Adelaide teacher Isabelle Roberts is ending her remarkable 46-year career in Catholic education on a high note, having recently been honoured with the 2025 Catholic Education South Australia Award for Leadership Excellence. A familiar and respected figure at Loreto College, Marryatville—where she has served for the past 15 years—Isabelle currently leads as religious education coordinator and liturgist. As she prepares to step back from full-time teaching at the end of the semester, she says the award is a meaningful way to close this chapter, though she’s not ruling out a return to the classroom in a substitute role.
What inspired you to become a teacher?
I grew up in a strong, faith-filled family. I remember walking to Mass holding my grandfather’s hand and praying the Rosary led by my mum’s calm voice.
Growing up in Catholic schools, I was deeply inspired by Sr Alyssia, an elderly piano teacher at the convent. Coming from a large, migrant family, I couldn’t afford lessons, but I longed to learn. My friend was learning from Sr Alyssia, and I often begged to go along—just to listen. Sr Alyssia noticed me quietly watching, and after my friend gave up her lessons, she gently invited me to take her place. Her compassion and belief in me left a lasting impression—she taught me more than music; she inspired me to love generously, to act where there was a need and to be kind.
My faith and sense of service led me to volunteer, and these experiences taught me about the power of presence, patience, and the unique ways we can communicate love, especially when words fall short.
While studying at university, I trained in Auslan and became an interpreter for the Deaf and also led a youth music group that sang at weekly Mass. Eventually, I began staging Christian musicals and supporting parish events—experiences that shaped both my creativity and leadership.
Becoming a teacher felt like a natural extension of everything I loved: family, faith, music, community, and the opportunity to help children feel seen, heard, and valued. I was blessed to be supported by strong parish and school communities who encouraged and nurtured my growth. Teaching, for me, has always been more than a profession—it has been a vocation grounded in faith, service, and hope.
2. Can you share a moment in your career where you really felt you made a difference?
There was a time early in my career when tragedy struck — a young child in my class and his father lost their lives. The next day, still in shock, we returned to school. No one quite knew what to do. We moved quietly through the morning, trying to make sense of something that made no sense at all.
I gathered my class of five- and six-year-olds and sat with them in a circle on the floor. We held hands and bowed our heads. There were no words — only silence. After a while, my team teacher from the classroom next door gently led her students in and joined our circle. She whispered that she didn’t know how to lead this moment either. Again, we simply held hands and bowed our heads.
Then, silently, more footsteps entered. I looked up and saw parents joining us — quietly, reverently. No one spoke. But together, in that sacred silence, we found something deeper than words. In that shared stillness, in God’s presence, there was a sense of connection, of holding one another in something greater than all of us.
I’ve written many funerals since then — for children, families, and community members — because in a long teaching life, sadness often walks alongside joy and achievement. But that moment, that first experience of communal grief, reminded me that sometimes presence is more powerful than anything we can say. I have never forgotten that silence. It was holy.
3. Is there a story from your time teaching that has in inspired you/had a deep impact on you?
I spent 20 years teaching at St Brigid’s in Kilburn, South Australia a school that welcomed new arrivals to Australia. It wasn’t unusual to have a classroom filled with 10 different languages and cultures at once. Having arrived in Australia from Malta as a six-year-old migrant, I carried with me a deep understanding of how language barriers and cultural differences can leave a child feeling unsure or excluded.
I often thought of my mother raising nine children, helping us adapt, supporting us with our schoolwork, and teaching us how to find our place in Australian society. It shaped me as a person and as a teacher. I drew on those experiences to support my own students and their families. My own journey as a migrant gave me the empathy and insight to walk alongside others on theirs.
But what impacted me most were the stories of the refugee families I met – parents who had spent months, even years, in transit before finally calling Australia home. One moment that has stayed with me was a conversation with a young father newly arrived at our school. I asked what he used to do back in Liberia. He looked at me and quietly said, “I’ve been in a refugee camp since I was a child. I’ve never been to school.” He told me he met his wife in another camp, and after a long journey, they made it to Australia. Now, both were attending school for the first time—eager, engaged, and learning alongside their young daughter.
Moments like that make you stop and reflect on all the things we so often take for granted.
4 How does your faith shape your teaching approach?
My faith is at the heart of who I am, and it naturally shapes how I teach, lead, and relate to others. I see each child as made in the image of God, with their own gifts, stories, and potential. This belief guides me to approach teaching with compassion, patience, and a deep sense of purpose. Often, the learning is outside the classroom.
Faith reminds me to look beyond just the academic outcomes—to nurture the whole person. I try to create a classroom environment where all students feel safe, valued, and known. I aim to model kindness, humility, and hope in the way I speak, the way I lead prayer, and even in how I handle conflict or challenge.
A key part of my work is nurturing in students a faith that takes action. I lead the Social Justice Leaders at Loreto College, and together we raise money for Caritas, organise winter and Christmas appeals, and lead the school in awareness-raising activities around local and global social issues. It is a vital part of our school life and something I feel deeply privileged to guide. These students inspire me daily with their compassion, leadership, and desire to make a difference.
Faith also fuels my belief in justice and dignity. It challenges me to advocate for those on the margins, to ensure all voices are heard, and to keep Christ’s message of love and inclusion.
