Natalie Devenish’s strong education in a girls’ school laid the groundwork for her to lead a boys’ school
The nuns at the former Mount Erin Convent in Wagga Wagga will be pleased one of their former students followed their path into education. But they might be surprised to see Natalie Devenish’s trajectory has taken her from a girls’ school to a career leading a Catholic secondary school for boys. The new principal of St Dominic’s College in Kingswood, Natalie said the nuns and lay teachers who taught her were hard-working and passionate.
“My dad was also a teacher and principal, so I grew up with very strong role models who cared about young people and their futures,” she said.
An IEU member for more than 20 years, Natalie said: “I’ve always believed strongly in the union and all that they have been able to achieve for the worker.”
Natalie’s appointment also carries on a family tradition – her father Graham was principal of St Dominic’s from 1994 to 2002.
Supporting young people
“My upbringing and 25 years in boys’ education give me a strong understanding of how young men think.”
Natalie begins her new role in Term 3 after stints as Assistant Principal Teaching and Learning at Christian Brothers’ High School Lewisham and Deputy Principal of St Mary’s Cathedral College in Sydney.
“I’ve been fortunate to always love teaching,” she said. “A highlight for me is the privilege to be able to teach and support young people in these important years of education and personal development.
“I’ve also loved working with so many intelligent and passionate educators who care about their students’ outcomes and options at school and post school.”
Early in her career, Natalie said there was an expectation that eachers would get involved in all aspects of school life, including sports, school concerts and camps.
“I was also keen to be involved in various school committees and put myself forward for short-term acting roles when they came up,” she said.
“This helped build my skills and learn more about various aspects of leadership in schools.”
Technology in the classroom
Natalie brings to St Dominic’s her experience in introducing data-driven instructional practices and digital learning to schools. But Natalie said technology and artificial intelligence must not be allowed to dominate the classroom.
“The laptop has its place in the classroom, but I believe it has increasingly become a source of distraction for many students when it comes to their learning,” she said.
“I am an advocate of explicit instruction, and I’d prefer students use laptops more strategically as part of the learning process.”
Natalie said explicit instruction in the classroom is particularly effective for boys and how they learn. Parents also opt for all-boys schools because of strong pastoral care programs, routines and boundaries and “of course, plenty of sports and extracurricular programs”, she said.
Natalie said student data is a “powerful tool” that can be used to support resource allocation in schools and support teacher practice.
“The key is to make sure schools identify the ‘right’ type of data to collect and use, how to interpret and collate it effectively then disseminate to the teacher so it’s usable,” she said.
“Teachers are time poor, so the goal is to give very clear evidence-based information that supports their teaching practice and improves student performance in their classes.”
Insights into young men
Natalie said growing up in the country with four brothers was also good preparation for her leadership role at St Dominic’s.
“I would say that my upbringing and 25 years in boys’ education gives me a strong understanding of how young men think and what they need to reach their potential,” she said.
When they were not playing sports, Natalie and her brothers had plenty of free time without parental supervision.
“As the only girl, I realised early that if I wanted to be included in the things my brothers did, I had to be like them,” she said. “There was a lot of rough and tumble, lots of playing sport – netball, touch footy, softball – and watching sports like cricket and rugby league.”
Outside of school, Natalie’s passions include practising yoga two-to-three times a week.
“I walk lots, and love watching the NRL and test cricket,” she said.
Published in the June 2025 edition of Newsmonth. Compiled by Andrew Taylor (Journalist) and Monica Crouch (Managing Editor)
