Tuesday, 23 May 2023

Maria Karvouni

John PESUTTO (Hawthorn – Leader of the Opposition) (14:12): Late last year the principal of Auburn High School Maria Karvouni tragically passed away from a longstanding illness. Maria was an outstanding educator and leader in her field, and I often only half-joke that she was the sort of educational trailblazer that movies are made about. She took over Auburn High School in 2014 and completely turned the school around. She was someone who attracted enormous warmth and support and love from her community, including from me. She was just a terrific advocate for her school and the students who passed through her school.

I certainly want to take this opportunity today to pay tribute to Maria for her service to our community. Maria was a much-loved and valued principal, and she was instrumental in establishing a pioneer French program at Auburn High School, where French was taught in accordance with the French national curriculum. She was described as one of the pillars of Victoria’s French education. I often recall visiting the school, not only as the member for Hawthorn between 2014 and 2018 but in my time as a candidate, and seeing how frequently students won international awards in French learning. Again, Maria Karvouni was an indomitable, resilient and inspirational individual. I know it took a lot for the school and its community to get past this, but all of us are committed to upholding Maria’s terrific legacy of education in our state.