From Hong Kong to the Border: New principal shares his story

Mark Hemphill welcomed students as the school's new principal on Wednesday, January 31, a role he has taken over from interim principal Vicki Steer.

Born and educated in Urana, Mr Hemphill has taught at and led schools in Leeton, Ballarat, Hay, Sydney, Zurich and Hong Kong.

Returning to the southern Riverina, he believes his experience will help guide students through 2024 and beyond.

"My philosophy on education is all about connection and relationships," he said.

"The most successful leaders connect with students, staff, parents and the community.

"That is what I plan to do."

Mr Hemphill begun his education at St Francis Xavier Primary School in Urana and graduated high school at Trinity Senior in Wagga.

From the start, he knew he was destined for a career in education.

"I always wanted to be a teacher," he said.

"I went to school in Urana and it was very small. When I finished Year 6, there were three people in my class.

"I had four younger sisters and I would spend the holidays teaching them, getting a cane out, keeping them in line - I've always had teaching in me."

After graduating high school, Mr Hemphill majored in history and religion at university before starting his career as a secondary school teacher at St Francis College, Leeton, in 1989.

He then became the senior boarding house master at St Patrick's College in Ballarat and a kindergarten and Year 1 teacher at St Mary's School in Hay.

"Starting in the country gives you a really good grounding to adapt throughout your career," he said.

"I taught history, PE, maths, computing, commerce - a little bit of everything - and that's something you don't see in the big city schools, where teachers tend to stick to their specialty.

"You have a go at everything and I have lived that my whole life."

In 1995, Mr Hemphill took a teaching role at Moriah College in Sydney's eastern suburbs. He'd become the primary school deputy principal in 2000 and the middle school principal in 2004.

After a stint in Zurich, he later returned to Sydney to become the head of Knox Grammar's prep school in 2010.

"It was a big culture shock," he said.

"On my first day coming home, I got lost three times going over the Harbour Bridge and had to keep going back to school because it was the only way I knew.

"I said to my mum, I can't do this."

Mr Hemphill eventually discovered not to use the right lane, and before long, he adjusted to life in the big city.

"In Sydney, I've been in very high performing academic schools," he said.

"Both Knox and Moriah were in the top 30 schools for ATARs at the absolute outset.

"So I learned a lot about high academic standards, how to get kids to the top, and what it takes to achieve a 98 or 99 ATAR.

"And I think I bring a lot of good information about the universities, tertiary courses, and those sorts of things from having that time in the city."

For Mr Hemphill, an even greater culture shock came when he joined the Zurich International School as middle school principal in 2006.

"You do not understand the differences in national education until you move out of Australia," he said.

"For example, I remember the first day talking to the kids about what they needed to wear to school because there were no uniforms, and I was horrified by their outfits.

Stamping his authority, Mr Hemphill declared that no student was to come to school in thongs (a regular custom).

"And one of the Year 8s put up their hand and said, even the girls?

"I said, yeah, even the girls. Nobody comes in a thong.

"And then they said, how are you going to know we're wearing thongs? I said, I will be checking everyone every single day.

"They were just looking at me stunned ... then I realised they call them flip flops."

In 2018, after returning to Australia to join Knox Grammar School, Mr Hemphill moved to Hong Kong and became the head of The Australian International School.

In his three-year tenure, he witnessed the Chinese Communist Party intrude on education.

"The independence of the international schools was changing with the Chinese government," he said.

"It became more prescriptive around the order in which you flew your flags, singing the Chinese national anthem and how you celebrated the Chinese national day."

His time in Hong Kong came to a boiling point when the 2019/2020 Hong Kong protests came to the school.

"I led the school through some tumultuous times," he said.

"During the protests, some days the fighting was happening right outside our school, so I made the decision to close the school.

"So you had a lot more responsibility about looking after your community."

Mr Hemphill believes that, given his international background, he can broaden the hopes and dreams of the students at Scots.

"I had a Riverina education very much like these kids, but it told me I could go anywhere.

"And I think I can bring that thinking here as well and inspire the students to think big.

"The world is really your oyster."