Damascus College welcomes Stephen East, to the newly created role of Leader of Mission, within the Catholic School Culture Team. We were lucky to spend a moment with Stephen where he shared his aspirations for his contribution to Damascus in this important role at the College. Thanks Stephen...

It is always a daunting experience to start somewhere new. It doesn’t matter if you’re someone with years of experience, or just fresh out of school, there is always at least a hint of anxiety when you step out to a new beginning. As daunting as it is, I am very excited to be taking on the new role of Leader of Mission at Damascus College. I am energised with the possibilities that the role may entail and I am very much looking forward to working with the staff, students and families to make Damascus College a dynamic and faith filled community. I would like to thank the staff and students for their warm welcome, which has allowed me to settle in nicely over these past couple of weeks. As well as my leadership position, I am currently teaching Yr 8 English, Yr 9 and 10 RE, Yr 12 Youth Ministry and one VCE Music period a fortnight.

For the previous nine years I held several leadership positions at Marian College Ararat. This included Head of Music, Head of RE and Assistant Principal: Student Pathways, Organisation and Catholic School Identity. Before this I taught at St Patrick’s Primary School in St Arnaud, mostly in the middle years, but also holding leadership positions in RE as well as other areas. Providing quality Religious Education has always been central to my work as a teacher and is the core business of any Catholic school.

Religious Education is not limited to the periods of RE lessons that we have throughout the week. The Catholic School Culture team oversees the planning of the RE Curriculum, Liturgies, Retreats, Youth Ministry, JAG, and Sustainability. However, RE is not simply limited to these areas. It is in all interactions that we share with one another so that our God given human dignity is always preserved. Through my role as Leader of Mission it is my responsibility to support the Catholic School Culture team, as well as the wider school community, to ensure that we are all providing quality faith-based experiences that invite others to share in our faith journeys and grow in a deeper understanding of the world we live in. It is important to note that while Damascus College is a Catholic school, we are inviting people of all faiths and traditions to take up the opportunity to work, learn and grow together so that we can all be our best.

Though teaching Religion is something that I whole heartedly enjoy, it was music that first got me into teaching in the first place. I have been playing brass since I was 8 ½ years old, starting on the Baritone before moving onto the Tuba in Year 7. Since year 7, I began attending an annual music school that is held in different towns around the Wimmera and Mallee districts during the June/ July school holidays. After completing all the theory grades provided by the school (Grade 6 followed by an extra harmony grade), I was asked to come back as a member of the staff. First as an assistant, to support a ‘main’ teacher, then as a teacher in my own right where I have taught Grade 3 theory for over 20 years! The music school also gave me an introduction to conducting, which allowed me to develop my skills conducting various ensembles of different ages and abilities. This led me to conducting opportunities with the Haddon Community Concert Band and then the Beaufort Municipal Band where we won the State Championships in 2010. In 2019, I was the musical director for Ararat Musical Comedy Society’s production of Les Miserables which was an incredible experience.

I am looking forward to sharing all that I have to offer with the Damascus College community. One of my first goals placed before me is to ensure that our School Environment Management Plan is revised and actioned so that it correlates strongly with the key goals of the Laudato Si Action Platform. This will be done through the lens of our Mercy Values and will ensure that ecological education is a core business for the faith life of Damascus College, bringing to life what Catholics proclaim in our Eucharistic Prayer that “All creation rightly gives You praise”.

Mr Stephen East

Leader of Mission, Damascus College