2021 NGS Super Scholarship Awards - meet the winners

NGS Super is delighted to announce the winners of the 2021 NGS Super Scholarship Awards.

This year’s award winners promise to be changemakers in the education sector, responding to our challenge to create ideas that will make a difference.

The winners of NGS Super’s $5,000 scholarships in the navigating life, sustainability and general categories are:

Jennifer Greenland, Sustainability category, Grace Lutheran College (QLD) JUDGES CHOICE

Passionate about sustainable energy and environmental awareness, Jennifer will use her scholarship winnings to design and construct solar/wind charging stations for electronic devices around her school’s grounds as part of a pilot program. The program aims to increase the school’s energy efficiency, provide opportunities to engage in STEM education, raise awareness of environmental sustainability and to encourage both students and staff to apply their sustainability knowledge when solving real-world problems. Jennifer is excited to advocate the benefits of this program with hopes for it to be adopted by other schools in the region.

Narelle Steffan, General category, Pulteney Grammar School (SA)

As a primary performing arts teacher, Narelle strives to ensure all students build healthy social and emotional skills through the creative arts. Narelle will use her scholarship from NGS Super to develop a program aiding primary teachers to provide an inclusive and integrated arts education. The comprehensive program utilises cognitive, physical, sensory, social, emotional and neurological experiences while also embracing EAL/D, gifted and First Nations People. Narelle’s program will encompass professional learning in-school consultations and online resources consisting of books and video content for educators. Narelle hopes to encourage young Australian children to discover and appreciate the arts as a form of personal expression and to make meaning in their world.

Melanie Lenneau, Navigating life category, Hunter Valley Grammar (NSW)

Committed to understanding the impacts of the cyber world on the younger generation, Melanie has commenced writing a cyber-wellness program for primary education. Using the pillars of Positive Education (PERMAH), the program will be accessible for students in years 4-6 and will focus on the social-emotional implications of the cyber world and its impact on learning. Melanie is passionate about making a positive change, embarking on a Master of Education Philosophy (2022) in hopes to research cyber wellness best practices in primary education. She will use her scholarship to further this work.

Danielle Abbott, General category, Santa Sabina College (NSW)

Drawing inspiration from her engagement with the National Music Teacher Mentoring Program last year, Danielle is determined to make the teaching of music in young learners more accessible. Danielle will use her scholarship to create a series of free video-based music lessons for children in Kindergarten to year 2. The music lessons within the program will be based on the Australian curriculum and Creative Arts Syllabus and be made accessible for children remote home learning, as well as those in the classroom. Danielle is excited to develop her professional skills and knowledge further by learning and working with leaders in music education.

Gordon Naidoo, General category, St Andrews Lutheran College (QLD)

Having completed a PhD in Project-Based Learning (PBL) and as a regular STEM educator, Gordon is passionate about the correlation between STEM knowledge and the ability to address real-life problems in high school students. Gordons's scholarship winnings will go towards designing effective and efficient programs for his school, engaging students, universities and educators in the benefits of PBL. Gordon has strong ambitions to develop valuable employability skills such as teamwork, collaboration, critical thinking skills and creativity for Australian students.

Anne Wood, Navigating life category, A.B. Paterson College (QLD)

As Vice President of the English Teachers Association of Queensland, Anne is an advocate for the importance of English in the Australian curriculum. Anne will use her NGS Super Scholarship grant to develop a poetry workshop where students from her school can collaborate with students in other parts of Queensland to create digital poetry. The workshop aims to improve students’ literacy skills, teach coding skills and develop ongoing friendships through the online experience. Anne understands the interests of current students and their engagement with digital platforms, using this as the driver behind the digital workshop.

Talitha Phillips, Navigating life category, Grace Lutheran College (QLD) CEO PICK

Growing up in a Torres Strait Islander family and now working as a teacher, Talitha recognises the large gap between Australian students and their knowledge of Indigenous culture. Committed to minimising this gap, Talitha will use her winnings to create an Indigenous Australians Database (IAD) that includes information regarding indigenous region names, locations, languages, artifacts, stories, elder contacts and resources. Non-indigenous teachers will be able to utilise the IAD to ensure Australian students have embedded knowledge of Indigenous culture in all areas of their education.