After months of controversy in the wake of Rod Whelan's resignation last August, Kildare Catholic College will finally welcome a new interim principal.
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Richard Sidorko will join the school from term three, taking over from the acting principal Christie Scoble while the Catholic Education Diocese of Wagga Wagga continues to seek recruitments for the permanent position.
A spokesperson for the Catholic Education Diocese of Wagga Wagga (CEDWW) confirmed that Ms Scoble will retain her role as deputy principal.
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Prior to his acceptance of the position with the CEDWW, Mr Sidorko has filled the roles of principal and deputy principal in some of the nation's largest Catholic schools.
He has also served during some challenging times for the respective schools, including as the principal of Canberra's Marist College for more than 12 years.
In July 2007, Mr Sidorko was informed of allegations of historic sexual abuse endured by students at the hands of Marist staff.
Mr Sidorko left that school in 2017 to become the principal of The John Berne School in Lewisham.
Prior to his time in Canberra, Mr Sidorko also spent time as the deputy principal of the International Academy of Kuwait, Trinity College, Lismore and of St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill.
He has also been the principal of St Joseph's College in Banora Point, and Mt St Patrick College in Murwillumbah.
"I am looking forward to commencing as lead principal of Kildare Catholic College and working with the talented staff of the school to continue the school's reputation for educational excellence," Mr Sidorko said.
"The teachers and the staff of the school have successfully led KCC through the COVID period and I welcome the opportunity to work closely with them in terms three and four to ensure our learners achieve their best."
Kelly Shaw, a parent of three children at the school, welcomed the announcement saying it heralded a new era following its recent season of unrest in the wake of Rod Whelan's resignation.
"If we have to turn a page and move forward, I'm glad it's with someone who has experience in managing schools during tough times," Ms Shaw said.
"It is about moving forward now, it's about supporting staff and students and it's great to have someone who has strong experience."
The independent review into the school's processes and procedures, which concluded in May, recommended that a principal be brought in from outside the diocese.
Acknowledging that Thursday's announcement "upholds that recommendation", Ms Shaw said she was hopeful the focus could "return to what's important".
"I hope [the new [principal] can get on with the job and that once some healing has taken place, that the focus can be restored onto the education because it doesn't feel like it has been there for a while now," she said.
"Not that the teachers and staff have not worked incredibly hard to keep the education standards up, but what Rod did was he brought that focus onto education in a real way.
"I hope [Mr Sidorko] can bring unity and enthusiasm back to the school."
The announcement comes as the CEDWW prepares to fulfill an additional recommendations of the review, by establishing a secondary schools committee to be known as the Catholic Education Council.
The newly appointed Bishop Mark Edwards will review submissions on the council's draft constitution from tomorrow.