Our Team.

Dr Lars Andersson

Dr Lars Andersson has worked in Victorian education for the past twenty years after migrating to Australia from his native country of Sweden in 2000. Before taking on the principal role at RHS, he worked at Glen Waverley Secondary College as Assistant Principal – Teaching and Learning. He has also held roles as a Leading Teacher at the Mac.Robertson Girls’ High School, as a Head of English at MLC, and as a Director of Pedagogy at Glen Waverley SC. As a leader, coach and presenter, Lars has spent most of his leadership career exploring what excellence in teaching and learning looks like, as well as working with teachers to strengthen their capacity to help students learn in class. In 2009, he completed a PhD at Melbourne University with a thesis on the Australian author Patrick White. Lars lives in St Kilda with his wife and daughter.

James Taylor

Before his promotion to Assistant Principal James Taylor was the Head of Sub-School – Triggs House at The University High School. He has had the roles of Daily Organiser, ICT Coordinator and Timetabler at that school. He was Director of Computing at Frankston High School, one of the first schools to adopt a whole school approach to eLearning. His qualifications include Leadership: An Evolving Vision from Harvard, Boston, USA, a Masters of School Leadership (High Distinction) from Monash University, a Graduate Diploma of Education (High Distinction) from The University of Melbourne, and a Bachelor of Media Studies with Honours (First Class Honours) RMIT. He is a teacher of English and Media. Assistant Principal – Student Services, Support and Culture; Senior Years Program (Yr10-12); School Organisation; Camps and Excursions; Facilities and ICT; Family Engagement; Professional Learning and Performance Development. Mr. Taylor is highly regarded for his work in the formation and development of school culture and the wonderful inclusive culture he creates for students and the teachers working with them. In 2019, Mr Taylor was awarded an inaugural Menzies Foundation School Leaders Fellowship in recognition of his contribution to school leadership in Victoria, and his potential as a system leader in Australia.

Victoria Triantafyllou

Prior to her promotion to Assistant Principal Victoria Triantafyllou was Head of School 7 – 9, Junior Curriculum Leader and Success Coordinator at Hoppers Crossing Secondary College. She has been a classroom teacher and Head of Science at Thornbury High School. Her qualifications include a Masters of Instructional Leadership from The University of Melbourne, Specialist Certificate in Education in Clinical Teaching and Assessment from The University of Melbourne and a Bachelor of Applied Sciences and Bachelor of Education from RMIT. She is a teacher of General Science, Biology and Mathematics. Ms. Triantafyllou is Assistant Principal – Teaching and Learning, Middle Years Programs (7-9), Occupational Health and Safety Professional Learning and Performance and Development, Transition and Primary School Relationships. Ms. Triantafyllou is highly regarded for her work in the construction and development of the a highly effective curriculum, evidence based teaching and learning programs and the positive learning culture she creates for students and teachers.

Charlene Lloyd

Charlene Lloyd came to us from Vermont Secondary College. She has long experience as an Integration Aide and Program manager. She is establishing highly professional school systems and supporting the development and setup of other new schools. She started at Richmond High School in 2018.

Kelly Bruce (Establishment Teacher)

Kelly Bruce is an enthusiastic and passionate educator and is particularly proud of state education and the wonderful opportunities that state schools offer our young people today. She joins us from Vermont Secondary College where she was a Year Level Coordinator for three years and then the Head of Wellbeing for four years. During that time she established a whole school approach to student wellbeing, implemented the Be You and Respectful Relationships initiatives and taught English and History for 8 years. Kelly completed her undergraduate double degree at Deakin in Education and Arts and then later did her Masters in Education (Student Wellbeing). Kelly is passionate about developing strong relationships with the students and teachers that she works with.

Lachlan Mann (Establishment Teacher)

Lisa Spain (Establishment Teacher)

Lisa Spain joins us from Brookside P-9 College. She graduated from her Masters of Teaching (Secondary) in 2016, previously completing a Bachelor of Arts (History and Sociology) in 2014. At her previous school, Lisa was the Secondary Humanities Leader. She also created and led the Year 9 Futures Program, an alternative curriculum for Year 9 students with a focus on community connections and real world learning experiences. Lisa has taught junior English, Geography, Civics, and Economics, but her biggest passion is fostering a curiosity for history in her students.

