Year 12 students across Western Australia have finished their final week at school and celebrations have been anything but low-key.
From running into the ocean in school uniform, to colour runs, dress-ups and flowers, private and public schools across the state allowed students to have some fun and relax, before many go on to sit their final exams.
Head prefect at Trinity College Jamie D’Agostino made his last day of school count.
In a speech to his classmates during their graduating assembly, he spoke about how the first time many men receive flowers was at their funeral.
“Why do we only let these symbols of hope, unity and joy into our lives once we can’t experience them any more,” he asked his peers.
He then handed each year 12 student a single flower as a leaving gift.
“The flowers that our graduating class have received today act as a symbol of commemoration, marking our journey and all that we have accomplished, all that we have failed to do, the friends made and those we have let go, the hard lessons learnt, pain, dedication and above all else, the love we have experienced,” Jamie said.
“May these flowers act as a constant reminder to you all of what you have learnt here at Trinity – to use your gifts and make the world a better place, and pass on these beliefs, one flower at a time.”
Over at Penrhos College, flowers are never in short supply.
Principal Kalea Haran said the school’s annual Flower Day tradition had “bloomed over its 30-year history into a spectacular celebration of all things bright and beautiful.”
“It’s testament to the power of kindness and how a single seed can grow into a magnificent garden of memories. It is also a time where the entire community can come together to celebrate the journey and show their support to our year 12 graduates,” she said.
Flower Day at Penrhos College in Perth WA, 2024.
“As they now shift their focus to exams, we wish them every success and remind them they carry the strength, resilience and unwavering support of our entire community.”
The school also celebrates P-Day, where students dress in a costume the starts with the letter P, for Penrhos. Creative costumes this year included Panadol, Peppa Pig, Pop Tarts and a plant pot.
At St Stephen’s Carramar and Duncraig campuses, students took part in a colour run which ended with them throwing themselves onto a waterslide down the hill of their school oval.
Students and their families also took part in a morning tea, and a formal dinner, where parents and students take to the dance floor to celebrate the end of an era.
Methodist Ladies’ College students celebrated by throwing themselves into the ocean in their school uniforms down at Cottesloe Beach.
For the first time, students were also gifted with an MLC beach towel to match.
The school’s community relations and development director Kirstyn Johnson said the beach swim started at the school in the 1970s.
“A small group of our pioneering students perhaps instinctively knew how cathartic a dip in the ocean would be at a time of heightened emotions and stress, with their school days nearly over and exams looming,” she said.
“We hope now a new MLC tradition has been born, which reflects what MLC prepares its students to do – to dive into their futures.”
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