Brett Dascombe from Wavell State High School bested other state nominees and received the QUT Showcase Award of Excellence in Teaching, during a Principals’ Conference Gala Dinner which saw South East Queensland win a majority of the awards categories.

Aside from winning the QUT Showcase Award of Excellence in Teaching for 2022, Mr Dascombe also won an innovation in teaching award at the Schoolzine Merline Muldoon Awards in 2021 for his use of geospatial technology in his classroom, something that he started in 2001 to enhance the teaching and learning experience of students.
Mr Dascombe is one of Queensland’s first teachers to include geospatial mapping in his teaching assessment, combining it with drone flying to help students create university-level assignments that tackle environmental and social issues.
He is currently a Senior Experienced Teacher at Wavell State High School.
South East Queensland was strongly represented at the 2022 Showcase Awards for Excellence in Schools where individual educators, schools and school clusters from the region won seven out of ten award categories.
Another individual award went to Mango Hill State School Principal Tracy Egan who was named Griffith University Jack Pizzey Awardee for Excellence in School Leadership.
Moreover, the Pine Rivers South Primary Cluster – Bray Park, Strathpine, Strathpine West and Lawnton State Schools – bagged the RemServ Showcase Award for Excellence in Parent and Community Engagement.
The North Coast Cluster, comprising Moreton Downs State School, Burpengary State School, Caboolture East State School, Elimbah State School, Jinibara State School, Mango Hill State School and Narangba Valley State School, on the other hand, took home the Network 10 Showcase Award for Excellence in the Early and Primary Years for their “Critical friends network” entry.
Likewise, the Whites Hill State College Cluster, which includes Indooroopilly State High School, Kelvin Grove State College, Sunnybank State High School, Coolum State High School, Mount Gravatt State High School, Centenary Heights State High School, North Lakes State College and Springfield Central State High School, is the year’s The Education Queensland International Showcase Award for Excellence in Global Engagement thanks to their “Blended/hybrid virtual high school preparation”.
Meanwhile, Moreton Bay Environmental Education Centre’s entry “Building cultural understanding and capabilities on Quandamooka Country” won them the QTU Showcase Award for Excellence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education.
Lastly, Lawnton State School shared honours with Western Cape College for the Bevan Brennan ‘Every Child Needs a Champion’ Award with their “We grow leaders” submission.
“The Showcase Awards allow us to recognise and celebrate the great work our educators are doing every day to ensure that students in Queensland state schools are getting a world-class education,” Education Minister Grace Grace said.
“That there were so many high-quality entries to this year’s awards shows the hard work, dedication and expertise of Queensland school staff.
The 10 award category winners are:
- The Network 10 Showcase Award for Excellence in the Early and Primary Years
- North Coast Cluster (Moreton Downs State School, Burpengary State School, Caboolture East State School, Elimbah State School, Jinibara State School, Mango Hill State School and Narangba Valley State School), Critical friends network
- The QSuper Showcase Award for Excellence in the Secondary Years
- Urangan State High School, CAPIP – time for the right work
- The TUH Health Fund Showcase Award for Excellence in Inclusive Education
- Tinana State School, Everyone’s welcome in the room – whatever it takes
- The RemServ Showcase Award for Excellence in Parent and Community Engagement
- Pine Rivers South Primary Cluster (Lawnton State School, Bray Park State School, Strathpine State School and Strathpine West State School), Engagement and attendance matters – The more you go the more you know
- The Showcase Award for Excellence in Global Engagement
- Whites Hill State College Cluster (Indooroopilly State High School, Kelvin Grove State College, Sunnybank State High School, Coolum State High School, Mount Gravatt State High School, Centenary Heights State High School, North Lakes State College and Springfield Central State High School), Blended/hybrid virtual high school preparation
- The Queensland Teachers’ Union Showcase Award for Excellence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education
- Moreton Bay Environmental Education Centre, Building cultural understanding and capabilities on Quandamooka Country
- The Showcase Award for Excellence in Rural and Remote Education
- Happy Valley State School, Leading from the classroom: a model of distributive leadership
- The QUT Showcase Award for Excellence in Teaching
- Brett Dascombe, Wavell State High School
- The Griffith University Jack Pizzey Award for Excellence in School Leadership
- Tracy Egan, Mango Hill State School
- The Bevan Brennan Every Child Needs a Champion Award
- Lawnton State School, We grow leaders
The 2022 Showcase Awards for Excellence in Schools saw 86 submissions representing 220 state schools vying. Each state award group category winner will receive $10,000 development grants with two individuals to each receive a $5,000 development grant.
“Educators have benefitted from a total of $166,000 in grant support from this year’s Showcase Awards for Excellence in Schools, including regional winners who received $1,000 each and regional commendations receiving $500 each,” Ms Grace said.
The event was held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on the 11th of October 2022.
