The Meriden community celebrates and expresses its gratitude to our dedicated teachers this World Teachers’ Day. Meriden teachers are not just educators, they are masters of their craft and lifelong learners who provide guidance and inspiration to all Meriden girls. They teach with passion, innovation and flexibility, equipping the girls with skills to navigate and contribute to a rapidly changing world.
All Meriden teachers embody these qualities, including our Principal, Mrs Lisa Brown; Research Fellow and Science Teacher, Dr Ann Göth; Music teacher, Ms Nicky Abkiewicz; and Design and Creative Arts teacher Mr Ian Randall. Read more about their life beyond the classroom and how it inspires and enriches the education of all Meriden students.
Mrs Lisa Brown, Principal, academic and role model
The greatest supporter of Meriden staff and students is our Principal, Mrs Lisa Brown. She is a constant presence at Meriden events, from concerts and musicals to Saturday sport games and alumni reunions. Her approachability and accessibility have continued to strengthen the school’s culture of open communication and created a strong sense of belonging for all students, staff and the community.
Mrs Brown is an experienced educator in and outside of the classroom. Joining Meriden as an Applied Science teacher in 2004, she later consolidated her understanding and experience of the day-to-day operations and strategic planning of the school in her roles as Year Coordinator, Head of Sport and Head of Campus before becoming Meriden’s eleventh Principal in 2023.
Mrs Brown’s hands-on approach to leadership and teaching demonstrates Meriden’s holistic and balanced approach to education. This saw Mrs Brown stepping into the role of Netball co-coach of a Year 7 team last season.
“Coaching is similar to teaching in that you get to guide your students and athletes to perform to their best and reach their potential. I loved witnessing the progression of skills throughout the season.”
As an educator, Mrs Brown values all opportunities to continue learning. Meriden teachers and support staff are encouraged and supported to engage in professional learning throughout the year. Mrs Brown herself continues to learn and is currently completing a PhD on the topic of Women in Leadership.
“There is so much research supporting the benefits of having women in leadership roles, but there is still an underrepresentation of women in these positions. I hope to identify ways to further develop leadership capability in young women, resulting in more women aspiring to leadership roles.”
Our students and staff are the ultimate beneficiaries of Mrs Brown’s knowledge. She engages with Senior School students each week, imparting words of wisdom for students to consider and reflect upon during the week.
Dr Ann Göth, Research Fellow and Science Teacher, and bush-turkey expert
Dr Ann Göth is both a Research Fellow and a Science teacher in the Senior School at Meriden. She is an expert in megapodes – a family of mound-building incubator birds – and is also regarded as a world authority on the Australian brush-turkey, which is also commonly known as the bush-turkey.
“I thoroughly enjoy the two roles I have at Meriden, as they allow me to share my love of Biology and Research with our students.”
“I have found that my experience in the field and anecdotes from my research help to inspire my students and bring scientific content to life,” Dr Göth said.
“As a Research Fellow, I assist girls from Years 7 to 12, providing them with the skills they need to successfully undertake research tasks in every subject. I provide a mentoring role, helping students utilise our extensive research databases, books, journal articles and websites to find reliable sources of information.”
“I also ensure that our students cite resources correctly,” Dr Göth said, which prepares students for future tertiary studies.
Driven by the extraordinary amount of easily accessible information that is riddled with mis- and disinformation, Dr Göth applied her expertise to introduce a Media Literacy workshop to Meriden last year, which helps students to distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources of information.
“The most important thing that a student can do is to approach the results of their investigations with a critical mind and ask themselves questions about their work. For example, is that really true? Do other sources confirm this information?
“These are just some of the questions we teach students at Meriden to ask each time they research a new topic.
“The ability to think critically and identify unreliable information is an essential skill to have, especially in a world that is increasingly dominated by content generated by artificial intelligence, or AI, and fake or manipulated and biased news.”
The Media Literacy workshop is held each year by Dr Göth for all Year 9 students.
Ms Nicky Abkiewicz, Music Teacher and National Solo Champion – tenor horn
Ms Nicky Abkiewicz is a music teacher in the Junior School and Senior School, and is the current Australian National Solo Champion, tenor horn, a title that she defended earlier this year.
“I’ve been playing tenor horn since the age of nine. The tenor horn is usually only featured in brass bands and plays the equivalent role to a French horn within an ensemble.”
Ms Abkiewicz performs mainly with the Sydney City Brass band, and she plays for a number of other community bands throughout NSW for concerts and competitions. “I recently performed as a soloist for ‘Women in Brass’ – a band consisting of the top female brass players in Australia.”
Being an active band member, Ms Abkiewicz is appreciative of the challenges and processes her students go through while learning music, mastering repertoire and performing in an ensemble.
“Music plays such a big role in the Meriden community,” Ms Abkiewicz said.
“Teamwork is integral to both performing in an ensemble and teaching within a school. Working towards a band concert or teaching a class new content involves working together to achieve a common goal.”
“The collaborative environment created by the expert Music staff at Meriden, the excellent facilities, and the students’ passion for Music across the Senior School and Junior School makes teaching at Meriden rewarding and enjoyable.”
Since the Australian National Band and Solo Championships earlier in the year, Ms Abkiewicz has been focusing on concert repertoire and working towards recording some solo works with Sydney City Brass in 2025. “I will be entering the National Championships as a soloist and also as part of the band next year.”
Ms Abkiewicz teaches music in the Senior School, and the Years 3 and 5 Instrumental Program. She also conducts the Junior Band and Brass Ensemble and leads sectionals for Wind Symphony, Sinfonia and Concert Band ensembles.
Mr Ian Randall, Design and Technology Teacher and inventor
All students have a creative voice to express, believes Mr Ian Randall.
He is one of our Design and Creative Arts teachers – and a globally recognised figure in the sport of rowing.
Mr Randall is the inventor of the Randallfoil, an attachment for rowing oars used at the very highest level of the sport. The device sits on the top of a rower’s oar, assisting with blade stabilisation and making sure that the paddle is at the optimal depth to exert the greatest possible force through the water.
The invention is a wonderful example of a small idea having a large impact. The Randallfoil has been shown to increase boat speed by up to 5% when used correctly, which can make all the difference in a racing context.
Mr Randall shares his wealth of creative experience with girls in the Senior School studying Visual Arts, Graphic Design and Design and Technology.
By bringing his real-world experience into his lessons, Mr Randall helps girls think about not only how to express their creativity, but also to think practically about how their creative expressions can make an impact outside of the classroom.
“We want our girls to be aware of the visual and design languages, so they can share their story and find their voice,” he said.
Mr Randall reflected that Meriden is a place where students are regularly encouraged to explore their creative limits, and so teaching here has been as joyful an experience for him as it is for his students.
“Being in teaching is a real privilege. I had an art teacher who told me: if you want to be an artist, become a teacher. Because you are around people at the most creative stage of their life.
“You are talking about art all the time, and you get covered in art every day. Having that contact with others is important as an artist or designer.”
