[A woman in a grey jacket (Zania Cope) is sat down on set and is laughing.]
Zania Cope: It was a long time ago.
[Upbeat music plays.]
[The video cuts to the same set without Zania there. There is a stool, table, plant and books. We see 6 people walking onto the set, smiling, holding a banner that says ‘Class of 2025’.]
[Zania walks back on set, sits on the stool and picks up a question card.]
[On-screen text: Zania Cope]
Zania: What's your name? My name’s Zania Cope, and I have the absolute honour of being the new principal of the Pakenham school.
[Zania reads from question card.]
Zania: What should your students call you? I'm known as Mrs. Cope. My husband is also a teacher. My daughter's also studying to be a teacher as well. We really are invested in the educational journey and we love what we do in this profession.
[Zania reads from question card.]
Zania: What led you to be a principal? So for me to go into education, that was a natural progression. Really making sure that every child had the best opportunity to succeed emotionally as well as academically, and drawing on my experiences to create a learning environment where every child can succeed.
[Zania reads from question card.]
Zania: What are some of your greatest hopes for your new school? Ooh, I hope that, everyone enjoys every single day at school. I say to my teachers, no matter what, we want every single student to have a great day, every single day. My greatest hope is that our students form friendships very quickly, that we have a safe and orderly environment, enjoy each other's company, and that we build a community in our new school.
[Zania reads from question card.]
Zania: Tell us about the architectural renders of your school.
[Zania holds large architectural render of the new school.]
Zania: It has been wonderful to be able to watch our school developing with time and to be able to see these virtual pictures now of what our environment is going to look like is just absolutely stunning. Once that building is finished, it'll be absolutely magical for our children to come in with their excitement and for our teachers to come in with their excitement too.
[Zania reads from question card and holds an image of herself as a child.]
Zania: Who is the person in the photo and what are you thinking? This child is somebody that liked to climb trees, was very active, I was always building treehouses. I was out running around the neighbourhood and I think that's what I really enjoyed was that sense of community in New Zealand. Community is very important to me, and that's what I'm really looking forward to culturing in our new school in Pakenham.
[Zania reads from question card and holds an image of herself as a child.]
Zania: What's your strongest memory of school? My strongest memory of school is that teachers were very different in their approaches to education. I learnt from all of my teachers in the past. I've learnt to make sure that I really listen to my students, to make sure that they are able to access our curriculum in a way that really helps them to learn.
[Zania reads from question card and holds an image of herself as a child.]
Zania: Ooh, is there a quote, message or motto that you live by? The quote that I live by is “whatever it takes”. So, in my personal life, my professional life, and also within my school, I try to make sure that we set up the conditions so that all students are able to learn at their point of need. We are all on different journeys and we all learn in different ways, and we all have different goals. It's about making sure that we surround ourselves with people who have those expertise to be able to help us to reach those goals, and making sure that we do - and give back - as much as we can.
[The video cuts to Zania holding a ‘CLASS OF 2025’ sign, moving it around and smiling.]
[The video cuts to a polaroid image of Zania with text.]
[On-screen text: “Whatever it takes” and CLASS OF 2025]
[The video cuts to 6 polaroid-style images of the 6 new 2025 principals appear on screen with quotes below each of the images.]
[On-screen text: “Whatever it takes” “Go slow to go fast” “Leadership is about helping others realise their potential” “Education is not a preparation for life, it is life itself” “Always try your best, you don’t have to be the best” “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel”]
[On-screen text: CLASS OF 2025]
[A white background appears with the VSBA and Victoria State Government logos.]
[On-screen text: www.schoolbuildings.vic.gov.au]
[A black background appears and white text appears.]
[On-screen text: Authorised by The Victorian School Building Authority, 33 St Andrews]
[End of transcript]
Updated