Board Members | Balcatta Senior High School

Balcatta Senior High School Board members

Balcatta SHS School Board consists of the following members:

Helen Maitland - Principal
Helen joined us as one of our two Associate Principals in 2015 responsible for students in Years 7 to 9. In 2019, Helen won the position of Principal of Balcatta Senior High School. Helen started her career as a teacher of Home Economics and then went on to become Head of Learning Area. Helen has extensive experience as a Deputy Principal and brings a wealth of expertise in student services, curriculum and whole school planning. Helen believes that when teachers, parents and community members work together, we maximise the chances for every child’s future success.

Kevin Fraser - Chair of the School Board
Kevin has a long association of engagement in Music and Arts Education including instrumental music teaching, ensemble direction, performance and administration. He has cherished the opportunity to be involved in these varied roles of music education, leadership and mentoring. Kevin’s own teachers and mentors have been inspirational, professional in approach and excellent motivators.
His work teaching and administering schools and community groups over the course of his career, has led to a large number of public performances at school and community events. His experience in teaching at Gifted and Talented programs has enriched his knowledge of the full range of arts presentations and allowed him to build a rich network of contacts within the arts community generally.
Kevin’s experience as Program Coordinator of Classical Guitar at the Department of Education - Instrumental Music School Services (IMSS) includes involvement in the Western Australian Classical Guitar Ensemble Festival and ranges from performance to conductor/director of ensembles and Co-Director of the Festival on a number of occasions. He spent a number of years as the Vice-President of the Classical Guitar Society of WA (CGSWA) and convenor of the ‘Classical Guitar Forums’.
Kevin’s wide ranging experience as Deputy Principal at Schools, IMSS and through a deep engagement with tertiary institutions, affords him the widest ranging view of education contexts and programs across WA. He has had the opportunity to visit, view and engage with a range of teams and presentations through his role as a consultant for secondary schools in WA. This has facilitated a deeper knowledge of programs over a wide range of schools and levels with a variety of outcomes and successes.

COMMUNITY MEMBERS

Professor Ted Snell AM
Professor Ted Snell, AM CitWA, is Chief Cultural Officer at the University of Western Australia. Over the past two decades, he has contributed to the national arts agenda through roles as Chair of the Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council, Chair of Artbank, Chair of the Asialink Visual Arts Advisory Committee and as a Board member of the National Association for the Visual Arts. He is currently on the board of the UQ Art Museum, the ARC Advisory Council, Chair of the Australian Experimental Art Foundation, Adelaide and Chair of University Art Museums Australia. He has been a commentator on the arts for ABC radio and television and is currently Perth art reviewer for The Australian and a regular contributor to local and national journals. He is also the patron of Balcatta Senior High School's Gifted and Talented Visual Art Program.

Chris Hatton
Chris has always been involved in education and building strong communities. He is an experienced teacher and a former State Member of Parliament. His wife teaches at West Balcatta Primary School and his four children all attended Balcatta Senior High School. Chris believes in supporting local school initiatives and providing great educational opportunities for Balcatta High School students. He is very keen to be a part of the new school building program and to see the benefits to teachers, students and learning.

Carli Sanbrook
Carli is a passionate Drama and English teacher as well as an experienced Coordinator of Performing Arts. Carli holds a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership and Management and is currently studying her PhD. Her research interests include student wellness, pre-service teacher experiences and scholarly internships. Carli is a Lecturer and Academic Coordinator of Professional Practice (secondary) at Edith Cowan University.

PARENT MEMBERS

Georgina Dragicevich-Knight
Georgie became a Board member in 2017 and is a parent of a current Year 7 and Year 9 student. Previously, she served on the Board of St Lawrence Primary School for five years. Georgie is passionate about working with all members of the Board in raising the profile of the school as a first choice destination for students.

Phillip Saraceni
Phillip became a Board member in 2019 and is a parent of a current Year 7 student and a Year 5 student at West Balcatta Primary School. He is excited about the benefits the redevelopment program will provide our students. Phillip will assist and work with the Board to enhance the profile of the school ensuring that the local community place Balcatta SHS as their first choice in high schools.

Igor Veljanoski
Igor became a Board member in 2019 and is a parent of a current
Year 7 student. He is a former graduate of Balcatta SHS (class of '94). Igor is a passionate advocate of the school within the community, is very keen for the school to be the first choice destination for students and is excited about the benefits of the new school building program for students, staff and the community.

George Ognenis
George joined the board as a new parent member in February 2021. He is the parent of a Year 10 student and a Year 8 student. He has another child in Year 4 at West Balcatta Primary School. He is keen to listen to the voices of the Principal, teachers, parents, and students to understand the opportunities and challenges that BSHS faces and to help our students towards their chosen path with confidence and to be well-prepared.

Steven Summers
Steve join the board as a new parent member in 2021. He is the parent of a Year 7 student with another child to join in 2023. He is excited about the new opportunities that the long awaited Balcatta SHS upgrade will bring for all students. He has great expectations that the upgrade will bring those opportunities to life. One of his core objectives is to get Balcatta SHS as the high school of choice for our local area intake schools. He loves a chat and is looking forward to being involved and adding value wherever he can.

STAFF MEMBERS

Anna Sanzogni
Anna is School Board Secretary and has been a teacher librarian at Balcatta Senior High School since 1987. Before joining Balcatta Senior High School, she taught at Harvey Agricultural District High School, South Fremantle Senior High School and Mirrabooka Senior High School.

Tessa Curtis
Years 10-12 Associate Principal at Balcatta SHS

David Curtis
David’s strong contribution to Student Services is underpinned by his commitment to the Berry Street Model which uses strength-based approaches to promote student growth. His professionalism reflects the shared values of excellence, equity and care that are fostered through the Department of Education. He promotes high expectations for all students in his role as Year Coordinator for Years 11 and 12.