Bringing student and staff artistic vision to life is very rewarding.
Head of Media Technologies
Students should be creators, and not just consumers.
As loyal as they come, in his 40-year education career, remarkably Kim Perkins has only worked at three schools and in no other industry. His first teaching appointment was at Reece High School in his home town of Devonport, Tasmania. When he moved to Melbourne in 1996, he accepted a role at neighbouring school, Strathcona and in 2008 he joined the CGGS community.
In that time, he’s taught it all – Social Science, History, Geography, Drama, Sport Science, Computing and Programming, Information Technology, Multimedia, Podcasting, Cybersafety and Digital Literacy.
Joining CGGS in 2008 as the school’s Head of IT, Kim was responsible for overseeing digital learning and the infrastructure of information and communications technology.
“When I joined the school, we had a really limited internet connection. There were two computer labs and a set of laptops in both the Junior and Senior libraries – that was about it,” says Kim.
At the time, education was approaching a unique point in its evolution, where major changes were about to happen because of technology and Kim knew the school needed to act fast. Over the next two years, a new technology infrastructure was introduced.
“The school completely replaced the network backbone, servers and telephony. Five video conferencing suites were installed, along with two TV Studios. To this day, the school continues to advance its technology and it is now an exciting and constantly evolving part of the curriculum at all year levels,” he says.
In 2015 Kim became Head of Digital Learning, a role dedicated to supporting our teaching staff to integrate technology into their classes. Always up for a challenge, in 2019 he became Head of Media Technologies, a newly created position that you could say was designed just for him.
“My current role is varied but incorporates all manner of technology. It involves supporting our teaching staff in their use of visual technologies such as video, audio and photography. I also manage the ClickView system and the school’s digital signage.”
Another area that Kim is responsible for is video production and theatre technology. With qualifications in Broadcast Television, it will come as no surprise that you’ll often find him in the school’s TV Studio. In fact, during 2020, Kim practically relocated his office to the TV Studio.
Bringing student and staff artistic vision to life is very rewarding.
“Last year was a massive year for me. We had to switch from face-to-face events, to online. This meant that everything from cultural celebrations and presentation nights to school tours and information evenings were all produced from the TV Studio.”
“The highlight of 2020 for me was the Year 12 Valedictory Dinner. The fact that we produced such a technically demanding event and brought it live to the students and families of Year 12 was so rewarding and satisfying,” Kim says with a smile.
If you can’t find him in the TV Studio, you might just find him in Barbara Sutton Hall, either high up in the roof rigging lights or in the bio-box. As the school’s resident audio-visual technician, Kim supports our Performing Arts staff and students to bring their creative dreams to life. He spends time mentoring and teaching our students how to manage all aspects of sound and lighting for productions, so they can confidently undertake this aspect of live performance for themselves.
“Be it a House Dance Competition, the weekly assembly or the annual School Production, working with students and staff to help them bring their artistic visions to life on the stage, through the use of lighting and sound is very rewarding. I’m a big believer in giving students the skills to be producers themselves rather than just consumers,” says Kim.
A fitness fanatic, lifelong Richmond Tigers supporter, avid traveller and a true Melbourne foodie, there is one thing that might just surprise you about our resident all-round tech guru. Kim is also a fully qualified pilot with a multi-engine rating.
“Something I always tell my students is that if they only stick to the things they know, they may never find the things that excite them. Encouraged by a friend to give it a go, I discovered a new passion and as a result, I’ve been flying planes for the past 20 years.”
So, if Mr Perkins is not calling “lights, camera, action”, Captain Perkins can be heard over the aviation airwaves calling “ready for take-off”.
Tango Hotel Echo Echo November Delta
It's a joy to have Kim in our community.
