The day began with a breakfast of egg and bacon rolls plus pancakes all cooked by the teachers and Principal Team. Year 9 students have hearty appetites and so not one morsel was left over! This was fortunate because the students then needed a lot of stamina to participate in the Amazing Race. Students paired-up and were then sent on a race to complete challenges/ road blocks including Squid Games; Wood Tech road block: Jigsaw; Orienteering; Back to back drawing and detour. It was a race involving problem solving, collaboration, dexterity and clear thinking. All students had FUN along the way.
Following the Amazing Race, the students were treated to a fully catered lunch of pasta entrees, chicken and salad mains and then a beautiful graduation cake for the Class of 2021, for dessert.
Certificates and Featherbrook Pens were presented to each student followed by the presentation of the 4 Academic Awards. Congratulations to the following students Piya (English), Aryan (Mathematics), Danny (Science) and Nathan (The Arts). The Academic Awards were introduced in 2020 when our inaugural Year 9 students graduated. These are presented to students who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the respective disciplines. Each student received a beautiful certificate and a book reflecting the award theme. The Academic Awards have been designed to recognise academic excellence and are fitting to be presented at the Year 9 Graduation each year. These awards are to be coveted and highly prized as they are earned by their deserving recipients.
Assistant Principal Nathan Cuthbertson and I both delivered a speech to the graduates promoting the importance of effort, learning through failure and resilience building. Some quotes (by Vince Lombardi) that captured this message were shared, 'The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have' and 'The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.'
Best wishes are extended to the Year 9 students as they embark on their senior secondary studies in 2022 and begin to forge their career paths.
