Darren was appointed Principal of Sacred Heart College in January 2019. Darren has had almost 30 years experience in teaching and leadership across a number of Victorian Catholic secondary schools. These include eight years as Principal of Mercy Regional College, Camperdown; nine years as Deputy Principal and Director of Mission at Mount Lilydale Mercy College; seven years as a Chemistry, Religious Education and Science teacher as well as REC at Sacred Heart College, Geelong.

Darren has been committed to a lifetime of study and professional development. After completing his initial degree of Bachelor of Science and Graduate Diploma of Education at the University of Melbourne, he continued his study by completing a Graduate Diploma of Religious Education, a Masters of Religious Education and a Doctor of Education, all at Australian Catholic University. In 2018, Darren participated in the Enhancing Catholic School Identity programme in Leuven, Belgium.

Darren has a deep and passionate affiliation with the Mercy tradition and charism and believes that Mercy schools must be “…committed to holistic education; determined to ensure that each student flourishes academically, spiritually, emotionally, socially and physically”.

The purpose of the Catholic school is to provide “… an authentic Christian education, where students are called to embrace the essence of the Gospels, to flourish as whole human persons” and “… to provide exemplary learning experiences for the students who attend”.

Debra joined Sacred Heart at the beginning of 2016.

Prior to 2016 Debra taught at St Patrick’s College in Ballarat and Padua College in Mornington holding a number of different leadership roles at both schools. Her experiences taught her that country schools and their students face different issues and experiences from their city counterparts. Sacred Heart offers students the best of both worlds – a wide range of subjects and pathways with the community feel of a country school.

Her teaching background has been predominantly in the subject areas of Business Management and Economics. She is a textbook author, has collaborated on many educational videos and has held a number of roles with the VCAA. These experiences have led to a great awareness that the jobs available in the future will be vastly different from those which exist today. This is something which Sacred Heart College must consider to ensure that we meet the changing needs of our students.

Sam joined the College Leadership Team in 2023. In previous years, Sam has been the Religious Education Leader at Sacred Heart College, and Deputy Principal: Learning Faith at Santa Maria College.

Sam holds Masters level degrees in Religious Education, Theology, and Educational Leadership, and finds great joy in opportunities for learning and growth. His work is underpinned by an appreciation that a Catholic education is an education in love: love for self; love for others; love for the earth; and love for the vulnerable.

Nourished by the living charism of the Sisters of Mercy, Sam works with students and staff as together they imagine creative and hope-filled opportunities “to walk the path that Catherine trod”.

Sam feels blessed to hear each day the spiritual wisdom offered by Sacred Heart students as they respond to the world and their place in it, and he seeks to create opportunities for the college community to listen deeply to what the Holy Spirit is saying to us, and saying through us.

Peita commenced at Sacred Heart College Kyneton in 2007. A qualified and experienced Teacher Librarian, she was delighted to join the College Community in the region where she grew up and resides.

A proud life-long learner, Peita has focused on building her leadership capacity and experience by diversifying and maintaining a variety of roles over the past sixteen years at the College, including Learning Resource Leader, Humanities Learning Leader, and VCE Coordinator. She enjoys working closely with the staff to ensure the most optimum outcomes for our students.

Peita strongly believes in advocating for the wellbeing of staff in their demanding work as educators, whilst also ensuring accountability of compliance and expectations. In her role as Director of Staff, Peita is determined to foster a culture of collegiality and excellence. She looks forward to applying her knowledge and experience to assist the staff at Sacred Heart College to continue to build their capacity in pedagogy and leadership.

Matthew joined Sacred Heart College in January 2021. Matthew came to the school with more than a decade of experience in the education and learning space. Matthew’s previous roles include Finance Manager at the Yarra Plenty Regional Library Corporation, School Accountant at the Knox School in Wantirna, and the Finance and Project Manager at Plenty Valley International Montessori School in St Helena.

Matthew is a Fellow of the Institute of Public Accountants and completed his Master of Commerce in Professional Accounting through the University of New England. Matthew is passionate about the stewardship of school finances and operations to support our educators and support staff in sustainably providing the best possible education and environment for our young people to flourish.