Our People
11 September, 2025
Class is in session
ARARAT College has welcomed new acting principal Jenette Penn, following the departure of Ellie McDougall last semester.
Formerly an Assistant Principal at Warrnambool College, Ms Penn said the move was a chance to take on new challenges.
“I was looking for new and different opportunities to be able to expand my experiences and just for something different, and this position for six months came up, and I thought that would be something I was excited about.”
Alongside her leadership role, Ms Penn describes herself as a teacher first and foremost.
“I will always be a teacher, it’s my life. And very happy to jump into any classroom at any stage and really do enjoy the teaching side of things,” she said.
“Leading and leadership is a part of teaching. It’s still very much my passion.”
She has spent her first weeks in homerooms meeting students and staff across the school.
“Getting to know the students in that way has been really great, and the staff have been awesome too. What they are doing here is awesome,” she said.
Making the change from large coastal schools to the smaller rural life has been one that Ms Penn has enjoyed and she hopes that fresh eyes will be welcomed into the school community.
“It’s been a lovely change, it’s lovely to be in a smaller school where you can get to learn everyone really quickly because of the sheer numbers.
To be able to bring my experience from working in large schools, to be able to bring them in a different way of looking at things here.”
Ms Penn says she hopes to encourage flexibility and fresh thinking within the school community.
“The idea of being able to be more adaptable to new ideas and to be able to look beyond the school for solutions, to be able to highlight different possibilities or different experiences. To move the school forward and to be able to progress our students.”
Looking ahead, Ms Penn said her role will help set the school up for its next permanent principal.
She hopes that her time with the school will be the stepping stone for the new principal to be selected and appointed next year.
“Irrespective of who’s the principal here, we have got a fully staffed school, we’ve got a strong budget, and it’s all ready to go,” she said.
“And the students have got a pathway through the school to whatever their future is.”
Read More: Ararat