Get to know Newington’s Director of Co-education as she talks planning, pioneers and the moment boys and girls walked through our College doors together. 

First days of school are memorable. And as the parent of two children and a teacher of more than 25 years, Mrs Rebecca Panagopoulos, Newington’s newly appointed Director of Co‑education, has witnessed many of these milestones. The commencement of Newington’s staged shift to co‑education earlier this year was, however, a particularly special one. 

‘I was walking up Cambridge Street to Wyvern House Prep, and as I was approaching, there was a Newington mum and dad with a Wyvern boy and a Wyvern girl dressed in their uniforms, and I actually felt quite emotional,’ she says. 

‘I think because in that instance it hit me, and I thought to myself… “we’ve arrived, we have now come full circle, and here they are”.’ 

And yet, she continues, in many ways that scene was also ‘the most normal looking thing’. 

‘But when you’ve planned and worked so hard as a team, and my predecessor Ms Brigid Taylor did an incredible job to bring the Prep schools to that moment, it was just a wonderful thing to witness, with all the girls arriving alongside the boys with their families.’ 

It was an experience Mrs Panagopoulos says she will never forget, nor the warmth that greeted the new students. 

‘For our community to welcome and embrace our pioneer girls as it did on those two days in January was truly heartwarming. But it didn’t surprise me because that is who we are at Newington. 

‘As a school we have always been changing, adapting and improving in line with our community’s needs. And today, it is a wonderful feeling to have our Newington families, who were calling out for this, be able to say, my son goes to Newington and now my daughter can go there too.’ 

A Geography teacher, Mrs Panagopoulos also serves as an International Baccalaureate CAS Coordinator, overseeing Year 11 and 12 students’ Creativity, Activity and Service requirements. She joined Newington 15 years ago at another key moment. 

‘I came to Newington in 2011 in a leadership role as the Head of Learning Support, which we now know as our Inclusive Learning Department,’ she says.  

She led the team for 10 years before becoming Director of Studies in 2022, overseeing NESA compliance for approximately 2000 students. Both roles, she says, have prepared her for leading Newington to become fully co‑education by 2033. 

‘Through all my previous leadership roles, I have been trained through a lens of looking at things differently, and of providing opportunities and experiences that are available and accessible to everyone.’ 

As the new Year 5 and Kindergarten girls settle into Newington life, she calls it ‘a joy and a privilege to work for a College that has always been a leader of change and inclusivity’. 

‘It’s never been Newington’s style to stand still. Co‑education is a very specific example that showcases how Newington continues to exhibit our core values as a vibrant, caring and courageous school for the academic growth and success of all students. It’s a very exciting time for the College and our community.’ 

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For more information about co-education at Newington, you can visit https://www.newington.nsw.edu.au/about/co-education/. To read more about Newington’s HSC results, click here.