College leadership

Our leadership strive to instil a deep understanding of the college, its history and core values, whilst working to foster strong community with students, staff and parents.

Executive leadership

Mrs Jodie Bennett

  • An energetic and passionate teacher and school leader, Jodie has more than twenty-five years’ experience teaching in primary and secondary classrooms. Her commitment to ensuring all learners are challenged and have opportunities for success led her to develop an interest in gifted education. She held executive leadership positions at St Luke’s Grammar and Rouse Hill Anglican College, including Head of Campus and Director of Teaching and Learning. In these roles, she has worked with teachers from Pre-Kinder to Year 12 to develop engaging, rigorous educational programs.

    In 2022, Jodie was appointed as Principal of Southern Christian College. In this role, she works to ensure students experience vibrant educational experiences that support achievement in key curriculum areas and enable students to deepen the learning and character dispositions, that are essential for young people to navigate an increasingly complex world. She believes the most powerful learning experiences involve opportunities to apply their learning to meaningful contexts.

    Jodie is committed to ensuring students can deepen their knowledge of God and His great love for them, demonstrated through the gift of his Son. She challenges students to consider how the message of the love, forgiveness and grace found in the Bible shapes how we engage with each other, the wider community and with God’s creation.

Mrs Jenny Mahoney

  • Jenny is a passionate educator with over 20 years leadership experience in Christian Schools. As Head of Primary, she has been excited to build on areas of strength within the College and further develop programs to ensure the needs of students are catered for in each classroom. Facilitating and watching students grow spiritually, academically, socially and physically across the Primary Years, by supporting their able teachers, is considered a most rewarding opportunity. Jenny feels blessed to be part of the College community, which provides quality Christian Education in the Kingston area.

    Passionate about an Inquiry based approach to learning, as well as ensuring students develop life-long learning skills, she is excited about the daily opportunities students are provided with through the Primary Years Program of the International Baccalaureate, through which we deliver the Australian Curriculum at the College.

    Recently moving to Tasmania Jenny enjoys spending time with her extended family and has settled into a local church community, which supports her desire to share about the love of Jesus with others. Still a child at heart Jenny enjoys playing board games, watching movies, building Lego, especially with her grandchildren, and exploring new places. While missing the beautiful Blue Mountains in NSW, the move to Kingston has been all she hoped for thanks to the welcoming Southern Christian College and wider Kingston community.

Mrs Deanne Edwards

  • With administrative experience across many industries, Deanne has watched the school continue to develop and grow since her appointment as the Business Manager of Southern Christian College in 2007.

    She believes in the significance and value of being able to offer a Christian Education for all families and has appreciated what this instilled in her own children from a young age.

    Her role oversees the finance and administrative departments that support all areas of the College towards enabling quality Christian Education, which nurtures the wonderful potential of each child.

Mrs Leaora Adams-Bell

  • Leaora is a passionate educator who has a heart for pastoral care. She has served extensively in this area in both school and church contexts. Leaora’s teaching experience includes working in State, Christian, and Independent schools in NSW and Tasmania.

    Leaora cares deeply about nurturing, encouraging, and educating the whole person: emotionally, spiritually, physically, and academically. She strongly believes in the importance of creating a supportive and positive school culture, based on strong relationships, where each student is seen and known, and feels valued for who they are and what they bring.

    Using restorative practices, Leaora strives to equip and inspire young people to overcome challenges, resolve conflict and make a positive difference in the world around them.

    Leaora’s passion is to support and encourage students and families at Southern Christian College as they grow and develop a deeper understanding of the Creator’s redeeming love.

College Governance

Southern Christian College was initially founded as a ministry of CityLight Church and is now governed by a College Board. The College Board is responsible for Governance of the College including the oversight of the strategic plan and policies. Management and educational programming are the responsibility of the Principal.

The College Council members are:

Mr Adrian McKenna (Chairman)

Mrs Deanne Edwards (Secretary)

Pastor Bernie Hartog

Mrs Fiona Witcomb

Mr Chris Hawkins

The Principal is an ex officio and non-voting member of the Council.

Teaching Staff

Southern Christian College’s teaching staff are experienced, tertiary trained professionals who hold current registration with the Teachers Registration Board of Tasmania.

Our teachers are committed to the ongoing development of knowledge and skills through regular Professional Development. They frequently undertake training in areas such as the future of education, curriculum implementation and effective and innovative teaching practice, student social and emotional development, using technology and teaching with a Christian focus.

Southern Christian College maintains a high staff retention rate year to year.

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