IGNITING POTENTIAL

FROM PRACTISING LAW TO LEADING NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS, RAVENSWOOD SCHOOL FOR GIRLS PRINCIPAL ANNE JOHNSTONE IS A WOMAN OF MANY TALENTS. MOST IMPORTANT TO HER, THOUGH, IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN HER STUDENTS’ LIVES.

- ASHTON KOBLER

NAME: Anne Johnstone

ORGANISATION: Ravenswood School for Girls

POSITION: Principal

LOCATION: Sydney, Australia

During a moment when Anne Johnstone was lecturing in law while her honors’ thesis supervisor was taking a sabbatical, she had an epiphany that her calling was to teach. “I had a real sense that I could make a positive contribution to people’s lives through the realm of education” she recalls.

Anne is no stranger to the education sector – her father is a psychologist and has worked as a school counselor for almost 50 years, and her mother is a piano teacher. “Naturally, I have an enormous respect for teachers,” she says. “I had some extraordinary teachers and leaders in my schooling and at university, and recognized the difference that educators can make.” Now, she is delighted to be working as Principal at Ravenswood School for Girls on Sydney’s North Shore.

Founded in 1901, Ravenswood has had a remarkable 120-year history of empowering young women. “Our motto is, ‘Always towards better things,’” Anne says. “We are a school that is strongly leading the way in positive education, which provides a scientifically validated framework for wellbeing. We take an evidence-based approach that emphasises strengths rather than deficits, with a focus on positioning young people to fulfil their potential.”