The $5000 scholarship, which is organised annually by the Gruppo dell'Amicizia in Memoria di Enrica Inglese, will allow Rupolo the opportunity to travel to Italy to update her pedagogical knowledge.
The presentation was attended by Armando Tornari, the president of the Gruppo, vice-president Rita Maniaci, and Matilde Di Certo, honorary secretary.
Rupolo has been teaching Italian in Sydney for over 34 years.
She began with a part-time role at St Brendan’s Primary School in Annandale, where she worked for CO.AS.IT.
She then started teaching at St Francis Xavier in Ashbury, before moving on to Cerdon College in Merrylands where she stayed for 13 years; then Sydney Grammar School, where she has worked for the past 16 years.
Her career highlights include introducing the late singer-songwriter and musician Lucio Dalla to teachers and students alike, organising numerous exchange trips to Italy, and helping students to achieve their highest possible results in the Higher School Certificate.
Despite her wealth of experience as a teacher, Rupolo aims to keep her pedagogical knowledge current and update her methodology.
For this reason, Rupolo has decided to use the scholarship to undertake an Italian language and culture course in Puglia, at the Porta d’Oriente School.
Upon her return to Australia, she will share her knowledge with fellow Italian teachers.
“It’s an honour and a privilege to share the Italian language with Italo-Australians and the wider Australian community,” Rupolo said.
“The Italian language is loved and admired by many and, for some, this interest begins at school, thanks to the efforts of teachers across the country.”
