Andrew Bell was appointed as Principal of Snowy Mountains Grammar School in January 2012 after earlier establishing himself in senior leadership roles such as Acting Head of Senior School, Dean of College and five years as Deputy Headmaster of Saint Stephen’s College, Gold Coast. His core responsibilities included oversight of the Wellbeing programs and practices as well as having full oversight of the College’s day-to-day operations.
Prior to this, he commenced his career in education, returning to the University of Newcastle after three years of full-time work, and completed his internship at Newcastle Grammar School. Moving to Queensland, Andrew taught at Rivermount College, south of Brisbane, and across those various schools earlier in his career held the middle leadership positions of Head of Year, Head of Health and Physical Education, and Director of Sport, for more than a decade.
In 2017, after completing five years at Snowy Mountains Grammar School as Principal, Andrew decided it was time to re-locate back to the Gold Coast with his family and take up the senior executive role of Head of Campus at Trinity Lutheran College, Ashmore. However, with a sense of ‘unfinished business’ at Snowy Mountains Grammar School lingering in his mind, he accepted the role of Principal when an unexpected opportunity arose in January 2018. He returned with a renewed commitment and determination to build on the previous five-year period as well as leading work on a new Strategic Plan and exciting Master Plan for the school.
Over recent years, Snowy Mountains Grammar School has continued to be recognised and awarded nationally as one of the leading schools in Australia. Accolades for the school include “Innovative School of the Year” several years running; also a national finalist as: “Regional School of the Year”, “Best Co-curricular Programs” and winner of “Boarding School of the Year”. Andrew sees this as a reflection of the cohesive teamwork achieved by a dedicated staff who consistently go the extra mile for students and families.
Espousing the importance of being a lifelong learner, Andrew also achieved the not-so-small task of completing his Doctorate at the University of New England while Principal of Snowy Mountains Grammar School. He researched the ‘attributes of expert teachers in independent schools’ to better learn those characteristics and practices of the very best teachers in the profession, interviewing teachers and leaders at some of the highest-performing schools in the country. Andrew is a member of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia and serves on the Student Wellbeing and Learning sub-committee as part of the Heads of Independent Schools in NSW. He also represents Snowy Mountains Grammar School as an associate member of the Association of Independent Schools ACT.
His dedication to learning and ensuring that all students at Snowy Mountains Grammar School have unimaginable opportunities in a wide range of interests is steadfast. It also inspires the confidence of all staff to work together with an aligned vision for Snowy Mountains Grammar School as a remarkable school to meet and exceed the needs of local students and distant boarders alike. Dr Bell is committed to continually improving all facets of the educational environment so that all members of the school community thrive.