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38 Queen Margaret Calling :: ISSUE 62 :: October 2018 Melonie Pitkin has joined the Executive Team as the Head of Development, a new role established at the College. Melonie has extensive experience in business development and helping organisations grow through innovation, marketing, partnerships and commercial management. She says she is excited about her adventure with Queen Margaret College. “I’m looking forward to shaping opportunities and partnerships to enrich students’ experience and elevate the school’s distinctive reputation.” Melonie has worked with organisations in the United Kingdom, Asia and New Zealand and has held several senior positions in the education sector. Most recently, she led the business and partnership strategy for Te Auaha New Zealand Institute of Creativity, a landmark initiative for the Wellington region. Melonie considers herself a “serial collaborator”, which is another reason she was excited to join the College. “I’m struck by the quality of the relationships and the College’s open outlook,”Melonie says. “Successful organisations are built on many things, but an ability to stay curious and nurture win-win relationships are a cornerstone of good outcomes and can create exponential possibilities.” Introducing our new staff members We welcomed new Physics teacher Paul Wilson at the beginning of Term 3. Paul became a teacher eight years ago after a career change saw him decide to leave his job as a product design engineer. “I thought teaching would be more fun,”he says. Paul studied Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom and graduated with a Masters: BA MEng Manufacturing Engineering Tripos. He later did a Graduate Diploma in Teaching at Victoria University of Wellington. Paul has also taught Hard Materials Technology at Taita College and Hard Materials Technology, Robotics and Physics at St Patrick’s College, Silverstream. He says students have welcomed him as their new teacher and he is enjoying seeing howmuch they want to learn. “Some of the concepts in Physics are difficult but they love to ask questions and to deepen their understanding.” Paul says he is looking forward to getting students more excited about Physics. “I think it’s important for students to understand that Physics is about understanding how the real world behaves; it’s not just a bunch of equations and graphs.” Paul Wilson Physics Teacher Melonie Pitkin Head of Development OUR COMMUNITY OUR STAFF