Mia Withers (Establishment Teacher)

Mia has a passion for the environment and educating young people in science, in particular encouraging young women to pursue interests in STEM. She completed both a Bachelor of Science, majoring in human physiology, and a Master of Teaching at the University of Melbourne. In 2016, Mia travelled to the USA to work as a Camp America Counselor and it was here that she discovered her passion for teaching and working with young people. Mia enjoys spending time with her pets, reading and travelling, she is originally from Tasmania and travels back there whenever she has the opportunity. Mia is thrilled to have joined the RHS community and is enjoying building strong relationships with her students and nurturing their passion in science.

Jessica Hayes (Establishment Teacher)

Jessica’s teaching career began in 2015 after completing my Bachelor of Physical Education, minoring in math at Deakin University. Over the past four and a half years she has worked at Lalor North College in Epping, where she has taught Year 7-10 Physical Education, Health and Outdoor Education, as well as working in the senior school teaching VCE PE and VET Sport and Recreation. Jessica has worked as a years 8 and 9 level coordinator for the past 2.5 years and coordinated interschool sports.

Jessica’s passion for teaching PE comes through a love of all sports, hanging up the netball shoes for football boots 3 years ago. As senior women’s captain of Fitzroy Football club, Jessica has been a part of the amazing development of women’s football and it just continues to grow! Jessica is very much looking forward to sharing my love of learning through physical activity with the students of Richmond High School as it grows and develops.

Zachary Alaimo (Establishment Teacher)

Selina Braine (Establishment Teacher)

Selina Braine joins us after working at Diamond Valley College, for the past nine and half years, where she wore many hats, the most recent of which as The Arts Domain Leader, member of the school’s Professional Learning Team, and VCE Academic Mentor. She has extensive experience teaching in the Visual Arts and Visual Communication Design from years seven through to VCE. She has also worked for the VCAA, for a number of years, as an exam assessor, Education State Assessor and trained in Formative Assessment Strategies for the Visual Arts. Selina lived in Brisbane until 2006, where she completed an Honours Degree in Fine Arts at Queensland University of Technology. She completed a Master of Teaching at The University of Melbourne in 2010. Selina has exhibited work in both Victoria and Queensland, including Ipswich Art Gallery, George Paton Gallery and The State Library of Queensland. She last exhibited at Blindside Gallery in 2016. She is excited to be a part of the rich, diverse and creative community of Richmond and is passionate about developing innovative, student centered curriculum in both Art and Design.

Stanley Wang (Establishment Teacher)

Stanley is a passionate language and bilingual educator, having completed a Bachelor of Arts (Linguistics and Japanese), Bachelor of Commerce (Economics), and Master of Teaching (Secondary) at the University of Melbourne. He became a teacher through the Teach For Australia program in 2012, and has since worked as Head of Languages at Haileybury, Chief Executive Officer at Teach For Taiwan, and Principal of Abbotsford Primary School. Stanley co-convenes the Intensive Chinese Network with his fellow RHS colleague Yin Zhang to support bilingual program teachers across the country. He is also a strong advocate for language learning as a means for fostering intercultural capabilities. Stanley speaks English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and French to various degrees of fluency and is always learning new languages to add to his portfolio.

Ben Russell (Foundation Teacher)

Ben Russell joined the foundation staff at Richmond High School in 2018. After completing VCE in 2009, Ben spent eight months volunteering as a primary school teacher in Uganda, an experience that set the wheels in motion for a career in education. He completed a Bachelor of Arts (Global) degree, majoring in International Relations and Sociology, before completing a Master of Teaching (Secondary) at the University of Melbourne in 2016, from which he graduated as the Valedictorian. Ben is passionate about developing and delivering engaging, differentiated curriculum for his students, and he is thrilled to continue working with his colleagues to develop an exciting curriculum, positive school culture and a thriving RHS community.

