Maths leader Mary Zervos honoured among Victoria’s best educators

High schoolhouse teacher Mary Zervos has been named arsenic a finalist successful the 2025 Victorian Education Excellence Awards, nominated for the Outstanding Secondary Teacher award.

Mary began teaching successful 1984 astatine Wellington Secondary College and has been astatine Vermont Secondary College since 1991 where she is the Head of Learning and Teaching. She was antecedently Head of Mathematics and Numeracy.

She has transformed mathematics learning astatine Vermont, improving some student show and attitudes.

She promotes maths arsenic a vital beingness skill done her student-centred teaching and arsenic an instructional leader, oversees program readying crossed each year levels.

Mary told Neos Kosmos that she was shocked with the nomination.

Mary Zervos with the Maths team. “Learning alongside others helps you physique confidence, and makes you a stronger, much reflective educator”. Photo: Supplied

“I americium incredibly humbled and honoured to beryllium named a finalist successful the Victorian Education Excellence Awards,” she said.

“To beryllium recognised astatine this level was truly unexpected. When I was archetypal approached astir the nomination, it honestly took maine by surprise.

“That said, the information itself means a large woody to me, arsenic it acknowledges that the work I bash each time is seen, valued, and appreciated.”

Mary co-developed Years 9–12 booklets outlining cardinal standards, aims and assessments, helping students amended understand their work.

She besides mentors teaching teams to refine signifier done collaboration and feedback.

It is her colleagues that Mary praised, saying that the initiatives she’s implemented are a team effort.

“As a lifelong learner, I clasp alteration and spot it arsenic an accidental for maturation for some students and teachers”. Photo: Supplied

“While I whitethorn beryllium the 1 named successful the nomination, this designation is very overmuch a reflection of the corporate effort down me. It truly belongs to the team I work with each day,” she said.

When she became caput of mathematics and numeracy successful 2013, the schoolhouse had conscionable 1 precocious maths people and lone three students achieving cleanable ATAR scores.

Today, there are 5 precocious classes, 15 cleanable scores, and adjacent a student who represented Australia astatine the International Maths Olympiad, bringing location a bronze medal.

Mary finds it rewarding and breathtaking to spot students execute these successes, but thinks it’s arsenic almighty to spot student permission schoolhouse with the numeracy skills to succeed successful beingness and work.

“It’s affirming to cognize that the tailored programs we’ve developed for high-achieving students astatine Vermont Secondary College are efficaciously supporting their maturation and helping them thrive”. Photo: Supplied

“For me, success isn’t defined by medals oregon rankings alone, but by the content students make successful their ain mathematical thinking and their quality to use it beyond the classroom,” she said.

Mary’s parents were some calved successful Greece, her begetter from Palairos, a village connected the west seashore of mainland Greece, nestled successful a bay of the Ionian Sea, and her parent from Nestani, a village successful the Arcadia portion of the Peloponnese peninsula.

They met aft migrating to Melbourne successful the 1950s and contempt their strong tendency to larn a caller connection and assimilate into a caller culture, they still held tightly to their Greek practice and traditions, values which they passed down.

“My parents’ acquisition was greatly impacted by war and household hardship,” Mary said.

“Despite these challenges, they had a strong content successful the powerfulness of acquisition arsenic a cardinal to opening doors to a amended life.

“My mum would often say, ‘You cannot miss a time of school, arsenic you whitethorn ne'er person that accidental to larn what you missed again.’

“They besides held large respect for teachers arsenic educators and mentors. These values person profoundly influenced my ain teaching career, perpetually reminding maine of the profound interaction acquisition tin person connected a person’s future.”

With parents that made sure she went to school, Mary developed a emotion for mathematics.

So overmuch so that she recovered a earthy quality to explicate maths concepts successful a way that made consciousness to others.

“The operation of a passionateness for maths and a genuine tendency to assistance others larn is what archetypal drew maine to teaching,” she said.

“This is reflected successful the way I structure of my lessons. My extremity is for students to permission the schoolroom with existent understanding.

“I want them to consciousness assured successful knowing however and why something works, not arsenic though they’ve conscionable witnessed ‘maths magic’, but that they person made consciousness of it for themselves.”

Mary said it’s important for students from multicultural backgrounds to spot teachers who stock and understand their culture. Photo: Supplied

She has remained passionate astir teaching due to the fact that of it’s quality to marque a meaningful interaction connected young people.

“Helping students with debased assurance realise they tin succeed, and watching their assurance turn done encouragement and understanding, is incredibly rewarding,” she said.

“Those lightbulb moments, when a conception yet clicks, marque the work fulfilling.”

As a teacher from a Greek background, Mary thinks it’s important for students multicultural backgrounds to spot teachers who stock and understand their culture.

“The ground for transportation is already established,” she said.

“When teachers person akin taste experiences, they are amended capable to subordinate to students’ perspectives, challenges, and traditions.

“This understanding fosters a supportive learning situation where students consciousness seen, valued, and understood, importantly enhancing their assurance and engagement.”