Mrs Stevens celebrates 20 years at TMC by Lily Parker (10VAL)
This week marks 20 years for Mrs Stevens, the Head of Secondary’s career here at TMC. This is a monumental event in a career, for which Mrs Stevens feels proud of. When asked why this is a significant milestone for her personally, she said, “TMC has a big part of my heart. I have been so fortunate to see it grow from a school with less than 100 students, operating out of a farm house and a few demountables, to the beautiful K to 12 campus it is today. I am also proud to have worked with Principal Mrs June Melbourne and assist her in developing the school to what it is today.”
Since beginning at TMC in 2002 (as Miss Fiona Miller), Mrs Stevens has had a very busy but fulfilling career, in which she has taken on many roles. Upon her arrival at TMC, Mrs Stevens was the 7 - 12 History teacher and Junior English teacher, later also taking part in teaching Senior English and QCS preparation. With this, she stated that, “Back when we had about 7 teachers and 100 students, we participated in Rock Eisteddfod and the entire school would be involved. I was the producer of three fantastic productions. Also the choreographer, music engineer, set maker, costume designer and maker, makeup artist and much more. I am happy to not ever sew another sequin in my life!” Being at TMC also gave Mrs Stevens the opportunity to receive scholarships and complete post graduate study at Griffith University and the Harvard Graduate School of Education, which is an amazing achievement.
When asked what she has learnt through her 20 years at TMC, she said, “I have had many wonderful opportunities to build my capacity both as a teacher and as a leader at TMC. During this time we have introduced Year 7 to Secondary School, established a Primary school, constructed many buildings and expanded the campus. We have had curriculum changes such as the introduction of the Australian Curriculum, the introduction of NAPLAN in 2008, the end of the Year 12 QCS Test in 2019 and much more. Then there was 2020. In less than two weeks we flipped how we deliver our educational program. An important lesson all this taught me is that adaptability is key. The world, our educational landscape, and most importantly, our students are continuously changing. As educators, we must reflect, learn, adapt and grow every day.”
Finally, Mrs Stevens shared with us that the most rewarding aspect of her time at TMC would be the people (students, staff and families) and the privilege of being a part of their lives for a time. She says watching our TMC students grow into thriving adults brings her joy. In addition to this, Mrs Stevens stated that she is excited to see the College continue to grow. She said, “we have an excellent staffing team, caring and committed families, and students who make it a privilege to come to work each day. I can't wait to see where the future takes us!” Congratulations again to Mrs Stevens from all of TMC for reaching such an astounding point in her career. We have no doubt that with her guidance and support, TMC will continue to grow just like it has over the last 20 years.
