Education plays the most crucial role in a person’s life, of which the high school plays the most important part in moulding the character and personality of a student. High schools are thus those small footsteps that help students take the giant leap to conquer the world. High schools these days are geared to give the student the best education by offering various programs and facilities.
Students in high school are generally of the age where sports and games play an important role. It is imperative for schools to balance studies and sports. For students and their parents, it is then important to choose a high school that perfectly fits their needs and requirements. A student could be good at sports or studies or both. What is expected of the school is to develop the student’s abilities in those areas where they are hindered and produce a person with all round abilities and skills.
James Kozlowski, Principal of Endeavour Sports High School is a dedicated educationist with requisite skills and experience. He has a Bachelor of Economics, and holds a Diploma in Education besides a Masters in Educational Leadership and Management from the world’s prestigious University of Sydney. Completing his education, he started off by teaching at Sarah Redfern High School. With his exceptional skills, a few years down the road, he was to become the Deputy Principal at Belmore Boys High School. His next assignment saw him take over from the outgoing Principal at Endeavour Sports High School.
James believes in enhancing the abilities of others and seeing them grow as an individual. To this end, he has and shall always be happy to guide the young generation on the path of success.
About Endeavour Sports High School
Endeavour Sports High School is that one place which provides the best of everything be it education or sports. Once you join the institution, there is no looking back, other than in happiness! The aim of the school has always been to provide a teaching and learning environment that enhances the abilities of its students be it in studies or sports and sets benchmarks on what to expect from its students, which its students have always bettered year after year. Students are the school’s biggest ambassadors with the faculty and the administration leaving no stones unturned to help develop them into responsible citizens who also are successful in their chosen endeavours.
As a sports high school, Endeavour aims to be the best junior talent development program in Australia. It calls for huge encouragement, outstanding coaching and mentoring, and exceptional facilities, unique sporting partnerships and the deliver the best in sports science. At the core of the school’s culture are academic excellence, personal best, commitment and respect. Every student is shaped by the staff & faculty members who take personal responsibility for the former’s behaviour and development while providing a supportive environment. It has helped create a culture that values every student of the school and has helped create some of the most gifted academic and sporting individuals out of them.
Core Values, Mission and Vision.
Calling themselves the Endeavour Family, they have developed a strong sense of community across the school which values the success and achievement of all its students and demonstrates the same through public recognition of such acts and events. The aim in doing so is to instill the right qualities in the students besides creating in them an interest in learning while inculcating compassion for others and a desire to always do their best.
Due to its “high expectations policy”, the school has successfully established academic achievement as its top priority and “extension classes” have been established under the guidance and coordination of an expert. In addition, the school employs a PhD who mentors the school’s high school students and helps them do their best in academics by various means including holding one-to-one meetings with individual students throughout the latter’s time in the school.
The above besides, Endeavour Sports High School has a high-quality study skills program for all years, a fully funded science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) program, and partnerships with the University of Sydney and the University of Technology.
Overcoming challenges
In the year 2014, the school went through a low phase, and James as its Principal, had to face tough times. Enrolment rates had gone critically low which a survey of the staff, parents, students and the local community revealed was partly due to low morale, widespread student apathy and poor community perception. To overcome the situation, James engaged a research organization to conduct a survey of the various stakeholders in the community to derive data to analyse the community’s needs and ways to address them. Person to person interactions and meetings with the staff and the students were conducted besides the thorough examination of available external and internal data which lead to the formulation of a comprehensive plan.
Achievements
James has led an enthusiastic and dedicated staff who have delivered an amazing turnaround for the school.
Personal Achievements:
- Recipient of the Harvard Club of Australia leadership scholarship, Harvard University, 2018
Elected as the President of the Sutherland Secondary Principals Council in the year 2018.
NSW Department of Education’s Ultimo Operational Directorate Award for ‘Significant Achievement as a Principal’ in the year 2016.
Elected as the Vice President of the NSW Sports High School Association in the year 2015.
Professional Awards:
- Government Secondary School of the Year at the Australian Education Awards in the year 2018.
NSW Department of Education’s Ultimo Operational Directorate Award for ‘Significant Achievement’ in the year 2017.
Public Schools NSW Vocational Education and Training School of the Year Award in the year 2017
Selected by the Public Education Foundation for the filming of a video promoting excellence in public education in the year 2017.
Friendly Work Culture
At Endeavour, every activity is geared towards helping students pursue excellence. The bedrock of the school is to value people irrespective of backgrounds and provide opportunities that help them reach their potential. In doing so, it aims to engage and motivate staff and students to achieve their best.
“We try to ensure that not only do our students succeed academically, but they become good citizens who want to make positive contributions to our society,” said James.
Contributions Towards the Society and the Education System
The school uses a multipronged approach to know how best to create the right teaching and learning environment. Information derived from the Higher School Certificate results, NAPLAN and VALID results have been extensively scoured and extrapolated with the outcome of various interviews and surveys of students, staff and parents’ responses. Information thus gathered has been analysed in the light of the best and most comprehensive of researches worldwide on best practices in the field to develop and implement strategies relevant to the context.
How to stay motivated
James says, “I am motivated every day by my students and staff.” He loves his job and thinks it’s a privilege to be the Principal of such a prestigious Institution that is known for its educational environment which helps develop leaders and achievers of the future. He hopes to inspire others by performing his role in a way that supports others to be the best they can.
Roadmap to Future
Currently, James is happy with the success he has achieved through his work. He believes the best reward lies in observing the success of others and their happiness on achieving their goal(s). He never plans a path for the future, he rather embraces opportunities coming his way and makes the most of them. James as a person is one who firmly believes in establishing structures that guarantee long term success.
His aim is to implement the core values of the school and progress upon them over the years.
“Everything we have implemented at Endeavour over the past few years has contributed to a culture that is
built for longevity,” says James.
