Introducing TGS’s new Director of Boarding, Mr Nick Byron
This is the best time possible to take over the role as Director of Boarding according Mr Nick Byron who is settling into his new appointment at Toowoomba Grammar School.
“There is a lot of new staff bringing fresh ideas and positive energy to the School and it’s very exciting to be part of this new chapter,” said Mr Byron.
“I’m looking forward to meeting the TGS community, particularly the boarding families and working closely with them on their son’s journey through the School.”
Mr Byron’s philosophy on developing good young men is to recognize each individual’s character.
“The best thing about TGS Boarding is the positive relationships developed between the boys and staff,” he said. “We want to nurture each boy’s personality and passions. I strongly encourage students to be themselves and I value their individuality.”
He plans to work very closely with families to achieve this and wants good strong communication with families, seeking their input.
“They’re part of this journey too,” said Mr Byron.
“I don’t want them to just drop their son off and that’s it. I want to develop partnerships between the School, the boys and their family.”
Mr Byron is a strong advocate for an all-boys’ education because he believes they have good role models and classes tailored to their interests which helps them enjoy learning and discover their passions in life.
“School isn’t just about English and Maths. Teaching boys how to be good young men is the most important part of their education here and I want to foster that through not just the staff, but the senior students too; their behaviour and values have a huge impact on the younger boys, particularly in boarding,” stated Mr Byron.
This desire to develop mindful young men through the strong family values instilled at TGS was one of the factors that attracted Mr Byron to applying for the Director of Boarding position.
“The School’s values have been clearly evident, right back to when I was a student at Brisbane State High School and would play against TGS in the GPS competition,” Mr Byron said.
“The TGS boys have always had a reliability and integrity that impressed me.”
After graduating BSHS, where he was School Captain in 1997, Mr Byron combined his pursuit for a rugby union career with his teaching career. He represented Queensland and Australian in U16-U21 rugby and played in Australia, New Zealand and the UK whilst teaching at various state and independent schools. He hopes to eventually share his rugby knowledge and experience with the TGS Rugby teams, but his priority for the first 12-18 months is developing a strong boarding program, particularly with three new Heads of House, Mr Brad Allen, Mr Eugene Massi and Mr Chris Stearn also stepping into their roles from Term 1 this year.
Mr Byron will draw on his strong background in pastoral care to further strengthen the TGS Boarding experience. He has worked in pastoral care in almost all his previous positions, citing the most rewarding experience at Tenbury High School in the UK. He taught there in the Learning and Behaviour Support Unit, looking after special needs children and students with behavioural problems.
It was also during his time at Tenbury that he met his wife, Freya, who was also teaching at the School. They have two daughters, Elizabeth (Libby) who is almost 10 years old and Bridget who is 7 years old.
The fond memories of their rural lifestyle in the UK were one of the drawcards for coming to Toowoomba Grammar School.
“We lived in a farming and agricultural community and we loved that lifestyle,” said Mr Byron.
“Toowoomba is also an ideal place to raise a family.”
Mr Byron has spent the past five years as the Head of Residence at Brisbane Grammar School and while acknowledging that the TGS boarding program is bigger than BGS, he is excited about the opportunities that await him and his new team.
In the coming weeks we look forward to sharing information about our new boarding Heads of House, Brad, Eugene and Chris.
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