributions of staff and volunteers from 101 schools in 11 different categories.
More than 300 guests attended the glittering event at the Hilton Adelaide, including the Archbishop, Education Minister Blair Boyer and Catholic Education SA executive director Neil McGoran.
Dr Neil McGoran
Primary school teacher Jenna Warren from Samaritan College in Whyalla was the first winner called to the podium to receive the certificate for Experienced Teacher (Primary), with a range of award categories to follow, covering from education support to volunteering, to involvement in Laudato Si’.
There was much applause on the night for Isabelle Roberts from Loreto College, who picked up the Leadership Excellence award, coming from a career spanning 46 years in Catholic education.
Principal Emma Fowler received the Innovative Program award for the Reading Revolution program at St Raphael’s School in Parkside, with Compass Catholic Community collecting the Inclusive Education award.
Dr McGoran said the awards were created to celebrate all that is good about Catholic education in the State.
“The awards provide us with the opportunity to properly recognise the contribution and commitment of our most exceptional people,” he said.
“This year, we acknowledge and thank just a few of those many thousands of exceptional people who, every day, come together in faith communities to support each other and to give life to the mission of Catholic education.”
Education Minister Boyer kicked off the evening with a reflection on the evolving role and responsibilities of teachers today.
“We are expecting schools to do things that are (historically) not the job of schools,” said Mr Boyer, whose father was a long-serving English teacher and religiously corrects him still on any grammatical misuse on his social media pages.
“Societal changes mean you spend far more time managing behaviour than teaching.”
Mr Boyer compared society to a game of snakes and ladders with the snakes, signifying challenges, seemingly more prevalent right now.
Education Minister Blair Boyer
Admiring the skills and dedication called for in all schools today, Mr Boyer added that the scope of teaching now extends beyond the classroom, with innovation and the need to exceed educational essentials.
One perfect indicator of what can be achieved, he said, was on show at Compass Catholic Community – an innovative fee-free school that engages 17 to 24 year olds in Davoren Park.
“It is one of the most memorable visits I have had,” he told the gathering.
The 2025 winners –
• Religious Education Teacher: Erin Coppins, Tenison Woods Catholic School, Richmond
• Early Career Teacher Primary: Nicole Manning, Caritas College, Port Augusta
• Early Career Teacher Secondary: Daniel Overelle, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart
College, Enfield
• Experienced Teacher Primary: Jenna Warren, Samaritan College, Whyalla
• Experienced Teacher Secondary: Natasha Smith, Sacred Heart College, Somerton Park
• Education Support: Joel Head, St Mark’s College, Port Pirie
• Volunteer: Leslie Nesbitt, Kildare College, Holden Hill
• Innovative Program: Reading Revolution, St Raphael’s School, Parkside
• Leadership Excellence: Isabelle Roberts, Loreto College, Marryatville
• Laudato Si’ Inclusive Education: Nicholas Hauschild, Saint Ignatius’ College, Athelstone
• Inclusive Education: Compass Catholic Community, Davoren Park.
