Max Quirk has been leading the school for almost eight years and has a wealth of experience in the Catholic school system.

He grew up near Orange on a sheep farm and started his teaching career at McCarthy Catholic College in Tamworth in the 1980s. He stayed on into the 1990s after meeting and marrying a local girl. They bought a sheep farm out of Attunga and he balanced school and livestock management.

Read also:

The couple leased the farm when they shifted north to Townsville so Mr Quirk could take up an assistant principal role. Four years later, he became the principal of St Mary's Catholic College in Cairns, staying for six years before returning to the sheep farm in 2013 and taking the helm at St Mary's in Gunnedah.

Since then, Mr Quirk has been part of many changes and also watched education evolve around him.

One of the biggest changes is the transition from hand-written notes on whiteboards and blackboards to smart boards. Pen and paper is also used less by students as smart devices become an integral part of classrooms, and students have more choices, thanks to online courses and more tertiary pathways.

"We're catering for a wider range of students now rather than lots of students leaving in year 10," Mr Quirk said.

The school has also introduced literacy and numeracy classes to improve students' skills, and mentoring in the morning.

Mr Quirk said a vital part of life at St Mary's was marrying faith and learning and one of the major changes was the school's approach to teaching.

In more recent years, there has been more of a focus on professional development and teaching and learning methods.

"The support teachers get now is far superior, far more advanced to when I started ... my generation of teachers would have been a lot better teachers if we got the support they do now," he said.

"It's about building a learning culture. Every lesson's got to be a good learning lesson.

"We've worked really hard over the past few years to achieve those goals ... you have a vision, and seeing that vision become embedded in the school is really rewarding."

Mr Quirk said leading a school community had its challenges, particularly when it came to decision-making.

"[It's challenging] making the right decision, making wise decisions and being fair to everyone," he said.

"When you start out, you make terrible mistakes and you learn and get better at it.

"Understanding human nature is a big part of it. Most people do their best most of the time."

The 68-year-old said he had "mixed feelings" about finishing up at the end of the year, but is looking forward to cutting back to farm life.

"Gunnedah is a wonderful town and community and I've been privileged to be a part of that," he said.

"I'll miss the people, the students, the community of Gunnedah - but I won't miss the work."

Mr Quirk said he and his wife had been discussing his retirement for a while and they had "always wanted to be home on the farm together".

"I've given what I had to offer to the school," he said.

"It's time for a change."