I’m in awe of the vision and courage of our now retired founding Principal, Mr Peter Thomson, in starting a Christian school from scratch, and for the way he built a team and a culture at Cedar that honours God and provides a caring learning environment. He would be the first one to acknowledge God’s hand in that work. Anything is possible when you trust God. But it took bold, pioneering leadership.

Then there was the not-so-small matter of finding a suitable Principal with the right leadership qualities for the next phase of Cedar’s development. As a Board, we prayed and trusted God to provide His leader for His work here at Cedar, and God has very clearly guided us to a new Principal, Mr Tim Heading. He will be starting in Term 4, bringing a strong team approach with a focus on developing others. He is an experienced Principal, has a strong Christian faith, and we are confident he will be a relational and inspirational leader.

Leaders Who Serve

Head of High School, Mr Andrew Lock, will be Acting Principal for Term 3. He has been on staff at Cedar for almost 20 years and has carried a heavy leadership load in recent years. Mr Lock has been a strong example of faithfulness, selflessness and passion for the work of Cedar, leadership qualities that serve the school well.

Leadership comes in many forms, from the classic ‘type A’ personality though to quiet faithfulness. The common factor is that leadership is not about the leader. Jesus Himself said, “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:26-28)

Jesus’ example of servant leadership is the principle we need to teach the next generation as we develop leaders for the future.

Don’t be someone who lets life happen to you or takes advantage of others. Step out in faith and make things happen with selfless leadership. When you trust God, anything is possible!