Xavier College is pleased to announce the appointment of the Campus Principals who will lead its Gawler Belt and Evanston campuses from 2027.

Shannon Bertram has been appointed Campus Principal of the Gawler Belt Campus.

Shannon joins Xavier College from Thomas More College, where he has served as Deputy Principal since December 2020. Before joining Thomas More College, he held several leadership roles at Gleeson College, including Assistant Principal, Student Development and House Coordinator. He holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Administration and has also undertaken Acting Principal responsibilities at Thomas More College and Mount Carmel College.

Shannon brings extensive experience in Catholic education, student development and school leadership, together with a strong focus on collaboration, student involvement and building connections between schools and their broader communities.

Luke Ferguson has been appointed Campus Principal of the Evanston Campus.

Luke is currently Deputy Principal at St David’s Parish School and is undertaking a period as Acting Head of School at St Mary Magdalene’s School, Elizabeth Grove. His experience also includes working as a System Coach in Numeracy with Catholic Education South Australia and 12 years at St Francis Xavier’s Regional Catholic School, where his responsibilities included classroom teaching and numeracy leadership.

Luke brings broad experience in primary education, school and system leadership, and supporting high-quality teaching and learning.

Acting College Principal Dr Sandra Hewson said the appointments would provide dedicated leadership for both communities while strengthening collaboration across Xavier College.

“We are delighted to welcome Shannon and Luke to Xavier College,” Dr Hewson said.

“Both bring significant experience in Catholic education and school leadership, together with a strong commitment to supporting students, families and staff.

“We look forward to the contribution they will make to their respective campus communities and Xavier College more broadly.”

Rozanna Elmassih will continue as Head of Campus at Evanston until the end of the 2026 school year, before taking up her new role as Principal of St Monica’s Parish School, Walkerville, in 2027. Adam Lewis will continue as Acting Head of Campus at Gawler Belt until the end of the year. Xavier College thanks Adam for his leadership and service to the College and the Gawler Belt Campus. These arrangements will provide continuity for both campus communities and support a smooth transition to their new Campus Principals.

The appointments complete Xavier College’s Campus Principal team for 2027. Shannon and Luke will join Dr Sandra Hewson at Riverlea Park and Janet Coomber at Two Wells, providing dedicated leadership for their respective campus communities and working collaboratively with College Principal Mark Flaherty as one College across four connected campuses.