Rising Stars
Co-Drive Sporting Achievement at Rosebank College
This month, we are excited to spotlight two passionate educators who have quickly become integral members of our Rosebank community: Helena Svinos and Matthew Kent, our dynamic PDHPE teaching duo who are coordinating our representative sports program.
Matt and Helena discuss how their collaborative partnership allows them to create tailored approaches that address the unique needs of male and female students in a range of sporting fields with an integration of physical, mental and emotional wellbeing strategies.
Having their two perspectives informing weekly organisation, they are able to create safe spaces for students to discuss health and performance concerns. The pair also have guidance from the Dean of PACE, Stuart Hanrahan, who is able to act in a mentoring role both in PACE and PDHPE. Stu describes their role: “Matt and Helena are currently overseeing and facilitating the Rosebank Representative teams catering for hundreds of students each term across various team sports. They manage the coaches, training sessions, try-outs, match day and travel logistics each week.”
According to Helena, this kind of job sharing allows them to "work off each other and make informed decisions". "I have always enjoyed sport and taking on the Sports Coordinator role was a good opportunity to develop different skills and leadership qualities," Helena explains. "What I am most passionate about is the holistic health of young people – it is not just about winning games, it is about developing strategies and having open discussions on how to improve health and wellbeing."
"I really enjoy coaching and saw the Sports Coordinator role as an opportunity to assist student and school growth in other areas," Matt tells us. “What drives me is watching students develop over time – not just in sport, but in all aspects of their learning and personal growth.” "The collaborative culture here also means you are never working in isolation," Helena also adds.
Matt echoes this collaborative sentiment: “Coordinating together works well as we can assist each other with problems that we come across. It is about combining our different perspectives and experiences to find the best solutions for our students.”
How does this impact teaching and learning?
The PDHPE Studies Coordinator, Mark Capello, genuinely wants to see Helena and Matt succeed and grow. He is very supportive of the pair of Early Career Teachers, doing this extra role, outside of the classroom. “Helena and Matt handle their PACE assistant coordination roles with competence and professionalism." He is proud of the way they have worked at demonstrating strong organisational skills and strive for high teaching standards.
The team is also developing our reading culture at Rosebank College with both Matt and Helena reading “101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think” by Brianna Wiest.