Message from the Principal

Message from the Principal MS TANYA HUTTON

Dear Women of Ave,

Welcome to the eighth edition of our Women of Ave series, which has been rebranded Ave Belong, Women of Ave Maria College. In this edition we hope you will notice the fresh look and feel of this cherished College magazine. You will be able to read more about the College rebrand and the inspiration behind this on page 4 of this edition. Ave Belong aims to showcase members of the Ave community – students, staff and alumnae – along with our programs. Further, it also aims to link the present with the past while seeking to provide a glimpse of the Ave future and inspiration for our current students through the stories shared in each edition.

In this edition of the Ave Belong, I would like to take the opportunity to introduce you to our two College CoCaptains for 2022 – Majella Portelli and Alexandra Evans. Both Majella and Alexandra will share a little of their story, inspiration and post-graduation plans with you. We are also blessed to share with you our feature alumnae story titled ‘Sister Act’ from College Alumnae Marina (2012) and Monica Abdelmalek (2015). Also of note is our industry focus on Healthcare, where you will read the stories of Monica Cottee (2000), Katherine O’Connor (2006) and Emily Daye (2012), along with our Alumnae Entrepreneurs, Maddison Cottle (2018) and Shanelle Thompson (2012). In 2021, the College introduced ‘Meet our Alumnae’ as part of our Careers Week Program, here you will meet even more of the Ave community. I am sure you agree that all of these women are an important part of the fabric that forms the history of this College, each of their journeys and stories are all so different yet equally inspirational.

Finally, in this edition we are very pleased to profile two of our College staff, Ms Leonie Rushbrook (Assistant Principal – Students and Engagement) and Mrs Joanne Thompson (Junior School Sub-School Leader) and showcase the sporting carnivals, debating involvement, domain weeks, the Visible Wellbeing Program and Horizons Program.

I hope you enjoy this edition of the new ‘Ave Belong’ and may we continue to strive for truth through love.