5. What’s the most rewarding part of teaching in a Catholic school?
Truly, it’s my job! As a College Liturgist and REC, every part of my day is centred on faith. I write and lead weekly liturgies for the junior school, prepare chapel Masses for each year level, and organise whole-school liturgies for significant occasions. I also coordinate the Sacramental program—a part of my role I dearly love. Working with students and their families on this journey is incredibly special.
One of the most rewarding aspects of working in a Catholic school—particularly within the Mary Ward Loreto tradition—is the opportunity to share and live out the values of Justice, Freedom, Felicity, Sincerity, and Verity. These values are not just words on a wall; they are the foundation of every liturgy, every prayer, every classroom conversation, and every outreach we undertake. They shape how we teach, how we lead, and how we accompany our students and their families.
Being part of a global Catholic community brings a deep sense of connection and purpose to our school. There’s a security in knowing we belong to something much larger than ourselves—a tradition rich in history, wisdom, and hope. It’s incredibly rewarding to witness how students grow into these values and begin to make them their own.
Every day, I get to live out my own faith – a faith I hold dear – and I’m privileged to share it with others in our school community.
6. What do you think is the most valuable role Catholic education plays in today’s society?
The school is, more and more, becoming the Church I knew as a child. Growing up, I had many opportunities to attend Mass, but the Church was also where my social life thrived. Through youth groups, music groups, and YCW I found a sense of belonging, purpose, and joy that shaped both my faith and friendships. It was a community that nurtured every part of me—spiritually, socially, and emotionally.
Today, families are pulled in many directions, and the rhythm of parish life isn’t always easy to maintain. With weekend sport and other commitments, many no longer attend Mass regularly. In this context, Catholic schools have become not just centres of learning but places where faith is lived and celebrated. They carry forward the rituals, symbols, and values of our Church in a way that is accessible and meaningful for a new generation.
Through school liturgies, class prayer, the Sacramental program, and special Masses celebrated by our Parish Priest, we offer families a connection to the sacred that might otherwise be lost. We also give students a space to explore their faith, ask big questions, and find their own way of belonging in a faith community.
In many ways, Catholic schools now provide the same grounding that I experienced in my youth—offering not only formation but community, identity, and hope. We are helping to hold open the door of faith for both students and their families, inviting them in gently, just as I was once invited.
7. As a leader in Catholic education, how have you been supported? How have you been able to support others?
One of the greatest supports throughout my career has been the ongoing encouragement of professional learning offered by Catholic Education. I was fortunate to complete my Graduate Certificate in Catholic Education and take part in countless university level courses in theology, scripture, curriculum, and leadership. Through the generosity of CESA, I’ve been able to attend professional development opportunities and conferences both locally and interstate, which have continually refreshed my thinking and nourished my vocation as a Catholic educator.
Beyond study, I have been supported by wise mentors and faith-filled colleagues who have walked alongside me—sharing wisdom, listening deeply, and encouraging me in moments of challenge and growth. Being part of a faith-centred professional community has been a steady source of strength.
In turn, I’ve always felt called to offer that same support to others. Whether mentoring early career teachers, helping colleagues write and lead liturgies, or walking with families on their Sacramental journeys, I’ve tried to lead with presence, compassion, and a deep respect for the dignity of each person. I’ve also supported teams through curriculum change, faith formation opportunities, and school events that bring community and culture to life.
It is a privilege to be in a role where faith, learning, and leadership come together—supporting others not only in their professional growth but in their journey as people of hope and purpose.
8. What have been your greatest achievements?
Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to receive many awards and acknowledgements that have recognised my work. These include leading a whole school music program for students who couldn’t afford music lessons, securing donated instruments from more fortunate schools, and being featured on national television as the entire school gathered on the oval to perform together. I’ve also been honoured with a Primary Maths Lead Teacher award, worked alongside scientists through the Scientist in Schools program and then featured in a newspaper spotlight, and facilitated large-scale initiatives with the whole junior school STEM day.
I’ve run the largest girls’ coding at one time for Code Club, which was filmed for Behind the News and included interviews on girls in STEM. I’ve guided social justice leaders whose video on refugee experiences was shortlisted in the Plural Youth Festival, and I’ve helped tech and coding clubs win national competitions, including a 3D printer for design and a laptop for an animation project. I was also honoured to recently receive a Leadership Excellence Award at the Catholic Education Awards SA.
Another project close to my heart was designing a peaceful garden space, especially for neurodiverse children, with the Loreto values at its core. What began as an idea it was embraced by the school and transformed into the SEAD Garden — a space for Stillness, Exploration, Art, and Discovery — where students can find calm, connection, and creativity.
But while all of these achievements have been exciting and fulfilling, my greatest achievement has been the transformation of our school liturgies into deeply reverent and spirit-filled moments of weekly prayer. Through student-led music, thoughtful decoration of the sacred space, set up and welcome by liturgy leaders and the gentle leadership of our prayer leaders, our liturgies have become more than a ritual — they are now a shared experience that gives voice to our students, welcomes families and the wider community, and truly reflects the heart of the Church’s mission. This work – creating sacred, inclusive spaces that honour faith, dignity, and student voice – is what I am most proud of.