Teachers have award-winning recipe for student success

There are never too many cooks in the kitchen when the head chef is teacher Belinda Vlasenko.

Belinda, a teacher at Trinity College in Beenleigh, has received the icing on the cake for her innovative work.

As the school’s Head of Design Technologies: Food and Materials, in Hospitality, Tourism, and Culture, she has received an Excellence Award at the 2025 National Education Awards.

Belinda was awarded in the category ‘Department Head of the Year’, for her curriculum revamp that resulted in a 300 per cent increase in Year 11 Certificate II Hospitality enrolments.

Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE) is celebrating Belinda’s recognition and says her secret ingredients to classroom success include a dash of student agency, a spoonful of real-world learning, and a generous helping of philanthropy.

Trinity College Acting Vocational Education and Training Leader Kristina Carr, who nominated Belinda, says her influence extends far beyond class.

‘As Cultural Leader, Belinda launched the International Study Tour Program, raising nearly $80,000 in 2024 and securing over $120,000 in bookings for 2025,’ Kristina says.

‘These funds have been reinvested into student agency projects, cultural showcases, and school infrastructure, including auditorium upgrades and equipment for fundraising.’

Kristina praises Belinda’s approach to professional development and her leadership style for empowering staff to innovate and take risks, resulting in improved teaching standards and student outcomes.

Belinda sees her teaching career as being more than about just content.

‘It’s about connection,’ Belinda says.

Part of the reason she chose teaching as a profession was because she loved the idea of spending her life sharing her passion with young people and helping them discover their own.

‘I became a teacher because I wanted to reach the students who felt disconnected, to help them find success and joy in learning, just as I had,’ she says.

Belinda has also spearheaded the student-run Mane St Cafe, which dishes out meals along with leadership, teamwork, and event management skills for students.

Belinda says teaching in a Catholic school allows her to nurture hearts as well as minds.

‘I get to help students grow academically and spiritually, and that’s a privilege I cherish. Our College’s Marist values of service, compassion and presence guide everything I do.

‘I aim to co-create learning experiences that reflect each student’s gifts and aspirations. It’s about helping them find peace, purpose, and the courage to make a difference.’

Belinda works within Trinity’s innovative My Learning PATH model, designed to give students a personalised educational journey by choosing courses instead of traditional subjects.

Other Excellence Awards recipients in the City of Logan include:

• Lauren Fletcher – Department Head of the Year, Luda Kovalev – Secondary School Teacher of the Year (Loganlea State High School)
• Meagan King – Deputy Principal of the Year (Canterbury College)
• Amy Griffin – Education Rising Star of the Year, Lindsay McQuattie – Non-Govt Primary School Principal of the Year, Chloe Brown – Non-Govt Primary School Teacher of the Year (John Paul College)
• Sharon Amos – Non-Govt School Principal of the Year (Park Ridge State High School)
• Ineke McGuire – Secondary School Teacher of the Year (Shailer Park State High School)
• Jake Hartland – Secondary School Teacher of the Year (Marsden State High School)

Also, Marsden State High School Principal Marcus Jones was the overall winner of the Government School Principal of the Year Award.

More local teachers to be celebrated in the recent TEACHX Awards by the Queensland Teachers College are:

• Christopher Wickens (Shailer Park State High School) – Innovation in Teaching
• Rueben Davis (Loganlea State High School), Brittany Watts (Yarrabilba State Secondary College) – Excellence in Beginning To Teach

PHOTO AT TOP: Trinity College’s Belinda Vlasenko teaches Year 11 Hospitality students Tysin and Dylan how to bake. Photo courtesy of Brisbane Catholic Education, Trinity College, Beenleigh.