St Matthew’s Catholic School’s first Year 12 students celebrated their graduation from school with an assembly with the entire school and families during the day, and a Mass with the year group and families in the evening.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The assembly was held with the whole school in attendance, and the Year 12 students were led into the hall by Kindergarten students, symbolising the journey these students have been on over the past 13 years of education. The 2016 School Captains, Emily Lynch and Will Parker referred to this journey in their speech to the school community.
“There is a thirteen year difference between the Year 12 students and the Kindergartens, who hardly reach the height of our knees. That means, that there are thirteen years for you, as students, to utilise and apply yourselves with the resources and opportunities available at St Matthews”, Lynch said.
Will Parker made specific reference to the help the students had received from their teachers.
“Emily and I both agree that one of the greatest aspects of St Matthews is our teachers. Their devotion, willingness to help and their passion for education cannot go unnoticed. We attribute the majority of our successes this year to their continual guidance and professionalism. However, the greatest effects of their influence is on a more personal scale. The relationships that we have made over the last 13 years are extremely special to us. Our schooling was made easier through the mutual respect both teacher and student had for each other. For us, school was always a welcoming experience, simply due to these friendships, and we view that as an extraordinary privilege.”
Principal, Mr Jason Hanrahan, spoke of the impact the students in this year group have had on the school.
“In Term 1 of Year 11 last year, I asked one thing of you, as an expectation of the school. That is, to be the models of learning for our school. It was not to worry about your results or the pressure to succeed, but to become true models of the learning behaviours it takes to succeed in the HSC, and in life. I can say now, that you have already succeeded. You, as a group, have shown our school what it takes to achieve, to learn and to be a vital part of our community.”
Mr Hanrahan said that this was a proud and important moment for St Matthews. “The expansion to Year 12 had been mooted for many years, as far back as the early 1990’s. So this inaugural graduation is long overdue. It was only appropriate that the past two Principals of the school, Mr Keith Baker (1998-2005) and Rose-Marie van Raad (2006-2012) were able to be a part of the ceremonies today, as they were able to see the fruits of their leadership over almost 25 years today.”
“We are very proud of this group of young men and women. They have been able to navigate the demands of the Preliminary and Higher School Certificate Courses for the first time at our school without role modeling from year groups above, while doing so with great commitment and passion. These young people have also been active in our community for many years, giving of their time, talents and treasures in numerous ways to assist our school and local community. An example includes the work they undertake as part of their Year 11 Service Learning where our students tutored other students, coached sporting teams, assisted at local nursing homes, facilitated learn to swim programs, assisted with the ‘Share the Dignity’ campaign and raised money for cancer prevention programs, among many other areas of service.”
“We believe our students are well-placed for success in the HSC and for life. They have shown us the behaviours and independence required for life-long learning,” Mr Hanrahan stated.
In the evening the students and their families concluded their formal graduation celebrations with Mass at St Mary’s Church. Here the students were presented with their portfolio from the school and a gift from the Parish of a small wooden cross, made with local timber by Mr. Michael Orth.
The students will now be frantically making final preparations for their Higher School Certificate examinations with a number of study days planned for the school holidays and during the examination period. The HSC examinations begin on Thursday, October 13, and conclude on Friday, November 4. The students will be completing their examinations in the St Mary’s Parish buildings.