When a school reviewer asked a group of year six St Alipius Parish School pupils what would make their school better, one pupil said that the school went up to year 12 so they did not have to leave.
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The reviewer had never heard this response before.
This was one of many memories principal Eileen Rice recalled in her second last week at the Victoria Street primary school that made her feel proud of what the school has become.
Mrs Rice is retiring from teaching after 42 years in Catholic education and 18 years at St Alipius Parish School, which includes 14 years as principal.
She said the school was quite extraordinary in lots of ways.
Mrs Rice began her career at St Alipius Parish School leading into the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, of which the former St Alipius Boys' School came under the spotlight for its paedophile priests.
"There has always been that a part of the story of St Alipius and something that I made a conscious decision not to shy away from but to recognise that in that, it provided us with opportunities to be a school where children were always safe," Mrs Rice said.
"We have been able to use what is authentically Catholic and then that deep, deep belief that everything we do must make sure that children are all safe. We have a community where judgements aren't made about family, what's happening in children's lives but they are embraced here.
"We have three words: excellence, equity and empowerment in an authentically Catholic learning space. It's making sure kids get what they need. They are a power to their voice. Our kids are the tools of our school, they know our school, they know what we are on about."
Mrs Rice chose to become a teacher after she discovered she loved to learn but she did not love school. She said her school did not always recognise her as a learner.
She gained most of her education through her parents and grandparents who took a practical and applied approach while academic at the same time.
"I didn't see the relevance of learning in schools other than to pass an exam. I felt there needed to be more to it than that. I saw kids leaving school because learning wasn't relevant to them and I believe there must have been something better," Mrs Rice said.
She began her teaching career with the Catholic Diocese of Ballarat working in Coleraine. She taught in Adelaide and Melbourne before returning to Ballarat to teach at Lumen Christi Primary School.
Over the years, Mrs Rice tried her best to stick by the saying: 'If kids don't learn the way I teach them, then I have to teach them the way they learn".
She described the past 42 years as like a shared journey.
When Mrs Rice became leader of St Alipius Parish School, she embraced the opportunity to work with staff and families to create a vision that the whole school community now shares.
"I was proud at our last review when our external reviewer said to me, 'your pupils, parents and staff know what you are on about and where you are going'," Mrs Rice said.
"Our whole community shares this whole vision, which took 14 years to create. To have that deep belief that we are a community that is worth belonging to, is welcoming and inclusive, and about relationships and about learning because we see wellbeing is about learning - learning how to be in ourselves, how to be in a relationship with each other and our earth."
The past two years of the coronavirus pandemic has been hard for St Alipius Parish School, like most schools, to ensure community connections and relationships have been kept.
"It has meant that for us we have had to find new ways to connect. Our teachers found creative ways to connect with families, we all became technologically adept," Mrs Rice said.
"I am so proud of our team. I think if in education and in life, you are open to whatever the world presents to you and you are able to be flexible and adaptable, that's where our kids are going to need to be.
"If we panic and can't cope in that space then we're not going to build kids that are persistent."
Mrs Rice said she was proud of the school's highly regarded music program and the relationships with the St Alipius Parish, parents, the community and other schools.
She said she was proud the school's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families saw St Alipius Parish School as a place where their children were culturally safe.
"We have embedded in our curriculum and in our culture an authentic respect for Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders," Mrs Rice said.
"I will miss coming into an environment every day with kids coming up and giving me a hug and saying 'good morning Eileen'. I will miss the kids and the community.
"I will miss the collegiality of working with people who share a common purpose and belief in the goodness of every student and that they can learn and succeed at high levels."
Mrs Rice's retirement plans include visiting her husband in Alice Springs where he is working and spending time with her two sons and two granddaughters.
The school's wellbeing and learning diversity leader Emily Clarke will take on the role of interim principal in 2022.
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