Meet Mrs Christabelle Wright
Mrs Christabelle Wright joined Radford College in July as the new Head of Health and Physical Education. She brings a wealth of experience in the subject from a career spanning ten years at Canberra Grammar School and Tuggeranong College prior to that. Mrs Wright is passionate about sport, fitness and health, having herself dabbled in the world of elite sports, and strongly believes in guiding our students towards leading healthier lives post-school.
Can you tell us a little about your background and what brought you to Radford College?
I have always had a passion for sport, fitness, and health, having grown up with swimming entrenched in my family history and with my ubiquitous competitive spirit and love of the outdoors. Becoming a Health and Physical Education Teacher was an obvious choice, and one I am grateful that I pursued. I have spent the bulk of my career at Canberra Grammar School, where I was afforded the opportunity to further my leadership skills through sport in the positions of Head of Rowing, Head of Netball, and Athlete Development Coordinator. When the opportunity arose to move to Radford College as Head of Department, it was an opportunity too good to turn down!
What do you like the best about your role?
I am really enjoying the people I work with. I love the collegiately of Radford, having found that all of the staff I have met have been friendly, supportive, and most importantly, passionate about their roles and delivering their programs to a consistently high standard. I am particularly enjoying the friendship and collaboration that the HPE staff have been so willing to provide me in my short time here.
As Head of HPE, what are you hoping to achieve with the subject/department?
My first goal as Head of Department is to ensure our health programs align with the Australian Curriculum (Version Nine). There have been substantial changes made in this space and it is an opportunity to reflect on topical concepts such as consent, racism, and mental health, which are so pertinent to society at this time.
Why is HPE important for our students?
Health and physical education provides students with an education they can and will use for life. It helps to instil a love for lifelong physical activity, reducing lifestyle diseases such as type two diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression and anxiety, chronic back pain, and many more. It also educates students on healthy choices across a wide range of areas, enabling students to become empowered and take responsibility for their own health. More recently, health has focused on helping students understand how to recognise and control their emotions, understand consent, and engage in respectful relationships, breaking down gender stereotypes and casual racism.
In my view, health and physical education is the most important subject as it aims to educate the whole person in order to live a happy, healthy, and productive life.
What else did you do before joining the Radford community?
I started my career at Tuggeranong College, teaching outdoor education, physical activity, and sports science. I then took the opportunity to move to Canberra Grammar School where I remained for ten years. In my time at Grammar, I taught personal development, health and physical education, HSC PDHPE, and the International Baccalaureate sports, exercise, and health sciences course.
Prior to teaching, I dabbled in the world of elite sports, finding success in both rowing and water polo, and finishing my competitive sporting career in surf boat rowing.
What do you do with your time outside of Radford?
Outside of Radford, I am mum to my five-year-old son, Henry, who started Kindergarten this year, and two golden retrievers, Winston and Wally. In any time I find for myself, I love to run and will often head up a hill on the weekend. In summer, you will find me at the beach where I do volunteer Surf Lifesaving.