“It was like a flock of seagulls, this high-pitched screaming, boys and girls, screaming down the corridor,” he laughed.

It was far cry from the all-boys school of St Patrick’s College in Ballarat where he had taught for 20 years. 

But having been at St Brigid’s since 2002 when he arrived as deputy principal, he’s used it now. He stepped up to principal in 2005 and is now in his third contract of six-year durations with four years left.

“I love this place and I hope this place loves me,” he said.

Everything he does for the school is driven by his belief that “it’s all about the kids”. This has come from his passion for teaching, which he still does.

“I like to see myself as a very hands-on principal. I love going to my year 12 physics class. It’s a safe haven,” he laughed.

He also does other duties such as yard duties so he can interact with the students.

He prides himself on knowing the students and their families and said having that rapport meant the students would come and tell him what was going on.

“They’re open and honest. They’re lovely country kids, just great,” he said. 

He feels they have the right number – 325 students – for the size of the school, saying a few years ago when it was more than 400, it was too big.

One of the challenges of being principal was to keep his finger on the pulse without ‘knowing’ everything; letting people make their own decisions and mistakes to empower them.

He doesn’t like to micro manage although with more and more bureaucracy and paperwork, it’s hard not to.

“You just have to trust people in their positions,” he said.

He’s excited about the school taking on the challenge of incorporating a new way of operating through the Professional Learning Community program which comes from the premise that every child can grow and achieve. This means refocusing on the students and their growth and what they need to grow, with collaboration across every subject to focus on the students instead of just the subject.

“It’s exciting and invigorating to see teachers talking about ‘our’ students and looking at the best ways of educating our kids,” he said. 

It fits perfectly into his value of the school being all about the kids.

As part of this collaborative project the school is building a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics (STEAM) two-storey complex that will allow ideas to be realised into products, all within the same space.

“We need to educate our kids for the future. STEAM is the future. It will cater to all the skills they will need for a 21^st century job. These are jobs that don’t even exist yet,” he said.

He’s happy with the leadership and aspiring leadership in the school and says there’s a good mix of new ideas balanced with experience.

The school also embraces social justice and involving students in the wider world, with trips to Melbourne and Adelaide to talk with homeless people and refugees.

“We want to make sure that kids who graduate from here are community-minded, ready for challenges and will make a difference in the world,” he said. “It is about the wider world and the impact they can have on the wider world.”

This also empowered them to know that they mattered, even if life was hard at times, because they were learning about resilience.

Mr Gutteridge said he was particularly impressed with the way the students looked out for each other, at school and in the community, and that they felt able to tell him or teachers if they were concerned for themselves or someone else.

While teenagers were still teenagers, social media was an extra challenge in this day and age, which was why it was good they felt able to let someone know about issues that might occur.

He always wanted to teach – never wanted to do anything else like an astronaut – after witnessing exceptional teachers in his own school days, he didn’t think he would end up a principal.

“Being a principal, 90 per cent of the time is really fulfilling. Ten per cent of the time is hard and impacts heavily. But any decision you make is for the betterment of the school and for the students,” he said. 

“I’m blessed to be a principal here. It’s all about the kids.”