Ms Caro received the Commonwealth Bank Teaching Fellowship at a ceremony in Sydney on Friday, March 23. The awards, which are held in partnership with the education not-for-profit Schools Plus, recognise teachers who are ‘transforming’ learning outcomes at schools. 

Rosemary Conn, the CEO of Schools Plus, said Ms Caro was changing the lives of hundreds of students through her creative and inspiring approach to education.

The principal said she has been committed to instilling the notion that well-being is the foundation of learning. 

“I was selected because of the impact I was able to show in areas like the school’s HSC and NAPLAN results and a change in our culture: more acknowledgement of student success and more involvement of the community.

“This change has led us to having a well being centre on site, as well as having an impact last year on suspension rates, which were reduced by 40 per cent.”

She said she applied for the fellowship in part to recognise the positive role people outside the school were having on students’ lives. 

“Lithgow is really doing some really fantastic things.

“I don’t just mean the high school I mean the Lithgow community. I think it really is a cohesive community that does engage and want to work with young people.”

Some projects that have seen collaboration between the school and Lithgow’s business and welfare community include the school’s ‘vivo’ points system, which rewards students by giving them points for discounts and vouchers at local businesses, the week of work experience every Year 10 student participated in last year, and having Lithgow health professionals work with students onsite at the school’s well-being centre. 

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“It makes sense that we are a community school and we are connected to the community. That’s a big thing for me,” she said.

“It’s all about aspiration and building hope in the kids, making education purposeful and connected to their lives outside of school and making them feel they not only part of the high school but part of the community.”

The fellowship will provide Ms Caro with professional development and also provide funding for her to implement a major project at the school. 

Ms Caro said she hoped to develop a program that develops social intelligence.

“It will be about developing an embedded and sustainable practice for all kids, and for some targeted kids, about building people skills and assisting them to become thoughtful, critical, considerate and empathetic adults.”