Emily Carroll (Foundation Teacher)

Emily Carroll came to us from University High School. Emily completed a Bachelor of Fine Art at Monash University and graduated from the M-Teach Master of Teaching program at The University of Melbourne. She has had a number of exhibitions both in Victoria and overseas. The last one being at the Brunswick Street Gallery in 2016. She has curated exhibitions for the MADA Gallery at Monash University and is a Foundation Member of artmeetari.com – an artist’s run initiative. Previously Emily has had a lengthy career in Advertising, as well as having an involvement with the Aspiration Initiative. Emily has enjoyed developing both the Visual Art and Innovation curriculum at Richmond High School this year. Emily looks forward to creating spaces and opportunities for students both in the new building and in the community dedicated to promoting a range of works and ideas.

Peter Eley (Establishment Teacher)

Peter completed a Bachelor of Engineer degree from the University of Western Australia in 2012, and shifted to a career in education after 5 years working as a mining engineer. In 2016, Peter studied part-time a Graduate Diploma of Education, before moving to Melbourne late 2017. He has worked as a casual relief teacher and worked in short term positions at Hampton Park Secondary College and Camberwell High School. Peter is a kind and dedicated mathematics and science teacher who incorporates real world applications into the classroom. He builds strong relationships with students and colleagues, and believes a positive school environment will result in student success. Peter is passionate about Ultimate Frisbee and has represented Australia on multiple occasions. He is one of the founders and organisers for the gender-equitable Australian Ultimate League, which started its inaugural season in 2018.

Daniel Croft (Establishment Teacher)

After completing a double major arts degree in 2016 at Deakin University where he majored in Drama and Psychology. Daniel went straight to Melbourne University to pursue a career in teaching, completing the Masters of Teaching in 2018. Upon completion of this course in 2019, Daniel began his career as a Drama, Psychology and Maths Teacher, in the Gippsland Region at Sale College. His other responsibilities at Sale College included Sports Coordinator and Production Organiser. Outside of school Daniel is a keen athlete who loves Basketball, Cricket and AFL. As a member of the remarkable Richmond High team Daniel will look to bring his passion for education and extra curricular activities to each and every student.

Seamus Kavanagh (Establishment Teacher)

Seamus is an enthusiastic and dedicated teacher and Year 8 Coordinator, having completed a Master of Teaching at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education. Prior to this he completed a Bachelor of Arts at Melbourne University and an additional year of Honours in History that included a thesis on Russian soldiers during World War Two. He enjoys reading widely, history, traveling, going to the theatre and especially watching, discussing and playing basketball. He works diligently to build strong and respectful relationships with students, staff and parents, ensuring that the positive and inclusive school culture continues at our school.

Georgia Gabron-Uhe (Establishment Teacher)

Georgia is excited to bring her passion for student wellbeing and restorative practice to her role of Year 7 coordinator. She looks forward to building positive relationships with students, staff and the wider Richmond community. Georgia graduated from Monash University, with a Bachelor of Education (Honours) in Health and Physical Education. She is passionate about exposing students to the diverse nature of Health and Physical Education, in her role as a Lifecycle Teacher. She hopes to make a positive difference in students’ lives by promoting an inclusive, open and innovative learning environment. Georgia is excited to continue working with her colleagues to develop tasks that advocate students’ voice, agency and growth.

Hannah Burridge (Establishment Teacher)

Annabel Barton (Establishment Teacher)

Annabel Barton graduated from Australian Catholic University in 2014 and began her teaching career at Brentwood Secondary College. She has taught English to all year levels as well as junior History, Geography and Drama but is particularly passionate about supporting students with low literacy. She is keen on building genuine, positive relationships with students both in and out of the classroom, particularly through co-curricular activities such as camps and drama performances.

Georgina Bull (Establishment Teacher)

Georgina Bull is joining Richmond High School next year as an English and Humanities teacher. After graduating with a Masters of Teaching (Secondary) from the University of Melbourne in 2018, Georgina has been working as an English and Humanities teacher at Melbourne Girls’ College. She is passionate about her subject areas, and her approach to teaching is based around a genuine care for each and every one of her students. She believes in fostering a love of learning in her students and developing skills and capabilities that will help students flourish both during their schooling years and beyond. Georgina is excited to be joining the team at Richmond High School in 2020.

