Thanks for listening to our podcast chat this week. We’re still on our ‘journey’ to Mount Isa – and if that’s not your jam maybe you know someone from Queensland or up around Mount Isa that might be keen to hear our chats with these families and schools? We’d love you to share it if you have a spare minute.
In today’s episode I’m with Jane Morris who is quite possibly the warmest Dean of Boarding you’ll ever meet.
Jane has been at Stuartholme in Brisbane for almost 4 years though has been involved in boarding schools for years. As Brisbane’s only girls catholic school Stuartholme has a history of over 100 years of education and not only that, they have remained committed to their boarding program with over 90% of their boarders hailing from rural and regional areas.
It’s hard to imagine a boarding house without heart and without authentic empathetic leadership – certainly this was the case just a few generations ago for many of our boarding schools but Stuartholme, under Jane’s leadership, embodies the very essence of what a boarding school should look like in 2024.
You’ll hear the love in Jane’s voice as she speaks of her boarders – we recorded this just as Year 12 were finishing their final exams and you can sense that her heart breaks just a little every year at this time though she’s quick to point out that a Stuartholme boarder doesn’t stay away for long. Returning for visits, or to tutor other boarders or coach sport – as so many do.
Jane’s love of community is at the centre of her aspirations for the boarders and their families. Delivering the nurturing environment in partnership not only with staff, but also with her students and the broader school community is something that I don’t think Jane’s going to tire of anytime soon.
I honestly loved this chat with Jane – you’ll come away with a real understanding of what it takes to love being a member of a boarding school’s staff.
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Thank you to Courtney Dunn for editing this podcast episode.