NOAH STERN

MORIAH COLLEGE MAINTENANCE TEAM

Noah Stern, Class of 2019 and valued member of the Moriah Maintenance Team

From student to staff member, Noah’s connection to Moriah has come full circle. Reflecting on his years at school and now working behind the scenes, Noah shares why Moriah has remained such an important part of his life.

How would you describe yourself?
When people ask me about myself, I usually say I’m a big sports guy. I love NRL, skiing, snowboarding, surfing, walking the dogs, staying active and spending time with family.

How did your Moriah journey start?
I graduated from Moriah in 2019, but my connection to the College started much earlier. I was at Moriah from Years 1–5, spent a few years living in Vancouver, and then came back for Years 9–12. Looking back now, it’s pretty special that I ended up returning again, this time as part of the Maintenance team.The Maintenance team is such a key part of the Moriah community.

How did you come to work there?
After school, I tried a few different things, including construction work, but during Year 12 I did work experience with the Maintenance team and really enjoyed it. I started part-time and worked my way up to full-time, and now I’ve been here for almost seven years.

Take us through a day in the life of the Maintenance team
No two days are ever the same. I start at 7am and usually finish around 4pm but the job during the term is very different to during school holidays. During the holidays, we might be moving classrooms or offices, setting up events, preparing staffrooms or doing larger jobs that can’t happen while students are on campus. During term time, there are deliveries, maintenance jobs and all the day-to-day work that keeps the campus running smoothly.

Did the President's visit in February create a lot of extra work for the Maintenance team?
Upkeep at the school is always a big thing, and I think we did a wonderful job in the high school in time for the President’s visit. We've had a lot of prime ministers and presidents throughout my time here.

What skills have you developed through your role?
Probably time management. You learn to plan ahead constantly, what needs to be done before recess or lunch, how to prepare for an event, and how to make sure everything is ready before students head back outside. You also learn to adapt quickly because every day can change unexpectedly.

What is it like seeing Moriah from behind the scenes instead of as a student?
Coming back to Moriah as a staff member instead of a student was definitely strange at first. For the first couple of years, it took some getting used to calling teachers by their first names. Some of those teachers are still really important people in my life today. Design & Technology was always one of my favourite subjects, and Mr Rimmer and Mikey Ronquillo were two teachers I really looked up to. Now I get to work alongside them as colleagues, which is awesome. I’ve made some really good lifelong friends here, and some of them used to be my teachers. Not many people can say that.

What house were you in?
Herzl.

What was your favourite Moriah tradition or event?
Some of my best memories from school are the Swimming and Athletics Carnivals. I was in Herzl, and in my opinion, we dominated every year. I also loved going on the IST Israel trip during school. That was an amazing experience. Working at Moriah now, I’ve had the chance to be involved in so many different events behind the scenes. Every event feels different, and I enjoy seeing how much work goes into making them happen.

What do you love most about Moriah?
One of the things I love most about the job is the people. As a student, you mostly know your teachers, but working here has shown me how many people are involved behind the scenes to keep the school running every day. I get to talk to staff from all different departments, like archives, finance and so many others that students don’t always see. There’s so much happening in every corner of the school.

Has the College changed a lot since you were a student?
The College has definitely changed over time. When I was a student, we had computer rooms. Now every primary student has an iPad and high school students all have laptops. Classrooms and spaces are always changing, and now some of the rooms that I was taught in are rooms for psychologists. I think it’s important for the College to keep changing with the times and it definitely continues to improve every year.

What is one thing about Moriah, whether as a student or as working here, that you think most people don't know?
I think people don’t realise just how big the school is. There are so many different spaces, year groups and parts of the campus, and every day you’re surrounded by so many different personalities. You also realise very quickly just how much walking is involved.

Speaking about the size of the College, how do you feel about the new build?
EXCITED! I honestly feel like Moriah has needed this for a while, and I think it’s going to help the school thrive into the future. I know some people have asked why we need to spend money on buildings and my answer is simple… it’s 2026, and we are still using demountables! Even though the build will probably make life busier for the Maintenance team, I think if you’re part of Moriah, you learn to go with the flow.

What does Moriah mean to you?
Having seen Moriah both as a student and now as a staff member, I feel lucky to understand the school from different perspectives. Moriah has always been a really positive place for me, and I think it would be a wonderful place for my children to come here one day as well.

Is there a final thought that you would like to leave us with?
Every morning when I arrive at school, I say the same thing:“It’s just another day in paradise.”