Biography - Lorraine Hams

Lorraine Hams

Lorraine is an exceptional educational leader whose passionate contributions have benefited both her school and the wider community.  

She has been a Principal for over 19 years, 18 of which have been in her current school. During this time, she has overseen the total restructure of her school from a Senior High School to a vibrant Senior Campus incorporating an Education Support Centre and an Intensive English Centre. 

Lorraine is an inspiration and mentor to her staff and under her guidance, many have won scholarships to visit and learn from other educational systems.  She has the ability to laugh at herself and yet when it comes to the education of young people she is deadly serious. 

Lorraine is passionate about education and insists that everyone deserves “one more chance”. As a result, her school has become the campus where many alienated and disaffected young people have been given that second chance. For many students, it has been a life-changing experience, being accepted, encouraged and supported as they seek to change their life circumstances and finish school, seek employment or tertiary education.

As a strong advocate for social justice, one of her ambitions has been to address the issue of homeless students. Her greatest personal and professional dream was realized at the end of 2005 when 10 units of student housing were opened on her school site. This was the result of a great deal of lobbying and many meetings with a range of government departments, community groups and welfare organizations. This housing allows students to continue their education when they would otherwise have extreme difficulty in doing so and includes accommodation for young single mothers as well as students with disabilities. 

Always open to new leadership ideas, Lorraine is a member of the Swan Leadership Reading group and subscribes to many on-line education websites to ensure that her knowledge is recent and pertinent. She is an executive member of the WA Secondary School Executives Association, and, in the wider community, is a member of the Sangora Foundation Trust. This Trust assists students who would otherwise be unable to attend university or TAFE College to further their education.