School head handed award

THE principal of a multi-school community college has received the Rotary Club of Wendouree Breakfast’s Paul Harris Community Award.

The award was presented to Brett Shillito, principal of Yuille Park Community College.

Mr Shillito oversees the college’s kindergarten, primary and secondary schools and young parents campus, and said the award represents the collective efforts of their community.

“It’s obviously a fantastic outcome in terms of the energy and effort the school community put in here from our students and teachers, staff and parents,” he said.

“My individual reward is the result of work done by lots of people and that collective approach.

“The Rotary group are a great team of people that give above and beyond themselves to the community so it’s a real privilege to be acknowledged.”

With 14 years at Yuille Park, Mr Shillito has been principal for four of them and currently leads 240 prep to year 12 students, 35 kindergarteners and nearly 50 staff members.

Prior to his time with the college, he worked at the Australian Sports Commission and taught at disadvantaged schools in London for more than two years.

Under Mr Shillito’s direction, Yuille Park Community College’s secondary school will be a fully accredited campus offering VCE, which will be in effect this year.

The educator said he’s driven to make a difference within his community.

“I want to support the community to be the best it can be,” he said.

“I’m pretty focused on people, the individual and the collective school community. When you’re looking after each other, everything else falls into place.

“Yuille Park really fits my philosophy around a real community approach to education so it’s really been built from there.”