Staff Profile: Mr Ian Van Schie
What is your Role at Fairhills High School?
Principal
How long have you been at Fairhills High School?
This is my 5th year. Time flies when your having fun!
What do you enjoy most about working at Fairhills High School?
What I enjoy most is seeing progress—whether it’s a student gaining confidence, a teacher trying a new approach, or a school initiative making a real impact. Every day brings new opportunities to make a difference.
What is one interesting fact about yourself that people might not know?
Before I got into education in my early 30s, I had different jobs including marketing and sales. I sold cars for two years! One of the cars was a Daewoo. If you could sell a Daewoo you could sell anything. Yes, I was a used car salesman!
What inspires you in your role?
Seeing students grow, overcome challenges, and develop into confident, capable individuals inspires me every day. Watching their ‘lightbulb moments’ and knowing that Fairhills plays a role in shaping their future is incredibly rewarding
Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of work?
I’m actually a bit of a gamer—I have a PS5 and love playing sandbox games in my downtime. But I always make sure that it doesn’t impact other areas of my life e.g. spending time with family. I steer clear of online games—they’re too chaotic and just remind me how bad I am!
What’s a favourite book, movie, or TV show you would recommend?
One of my all time favourite non-fiction books is Magician by Raymond Feist. The writing in it is superlative. A TV show I would recommend (for people over 15) is Breaking Bad. Great for a binge watch. Luckily our chemistry teachers are nothing like Walter White!
What advice would you give to students or parents?
Fail fast, learn faster, and keep moving forward.
What’s a memorable moment you’ve had at the school?
One of my most memorable moment was when students first stepped into the Senior & STEM Learning Centre. Seeing their faces light up made the challenges of the past three years—planning, setbacks, and construction hurdles—completely worthwhile.
What’s your favourite part of the school day?
Walking around the school and speaking to students and staff.
