Lead, Create and Inspire: how one principal saved his school from ruin

Sarah Duggan

By Sarah Duggan
Published March 8, 2018

Like a phoenix might rise from smouldering ashes, the story behind Steven Cook’s reign as founding principal of Albert Park Secondary College is a tale of re-birth, renewal and striking transformation.

Indeed back in 2010 when Cook took on the “wonderful challenge” of resurrecting the then-derelict Victorian campus, he was quick ...

This story appeared in the March 2018 edition of Australian Teacher Magazine.

Secondary Classroom Teacher (Mathematics)

Oran Park Anglican College Oran Park NSW

We are seeking to appoint a dynamic educator with passion and experience in Mathematics. The role involves teaching Stage 4-6 Mathematics, including the ability to tea...

Teaching - Secondary / Oct 16, 2026

Secondary Classroom Teacher (Mathematics)

Secondary Classroom Teacher (Mathematics)

We are seeking to appoint a dynamic educator with passion and experience in Mathematics. The role involves teaching Stage 4-6 Mathematics, including the ability to tea...

Teaching - Secondary / Oct 16, 2026

Head of Primary Music

Canberra Grammar School Canberra ACT

Seeking a Head of Music for our Primary School to lead the Primary Music Team from Pre-School to Year 6 across both school campuses.

School Management / Oct 16, 2026

School news / Revamp the curriculum! Amazon says Aust needs AI visas and bots in kindergarten

Special artificial intelligence visas and revamping the school curriculum to put bots in Australian classrooms earlier have been floated by a tech giant facing a parliamentary grilling.

School news / The story of A House Divided in 1975 remains as powerful now as it was then

Historical fiction for young adult readers is a powerful means to get teenagers interested in reading, because it transforms abstract textbook timelines into emotional, deeply human experiences.

School news / ‘The system has let a lot of them down’: teens ‘begging’ for endometriosis support, guidelines

Seven years, nine different health practitioners, $6000 and more than 20 doctor visits. That is what it took for Melbourne woman Konstandina Karavias, now 19 years old, to get an endometriosis diagnosis.

School news / Digital duty of care bill: clear path forward on major online safety overhaul

The door is open to allowing Australians to take on social media platforms under wide-ranging digital safety changes.

School news / ‘We are at a crisis point’: sharp rise in violence and sexual assaults involving kids

Children are being abused and violated at alarming rates, with sexual assault and family violence-related assault involving children increasing sharply across Australia from 2014 to 2024, with violence particularly accelerating in the last 3-5 yea...

Opinion / Learning to write as important as ever in an age of ChatGPT

Earlier this year, a widely cited study claiming ChatGPT improves student learning was retracted by the journal Nature due to concerns about the reliability of its analysis.

School news / Little robust evidence to show AI’s impact on student learning: AERO

AERO has warned that ‘significant questions’ remain about the long-term impact of AI on learning, teaching, educational equity and student wellbeing in two new explainer guides that issue caution for school leaders and policymakers.

School news / Bridging the gap: helping ensure kids don’t lose their education to family violence

A first-of-its-kind early intervention initiative is in the pipeline to address a critical education gap for children experiencing family violence and homelessness.

School news / Ultra-Processed Students: schools on the UPF frontline as expert calls for action

Designed to be hyperpalatable and to ignite an explosive sensory experience once hitting our tastebuds, ultra-processed foods and the rapidly expanding industry behind them have largely taken over Australian children’s diets – and one expert is ca...

School news / End discrimination: Labor urged to axe faith school bill exemption

The Federal Government is being urged to support an independent MP’s bill to end discrimination of students and staff at religious schools due to their sexuality or marital status.

Comments