2015

Anne-Marie Clark worked fulltime at St Mary's College for 13 years from 2002 as a teacher, Counsellor and Deputy Principal of Wellbeing. She continues her connection with SMC today as a relief teacher. The college shaped Anne-Marie's life in several ways; however, its biggest impact was providing her experiences that helped her to grow and develop both as a person and a professional.

She explains that the 'positive education' environment of SMC allowed her to make mistakes and to learn from those; "it forced me to work hard, to build relationships with lots of different people, even people who don't see things the same way I see things". Telling her story, Anne-Marie was most proud of starting the Big Sister Program in 2003. Whilst it has changed over the years the core of the program remains, providing a safe supportive environment something she always felt during her time at SMC.

Written by Scarlett Dredge (student)

Megan Oxenham believes that, above all, her five years of secondary school at St Mary's College taught her to take more risks and be more confident in herself. She was greatly involved in the performing arts aptitude and the school productions, including "Calamity Jane" and "Little Shop of Horrors". Her immersion in Drama taught her how to combat her nerves.

As a student studying Film Making at Flinders University, public speaking confidently plays a huge role in her studies. As she is involved in a predominantly male industry, attending an all-girls high school throughout her most influential years allowed her to emerge into herself without the pressure to impress boys. Megan took every opportunity that she was presented with to express her creativity and would advise students not to be afraid of doing something because of fear of failure. Overall, St Mary's College played a significant role in her journey.

Written by Phoebe Howie (student)

Jasmina attended St Mary's College from Year 7 and graduated Year 12 in 2015. These years at St Mary's taught Jasmina to be resilient. Even when things became difficult or stressful, she knew it was important to push through, this is something she still does each day in her life outside of St Mary's. Jasmina has learnt that when you overcome hard times, it makes you stronger and helps you build skills that you may not have had before.

Jasmina remembers how everyone at St Mary's was welcoming when she first arrived in Adelaide, while she experienced a different world. Currently, Jasmina is in her final year at university studying to become a teacher, something Jasmina had wanted to do from an early age. She remembers how her teachers at school displayed so much passion, enthusiasm and dedication to learning which inspired her to continue her dream to educate others.

Written by Stephanie Jukic (sister and student)