Toongabbie Christian College

MICHAEL SCHEPIS Student 2000-2005 Parent 2019-Present

It all started with mum and dad. One evening they sat me down at the dining table in Dundas. They had heard of a good Christian school and told me that I would now go there. It was a little far away and I would have to catch a train and a bus every day. Growing up in a devoted Christian home - my father as a Chaplain and my grandfather as a Minister - and already attending a public primary school, the last thing I wanted to do was to change. I was so upset I cried and moped for weeks. Whether I liked it or not, God had a plan for me. I’ll never forget the time in Year 7 I called Mrs Thomas, “Mum”, in front of the whole year. That’s one way to make an impression. In Year 9 I decided to grow my hair into an afro which led to a few run ins with Mr Lawrence. Now, he could see me no matter where I hid, ‘Mr Schepis tuck in that shirt!’ For Assembly, I worked out a system. I would dash into the office, grab a tie from Mrs Rogan at the lost property and return it when I was done. Year 10 was a ball. The afro could not be missed, tying perfectly into our PDHPE group dance assessment. We selected the Bee Gees’ Stayin’ Alive and got our disco on. We then entered the Toonie’s Got Talent competition and took the top prize of a canteen voucher, living like kings for a week. In Year 11 I plucked up enough courage and asked Georgina Speir out three times and she said ‘no’. The fourth time, on the library stairs, she came up to me and asked me out and I said ‘yes’. From Year 11 at the age of 17, I fell in love with my now wife. We have been together every day for 17 years, married for 11, and now have three kids, two of whom are currently attending Toongabbie, one who will join his sisters there in a few years. At Toongabbie I felt safe. It allowed me to grow even when I wasn’t the most academic. I had a more creative streak. I liked IT and computers which Mr Perrett encouraged, and I liked Art, with an eye for composition and mixed media, something Mr Elmer also picked up. I didn’t know what I wanted to do after school until I flicked through a careers book and saw Graphic Design. My mum and the teachers, with a little push, prompted Wesley Institute and I went on to achieve a Bachelor of Graphic Design with another Toongabbie student, Alex Simak, who I still keep in touch with today. Years have passed and we now successfully run a Graphic Design Company with a few staff working with private, government and not-for-profit organisations and schools. In 2018, we rebranded Toongabbie Christian College. This was a very personal project for me for all the reasons above and we took the role very seriously, even winning international design awards. Toongabbie, for us, is more than a school, it’s our home.

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