Published in The Ararat Advocate, Ararat's weekly newspaper published by West Vic News Pty Ltd.
PRINCIPAL Bill Hill is departing St Mary’s Primary School at the end of this year to take on a new position in Melton.
Mr Hill has led the school for the past three years, constantly impressed by the community that surrounds it.
“It's a great school, I'm very proud of our school and I think there's lots to celebrate in terms of what the school community has achieved and what they'll continue to achieve in the future,” he said.
“Principal positions are a pretty tough job, it's had lots of ups and lots of downs but overall, it's been a really positive experience. Like I said, the community is pretty amazing.”
Mr Hill believes there has been great growth throughout his three-year stint amongst students and the learning culture the school fosters.
Being able to continue the school’s community engagement has been one of many highlights for the educators as he has navigated the sometimes-difficult role of principal.
“You make more mistakes than you get right. My list of fallibilities is a lot longer than my list of successes but it's always a learning experience,” he said.
“There will be things that I will take into my new school that I'll do differently from learning from here, and there'll be things I'll take into my new school that I've learned from here.”
Mr Hill will be heading up a new Melton primary school come 2022.
Ararat Parish Priest, Rev Andrew Hayes, announced last month that Ballarat Bishop Paul Bird ratified the appointment of Roxanne Leed to the St Mary’s vacancy starting next year.
“Roxanne is currently the Deputy Principal and Religious Education Leader of St Alipius School in Ballarat East. We are very blessed that Roxanne’s vocation in education has brought her to our school,” he said.
Outgoing principal, Mr Hill, hopes St Mary’s continues to create a meaningful and enjoyable learning environment for Ararat’s students.