Hannah Chambers (Establishment Teacher)

Freya Findlay (Establishment Teacher)

Tom Hopwood (Establishment Teacher)

Tiger Liu (Establishment Teacher)

A dedicated bookworm and enthusiastic reader for all his life, Tiger is living a childhood dream in managing Richmond High School’s library. His teaching experiences have taken him down to foundation and up to VCE English, teaching multiple classes in three languages. Throughout his career, Tiger’s focus has been heavily on fostering a love of reading and building healthy reading habits.  When he isn’t stuck in a book or browsing a bookstore, you’ll usually find Tiger strumming on his guitar or fighting gravity in the gym.

Tony Merlino (Establishment Teacher)

Julian Scheffer (Establishment Teacher)

Julian is an English teacher at RHS and works with year 7, 8, 9 and 10. In a previous life, Julian worked in music education for many years including Yamaha Music Australia, Musica Viva, and various school instrumental and ensemble programs. Julian has also facilitated music workshops at major music festivals including, WomAdelaide and Woodford Folk Festival and Universities such as ANU, UoM and Melbourne Polytechnic. Julian graduated from UoM Mteach secondary in 2016 and has worked in the English and Literacy space ever since. Julian has a love of literature and language and is dedicated to fostering lifelong readers and writers.

Christy Tan (Establishment Teacher)

Patricia Alevizos (Establishment Professional Staff)

Terry Gardiner (Foundation Professional Staff)

Computer Technician - Adrian Godyn

Bonny Grant

Rani Hannah (Establishment Professional Staff)

Rani is a Gundijumara woman from Western Victoria. She grew up on Phillip Island where she developed a love of the natural world and learning about the surrounding environment. Reading has also always been a passion with it often being joked she would read a Weatbix box if there’s nothing else. Rani became interested in education support while being a parent helper at her own child’s primary school. Equity for students has become another interest which is the reason for retraining in education support. She has a firm belief that the right to accessible education is a right all students have and it is a right that must be upheld.

Carolyn Jackson (Establishment Professional Staff)

Nick Livingston (Establishment Professional Staff)

Nasir Mussabehe (Establishment Professional Staff)

Krystle Sherborne (Establishment Professional Staff)

Sunanda Sudharmarajan (Establishment Professional Staff)

Angelique Vardis (Establishment Professional Staff)

Cherry Ishida joins us as a recent graduate from Victoria University, Master of Counselling. She has always wanted to work in schools and strongly believes in the support and development of young people. She is very grateful to be working in a school such as Richmond High School, who’s mission and values closely resonates with her own.

Tom Wales (Establishment Professional Staff)

Paige Willing (Establishment Professional Staff)

Paige Willing comes to us from 10 years of service at Camberwell High School. Her many roles included Administration for Junior and Senior School, Accounts Payable and Receivable. She couldn’t have been more thrilled to start a new beginning at RHS where she has been able to grow her skills and learn new ones. Paige is so thankful to be a part of the RHS foundation staff.

Dominique Wylestone (Establishment Professional Staff)

Dominique Wylestone joins us as the Art Technician after working for the past 20 years within the Arts and Education in both the Secondary and Higher Education sector.  Dominique is delighted to be working at such a dynamic school as Richmond High.

She continues to exhibit her artwork on a regular basis. Her artwork has been acquired by the Australian Sports Museum and is now held in their permanent collection.  Her interests are everything about the natural world, books, Beatrix Potter, the history of objects,  and discovering new artists from the past to the present.

Martin Baxter (Establishment Teacher)

Jack Cui (Establishment Teacher)

Clare Dalton (Establishment Teacher)

Mallory McNally (Establishment Teacher)

Mallory McNally completed her Masters of Teaching (Secondary) at Monash University in 2019 and began her teaching career at Mentone Girls Secondary College. Prior to this she completed a Bachelor of Arts at Monash university majoring in Criminology and Behavioural Studies.  She has taught Humanities to junior levels and has a big passion for teaching Legal Studies which she has previously taught at VCE level. She enjoys listening to crime related podcasts and is a big fan of crime related TV shows and movies. She also really likes sport and is a dedicated Western Bulldogs supporter. Mallory is looking forward to working with the amazing staff and students at RHS and is keen to be a part of the positive and inclusive culture at Richmond High School.

