Rebecca Ball wins Marily Scanlon Award

A passion for encouraging young writers, and her own undeniable storytelling talents, saw Head of English, Rebecca Ball, win two prestigious accolades at the end of 2024.

Rebecca’s outstanding teaching, strong leadership of the English Department, and the culture of writing she has worked so hard to establish across the College, were recognised at the end-of-year Prizegiving, when she was presented with the Marily Scanlon Award for Teaching Excellence. This award followed her evocative story, How it is in dreams, winning the prestigious Sunday Star Times Short Story Competition, which attracted over 600 writers from across New Zealand.

Rebecca became the 18th recipient of St Andrew’s annual teaching award, which was established in memory of Marily Scanlon by her husband, former Board member, Jay Scanlon, and honours an educator who has made a significant impact.

“Winning this award means so much because it acknowledges not just my work, but the culture of writing our entire English Department has worked hard to foster,” Rebecca shares. “In a world where material success is often prioritised, it’s essential to hold on to the arts, and value stories, expression, and imagination.”

When Rebecca first joined St Andrew’s in 2016, she admits to experiencing some imposter syndrome. “As a new member of the St Andrew’s community, I was surrounded by so many talented people, staff, and students alike. It was in 2018, when I took on the role of Teacher in Charge of Writing for Publication, encouraging students to write and share their work through competitions and publications, that everything changed. It was an important turning point for me.”

Since then, Rebecca has been instrumental in creating St Andrew’s strong writing culture, helping to guide over 220 students to publication, and find success at various national and international writing competitions. She says the support of Writer in Residence, Kerrin P Sharpe, has been instrumental in the success of the programme, with Kerrin also being an important personal mentor.

“Kerrin has taught me a huge amount about how to bring out students’ authentic voice, and also encouraged me to write alongside the students, which has added an important layer to my work. It is also a joy and privilege to work alongside the talented and dedicated teachers in the English Department. This award recognises all of them too.”

Nurturing students’ creativity and helping them to ‘find a place in the world’ for their ideas and thoughts is always gratifying, shares Rebecca.

“It was so special to see Chantelle Xiong (OC 2024) appear on a College billboard on Papanui Road last year after winning the National Schools’ Poetry Award. It was a success we were really proud of and a real moment for writing.”

Rebecca plans to use the Marily Scanlon Award prize money to invest in her writing journey. “I’m using it to pay for my membership to the New Zealand Society of Authors, which gives me access to professional development, networking, and opportunities for publishing and competitions, which helps myself as a writer, and our students too,” she shares. “I’ve also put some of it towards a new writing laptop. Writing regularly keeps me connected to what my students experience, helping me to develop new writing tasks and techniques for them.”