As Associate Principal of Western Cape College (WCC) in Weipa, a coastal mining town with a rich Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, Daniel Tonon excels at finding ways to navigate remote teaching challenges and learn about students, communities and cultures.

Mr Tonon was instrumental in a three-dimensional improvement focus that included teaching and learning, the wellbeing of the whole student and partnership building.

With disengagement from school a major risk factor for students at WCC, he helped to forge a partnership with Schools Up North (SUN), a pilot project that empowers teachers and support teams to respond to students' emotional and mental health.

“We identified a significant unmet priority, so the Primary Health network of North Queensland approached two schools to pilot a project to address those needs and build the teaching capacity to support that gap,” Mr Tonon said.

The unique partnership has enabled the College to access leading experts in health and wellbeing.

“We have psychologists, psychiatrists, as well as a range of additional experts that wouldn’t traditionally be the go-to for schools,” he said.

He has also been involved in the Western Cape Coordinated Care for Young People (WCCCYP), a partnership between fourteen government and non-government agencies to provide coordinated care approaches for young people experiencing multiple and complex issues.

This project, he says, helps to solve a significant challenge by enabling all agencies to collaborate and share information so that young people receive tightly coordinated, highly efficient support.

“We were finding that we were putting a referral in to an agency, expecting an action, and we would just never know if it was successful,” he explained.

“Now every three weeks, the managers of the agencies come together with the consent of the young person and their family and review the progress of the individual care team.”

Mr Tonon’s colleagues have described his energy as upbeat and infectious, bringing positivity and a solution-focused approach based on authentic relationships and the growth of the staff.

Under his leadership, six staff members at the College have now completed the Queensland University of Technology’s Graduate Certificate in Trauma Informed Education.

“It’s our collective belief that all young people deserve the best opportunity to learn, grow and achieve their full potential.”

His colleagues praise his willingness to support them in any way he can, including picking up teaching loads if needed and continually helping them to develop their pedagogical approach.

In every aspect of his leadership, he goes the extra mile for young people - often literally – even making a five-hour round trip on a Friday afternoon after a bus breakdown to make sure students got to their destination safely.

A colleague's quote best summarises his status as a fabric in the community:

“The bauxite, the wet season, and his excellent leadership are three factors influencing great growing up here.”

Mr Tonon is a finalist at the Queensland College of Teachers TEACHX Awards, in the Excellent Leadership in Teaching and Learning category.

Winners will be announced October 27th, on the eve of World Teachers' Day in Queensland.