Isobel Souter (Establishment Teacher)

Brendan Hosking (Establishment Teacher)

After completing a Double Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science/Human Movement and Sport & Recreation Management, Brendan has gained experience in a number of professions including working as a Personal Trainer, and then as a Sports Administrator for Hockey Victoria. He then continued his studies, completing a Masters of Teaching at the end of 2018. Outside of teaching, Brendan is a Field Umpire in the AFL. This role has allowed Brendan to be involved in sport at the elite level, travelling all around the country and even the world on professional development trips to the US and Europe along with umpiring a game internationally in Shanghai, China. Brendan looks forward to bringing the skills he has developed over the years to assist the team at Richmond High School in further developing their students.

Kirsten Pannekoek (Establishment Teacher)

Peter Vlahos (Establishment Teacher)

Xinying (Kelly) Chen (Establishment Teacher)

Jessica Griffiths (Establishment Teacher)

Jess Griffiths joins us after working at Coburg High School, for the past six years, where she led the Languages team as Spanish teacher, headed the Respectful Relationships initiative at the school, co-ordinated Student Leadership and taught Visual Arts, Visual Communication & Design and Media. Jess has also taught internationally including in Spain and Colombia, where she taught both English and Visual Arts in Spanish. Jess holds a Bachelor of Science (Photography) and worked in the advertising field for a number of years before completing her Masters of Teaching at the University of Melbourne in 2017. Jess is passionate about both language and arts education and its importance in an inclusive and robust curriculum.

Yin Zhang (Establishment Teacher)

Yin Zhang received her undergraduate degree from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Melbourne, and then undertook a Master of Teaching in Chinese and Business Studies. She has previously taught at Auburn High School, where she developed the first fully immersion Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) L2 Chinese Science program in an Australian high school. Yin taught Science in Chinese and also taught the Chinese language development component of the program, incorporating the Chinese language from the students’ Science and Humanities into work on strengthening their capacity to use Chinese for their own expression and proficiency in reading and writing Chinese texts. Yin has researched CLIL and the issues in teaching CLIL Chinese for 6 years.  She endeavours to contribute to the Chinese CLIL Program at Richmond High School.

Emma Fazzino (Establishment Teacher)

Emma completed a Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne, majoring in Computational Biology, however it was her engagement with volunteer tutoring programs which sparked her interest to transition to teaching. After living in WA where she taught Maths for two years, Emma returned to her home state to join Richmond High School in their fourth year. Emma is a kind and enthusiastic teacher who prioritises making maths meaningful, interesting and accessible for students.

Ivanka Fonseka (Establishment Teacher)

Lydia Lew (Establishment Teacher)

Lydia is an enthusiastic and passionate Maths teacher, she loves to see students develop their talents, and to grow confidence in learning for the future.  She has completed Masters of Teaching from Monash University, specialising in Mathematics. She began her teaching career at Brentwood Secondary College as a Maths and IT teacher. Prior to becoming a teacher, she graduated with a Bachelor of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (with honours)  from University of Melbourne and has worked for a few years in the Engineering field. Lydia also has a Master in Applied Information Technology and had a consulting firm. She believes in fostering a love of learning in her students and helping them to develop the skills of collaboration, critical thinking, communication and creativity.

Liam Murphy (Establishment Teacher)

Thomas Williams (Foundation Teacher)

Ben Feillafe (Establishment Teacher)

Michael Clark (Establishment Teacher)

Michael has a true passion for the teaching and learning cycle, in particular making science relevant for students by linking learning to current scientific news and interesting ideas. Michael attended The University of Melbourne and graduated from the Bachelor of Science in 2017, majoring in Pharmacology and Pathology. In 2020 he completed the Masters of Teaching at The University of Melbourne. Between degrees Michael spent a year on a ski hill in Canada, as well as travelling across the USA and Europe. He loves to spend his spare time fishing, camping and four-wheel driving. Michael is excited to be involved in the RHS community and is thrilled to be working in a school with such a great staff and student culture.

