Fairfield High School - the mirror of Australia's multi-cultural legacy

Consequently, being a leader at Fairfield High School is a natural fit for a man like Mark who understands the holistic approach required to properly support and integrate vulnerable kids like refugees.

"Because a lot of students are very new to English, they are asked to come out of the IEC after 18 months and then sit HSC exams in English and be assessed for worthiness to go to university based on that, which really sets them at a disadvantage."

Therefore, Mark is extremely committed to the NSW Board of Vocational Education RAW program – Ready.Arrive.Work – which attempts to link the students to the world of work after they graduate.

For some, the program introduces them to Tafe as a pathway to university, to further develop their language proficiency. While for others, the Works Skills HSC program builds on practical skills needed in the Australian workforce like nails and beauty, hairdressing, floristry and bricklaying.

Mark personally makes sure that from Year 11, every student has an "exit plan," enabling them to have "some sort of qualifications that will give them a start in the world – it means that someone will talk to them if they walk out of school and don't go to uni or Tafe and they have some certificates," says Mark.

Mark is also the program co-ordinator and the heart behind the "Our Faces, Our Stories" program run in partnership with Stockland, a massive property group committed to helping its local communities.

Refugee children develop their stories and artwork - last year they used photography - with mentors from Stockland and Fairfield staff, drawing from their personal experiences.

"Vanessa Wiggins, 41, the General Manager of Occupational Health and Safety at Stockland, pioneered the photography component of the program.

"All the images show such a strong connection to their own culture and their homelands, but especially to their families. That strength in their connections comes through in a big way for me in their images and their stories – they are so proud of where they come from," says Vanessa.

Ehsoegay Zu, 17 a Karen Burmese refugee – was in Boewi camp ad Tam Hi refugee camp in Thailand for over 10 years. "I feel very special – I feel like it's a pleasure to learn how to write your story, how to express your feelings and how to tell your story to others through the pictures and images that we bring – working on it is great."

Angela Abduljabbat, 13, from Iraq, has been in Australia for two and a half years. Learning about other people's stories helps her deal with her own experiences and tragedy.

"I listen to the children and they talk about their country and why they had to leave, and I feel sorry for them because I feel sorry for myself. I had to leave my country and my family and I miss them and I want to see them too," says Angela.