Every year the Design and Technology Teachers Association of Queensland runs a conference where educators from all over Queensland come together to collaborate, share ideas and work together to create excellence in teaching in all areas of Design and Technology. As a part of the two day conference, they have the Teacher Excellence Awards. This year St Anthony’s had two amazing people who were nominated for the two Awards:

• Jessica Bauer, who teaches Fashion, Materials Technologies, Engineering Principles and Design was nominated for the Design and Technology Teacher Award.
• Leah Mark, who is our School Officer and Administrative Assistant for the Design and Technology Department and supports all of our teachers across all areas we teach in the school, was nominated for the Service to Design and Technology Education Award.

These awards look at excellence in Design and Technology Education and help us to celebrate an area of education in our schools that is critical for our students to help them develop not just skills in ‘making’ things but also critical thinking, design thinking and innovation, literacy, numeracy and entrepreneurial skills.

Jessica Bauer, who is passionate about ensuring students learn so much more about fashion and its associated industries than ‘sewing and designing’ managed to make it into the final two nominations and was the runner up in the Teacher Excellence Award. This is a great testament to her dedication to Design and Technology and our student’s education. Congratulations Jessica on your achievement. A big thank you for all that you provide to the department and our students at St Anthony’s.

Leah Mark, who has been with St Anthony’s as a school officer for over a decade, won the Service to Design and Technology Education Award. This award is in recognition of a person who contributes to the profession, serve as models for their colleagues and demonstrate excellence in the classroom. It should be noted that the term “Design & Technology teachers” is meant to include all teaching areas in the subject area, including areas such as engineering and STEM.

Leah is a pivotal part of St Anthony’s Design and Technology Department, always taking the time to learn the projects so that she can safely help to support and educate the students here at St. Anthony’s to learn the skills they need to learn and apply design thinking skills and become our future in this space. It was wonderful to see Leah receive this acknowledgement for not just all she has given to the St Anthony’s community but also to Design and Technology Education.

The evening was a wonderful testament to the great educators we have in the Design

and Technology Department at St Anthony’s, and it was great to see both Leah and Jessica gain recognition for their contributions to our community and the education of our students in a forum that showcased some of the amazing work they have been doing for us to the State.

Congratulations Leah and Jessica and thank you both for your amazing work and contribution to Design and Technology Education at St Anthony’s.