Jason Giang (Establishment Teacher)

Frances Good (Establishment Teacher)

Frances completed a Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne, majoring in Biochemistry. She then completed an Honours year of research at the Bio21 Institute, researching polyglutamine diseases such as Huntington’s Disease. While travelling overseas and teaching English as an additional language for a few years, Frances realised her love of teaching and being in the classroom. After returning to Melbourne, she completed a Masters of Teaching at Monash University and began her teaching career at Lalor North Secondary College. She is a kind and dedicated teacher who enjoys building strong relationships with students, and tries to make her Maths and Science lessons challenging and engaging for all. She is excited about joining the RHS community in 2021 and getting involved with extra-curricular activities, such as camps and the Environment club.

Jordan Michael (Establishment Teacher)

Jordan Michael initially completed a Bachelor of Science degree at The University of Melbourne, majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology. He then completed an Honours Project at the Walter + Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research exploring how important parts of the immune system developed from stem cells. This was followed by a career change towards teaching, inspired by a passion to support science learning in young people. Jordan completed his Master of Teaching (Secondary) at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education. Here he supported his professional development through the research pathway, where he explored using a personal love of his – science fiction – and how it can be used as a resource to support interdisciplinary, critical and creative thinking. Jordan is an open-minded and caring person that looks to use his past experiences and learn from students and colleagues to develop his own practice and contribute towards developing a positive and creative school culture.

Matthew Norman (Establishment Teacher)

Clare Strain (Establishment Teacher)

Clare Strain has always had an interest in the Sciences and Mathematics, and a strong love of learning and challenges in general. After completing her studies she worked at Rowville Secondary College for five years, enjoying teaching a range of subjects and always exploring new ways to help students learn. She enjoys thinking of varied ways to get students to engage with topics and concepts, through experiments, inquiry activities, games, challenges and more. She enjoys working with students to develop their confidence in their learning and their strengths in this important stage in their lives.

Maddison Gallenti-Smith (Establishment Teacher)

Maddison Gallenti-Smith joins us as a recent graduate from the University of Melbourne, Master of Teaching course; specialising as a double Art and Design major. During this course, she completed a thesis on the idea of ‘The Artist Book’ being a way for adolescents to understand the formation of their identity, using Existential Philosophy as a resource. Prior to her Masters, she completed a Bachelor of Fine Art (Expanded Studio Practice) at RMIT University in 2016, specialising in Drawing and Art History. Maddison has a particular interest in Portraiture, and has completed commission works over the past few years; completing album covers for emerging artists. She has also participated in a number of group exhibitions wherein Art and Science teachers collaborate to allow for a merging of Art practice and Teaching Practice. Maddison is determined to create strong relationships with her students in order to divulge a passion for Art-making within them, in whatever way makes them feel comfortable. She believes that all ways of making and thinking are valid and hopes that her students can navigate the world as emerging Artists with a capital A.

Cat Mackenzie (Establishment Teacher)

Cat Mackenzie is a graduate teacher from Monash University, she completed her double degree in Visual Arts and honours in Secondary education. During this course she has learnt a variety of skills in painting and drawing, sculpture, photography, glass blowing and ceramics, jewellery making as well as undertaking film studies, art history, and art writing and critiquing. Her art practice during this time was installation and textile-based art that focussed on sustainability. While studying Cat was displaying artworks in group exhibitions, contributed to artist ‘Zines’ and collaborated with Melbourne based fashion designers. Cat’s strong interest in sustainability and textile manipulation has led her to creating her own sustainable clothing brand that focuses on using upcycled materials to create new clothing and/or accessories. Her most recent collection made use of broken camping tents, creating durable and weatherproof apparel. Cat is an all-round creative person that prides herself on problem solving which she hopes to pass on to her students in a creative and inspiring way. She hopes that her passion for everything Art and design allows her to build strong relationships with her students. She believes that all students can benefit from creative practice and creative ways of thinking so they can contribute to our increasingly visual based society.