Education Minister Grace Grace has today congratulated local schools recognised in Queensland's 2022 Showcase Awards for Excellence in Schools, with schools across the Sunshine Coast named as North Coast regional winners and even more receiving commendations.
Now in its 23rd year, Minister Grace said the Showcase Awards are widely regarded as the most prestigious educational awards in Queensland, showcasing excellence in education, innovation, and leadership.
"One of the privileges of my job as Education Minister is to meet the outstanding teachers and educators delivering innovative and world class opportunities for our young Queenslanders," Ms Grace said.
"The Showcase Awards allow us to recognise and celebrate the great work that our schools are doing day-to-day to ensure that Queensland continues to innovate and develop new education practices.
"The quality of submissions for this year's awards was once again exceptional and extremely competitive, making the task of selecting award winners all the more difficult for the regional judging teams.
"To be named as one of the 27 regional winners, or as one of the 24 to receive a commendation, is a significant accolade for these schools. It's an important recognition of their contribution to the state's education system.
"I congratulate each and every one of them, and wish them all the best in the next rounds which will determine our state finalists, and ultimately our state winners."
A/Executive Principal Elly Gerbo said Kawana Waters State College was ecstatic with their two wins recognising both the College and one of its teachers, taking out the top regional prizes in the Education Queensland International Showcase Award for Excellence in Global Engagement and the QUT Showcase Award for Excellence in Teaching categories.
"The Showcase Awards provide recognition of the strong work we're doing at our College," Ms Gerbo said.
"We are broadening perspectives by providing a chance for students living in a culturally homogeneous region to be exposed to rich and diverse cultural opportunities.
"We also congratulate our drama teacher Ricki-lee Bernhardt-Turpin. Her fierce devotion to her work has delivered dramatic improvements in student learning and she has been an inspiration to her colleagues, her students, and the Sunshine Coast community."
Member for Caloundra Jason Hunt congratulated Baringa State Secondary College for received commendations in two separate categories.
"I am so impressed by the commitment of our principals and teachers to improve learning outcomes for students here in Caloundra," Mr Hunt said.
"Baringa State Secondary College was recognised in both the Excellence in Inclusive Education and the Every Child Needs a Champion categories, which is a fantastic achievement.
"I'd also like to congratulate Beerwah State High School for their commendation in the Excellence in the Secondary Years category."
This year there were 86 submissions for the Showcase Awards state-wide, representing 120 schools. Regional award winners and commendation recipients will share in $66,000 worth of development grants to further support their initiatives.
The 27 regional award winners will be whittled down to a smaller number of state finalists next month, before the overall winners across the 10 categories are announced at a conference in Brisbane in October 2022. Winners will receive up to $10,000.
The full list of Sunshine Coast winners and commendations is below.
- The Network 10 Showcase Award for Excellence in the Early and Primary Years (winner) Critical Friends Network – Moreton Downs, Burpengary, Caboolture East, Elimbah, Jinibara, Mango Hill, Narangba Valley state schools
- The QSuper Showcase Award for Excellence in the Secondary Years (commendation) Coolum State High School – The Retrieval Project
- The QSuper Showcase Award for Excellence in the Secondary Years (commendation) Beerwah State High School – Success for all through collaborative case management
- The TUH Health Fund Showcase Award for Excellence in Inclusive Education (commendation) Baringa State Secondary College – Education for Everybody
- The Education Queensland International Showcase Award for Excellence in Global Engagement (winner) Kawana Waters State College – Broadening Cultural Perspectives
- The Education Queensland International Showcase Award for Excellence in Global Engagement (winner) Mountain Creek State High School – Creating Compassionate Global Citizens – Educating for Empathy
- The Queensland Teachers' Union Showcase Award for Excellence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education (commendation) Stanley River Environmental Centre – Bunya to the Bay. Partners - Barambah Environmental Education Centre and Moreton Bay Environmental Centre
- The QUT Showcase Award for Excellence in Teaching (winner) Kawana Waters State College – Ricki-lee Bernhardt-Turpin
- The Bevan Brennan 'Every Child Needs a Champion' Award (commendation) Baringa State Secondary College – A place for everybody
