In Term 3 we were delighted to announce Mrs Nicola Resta’s appointment to the role of Deputy – Teaching and Learning, at Duncraig.
Nicola joined St Stephen’s School in 2012, after moving to Perth from the UK with her husband, son and daughter. “We had never been to Australia before this, and our move was considered adventurous by family and friends back in the UK,” said Nicola.
“My husband is Italian, and I lived for five years in Pisa, Italy whilst he finished his studies, so my family were used to my adventures!”
It seems that it was the lure of our beaches and warm weather that clinched the decision to come to Australia for Nicola and her family.
“We have a house in the south of France where we spent every holiday, it was our ideal lifestyle and one that we wished we could replicate in the UK. Long, hot summers, beautiful beaches and plenty of alfresco living. My neighbour was also a French teacher from the UK and she and her family had decided to move to Australia,” said Nicola.
“A few years after their move, I contacted her to see if we could make our dream lifestyle come true. She told me about a Head of Learning Area position at St Stephen’s School and I applied for the job. My interview was at 4am UK time on the 5th of December 2011. It was cold and dark outside when I had my interview over Skype with Donella and other members of the panel in the Carramar boardroom. Three months later, on 12 March 2012, we touched down in Perth airport and the rest is history!”
We’re delighted that Nicola’s whole family have been connected to St Stephen’s School at some time. Her husband worked at Carramar as a Maths teacher and Nicola’s two children attended Carramar campus where they were both Makaria House Captains
“I will always be truly grateful for St Stephen’s School for what it has given my family and myself,” said Nicola.
Nicola’s career began when she studied a French and Italian joint Honours Degree at Swansea University in the UK.
“I spent the third year of my course at Pisa University studying Italian language and literature where I met my husband. I then spent five years in Pisa and Turin teaching English as a Second Language which inspired me to follow a Post Graduate Certificate in Secondary language teaching which I completed a few years later when I returned to the UK.”
After two years as Head of Languages at Carramar campus, Nicola moved to Duncraig as Dean of Alethea.
“Being Dean of nearly 300 Aletheans was awesome. No two days were ever the same. We laughed together and cried together. We won some carnivals, and we lost a lot, but we always held our heads high and handled winning and losing with good grace. It was an absolute pleasure to be part of so many students lives.”
The opportunity to move into the Deputy – Teaching and Learning role was an exciting one for Nicola.
“My passion is teaching and learning, and I spent ten years in my previous role in the UK working alongside Heads of Department and graduate teachers to improve classroom practice. So, when the opportunity came up here at St Stephen’s School, I took it, as it has always been something that I am very interested in,” said Nicola.
When she’s not at St Stephen’s School Nicola loves her garden.
“I love gardening and am never happier than when I am digging, planting or sitting enjoying my garden. Swimming and Pilates are my favourite exercise routines as well as long walks on the beach. Exploring the world and travelling, learning new languages and cultures is a passion of mine and my bucket list number one item is to visit all French speaking countries in the world.”
We wish you well in this ambition, Nicola. If anyone is going to achieve it, it’s sure to be you!