Blog Post

 
Nate Atkinson is the Executive Principal at Summerland Christian College in New South Wales.  His community was devastated by the record-breaking floods in Lismore in 2022, and recently he was interviewed by Kate Felton of Education Matters Magazine about the lessons learned during that time.  The full interview can be found HERE.

Nate describes how the traumatic experience impacted both his school and his community, and the practical implications involved with responding to a critical incident.  He speaks into the pivotal role that a school plays during distress and disaster, and the leadership lessons that came from that time.

'This experience influenced me on several fronts. I am convinced that leadership is about people. This might seem obvious to most, for it is people we serve, but it must be taken to heart and allowed to influence all levels of decision making and ways of leading. I continue to ponder the extraordinarily simple, but oh so instructive, charge as leaders to ‘love our people’. Our true north is established when our values are in order and all else seems to flow out of it.'

The article is a valuable read, and we hope to hear more from Nate in the future about his unfolding leadership journey.  He holds a Master of Educational Leadership and Certificate in K-12 School Management from Harvard, and is currently undertaking a PhD in Educational Leadership.   

Images (above)

1. Nate Atkinson, Executive Principal at Summerland Christian College.

2. David Winter SCC Chair and Nate Atkinson working alongside their community during the floods of 2022.

3. The letters students made to be distributed alongside care packages to those impacted by the floods.

Images (below)

Students navigating the debris, gathering to prepare to serve their community, and delivering food to flood victims.

Summerland Christian College is a CSA member school.