The Game Changers podcast celebrates those true pioneers in education who are building schools for tomorrow. In this Fifth conversation of Series Fourteen, we talk with Adelina Melia-Douvos, an educational leader, with over 35 years of experience, commitment and resolve to deliver excellent education to young people. Adelina embarks on her vocation, motivated by the fundamental belief that she absolutely does have the responsibility and the power to bring hope to young people, to create possibilities for them and to provide them with the opportunities and means to create purposeful and meaningful lives. Adelina's educational philosophy has always translated into a moral imperative, based on delivering a student-centred education with learning and teaching practices preparing students to be future-ready.
Adelina's own experience of education was transformative. Exemplary educators throughout her life championed and challenged her to pursue excellence; each of them evoked an enduring passion for learning and her education was one which was profoundly relational, engaging her heart and mind equally. Having majored in English and Classics, my early teaching career saw me impart a love of literature and writing.
Additionally, Adelina was appointed to middle leadership roles relatively early in her career, sparking a desire to lead beyond the classroom. Over the years, she has undertaken a wide range of middle and senior leadership roles in the areas of curriculum, well-being, faith development and senior organisational management. Her journey to principalship has been driven by a strong sense of purpose and an insatiable desire to pay it forward – courage and stoicism have guided her on the path, the result of which has been this most rewarding and fulfilling opportunity to be custodian, albeit for a mere chapter, in the rich narrative of Sacré Cœur.
The Game Changers podcast is produced by Joshua Jeffries for Orbital Productions, supported by a School for tomorrow (aschoolfortomorrow.com), and powered by CIRCLE. The podcast is hosted on SoundCloud and distributed through Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts. Please subscribe and tell your friends you like what you are hearing. You can contact us at gamechangers@circle.education, on Twitter and Instagram via @GameChangersPC, and you can also connect with Phil via LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter. Let’s go!
