AFTER almost a decade at the helm, Bulahdelah Central School (BCS) Principal, Mr Don Hudson, has been farewelled and taken up a new position with the Department of Education in Newcastle.

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During his time at BCS, Mr Hudson has seen the integration of technology throughout the school, significant investment into teacher professional learning and a focus on the student voice.

He also lead the school through the implementation of a new senior curriculum.

“There was a significant change to the structure of the Year 11 and 12 curriculum to provide students with a greater choice of subjects,” he said.

“This was needed because of our small senior years and the diminishing choice of subjects that our senior students had.”

Mr Hudson began his teaching career in 1983 as an Industrial Arts teacher at Courallie High School in the Moree district.

He then held various teaching and executive positions in Deniliquin, Broken Hill, Ungarie and Newcastle before being appointed to Bulahdelah in 2009.

Mr Hudson said professional practices to increase student engagement in learning have changed significantly throughout his career.

“Schools these days need to work hard to engage students as they move from Kindergarten through to Year 12,” he said.

“Too often we see students switch off or just go through the motions as they enter high school.”

Mr Hudson recalls reading an article that started with “Imagine a world where kids are as eager to learn throughout school as they were when they arrived”.

“I would love that world to be Bulahdelah Central School,” he said.

In addition to his commitment to the local school community, Mr Hudson has also been very active within the state education networks.

This includes the NSW Secondary Principals Council State Assembly and Financial Reference groups, where he has been a strong advocate and support for other principals.

Mr Hudson is currently working on the implementation of a new HR Payroll system for the Department of Education.

“This will possibly see me through to retirement,” he said.