Year 12 students farewelled in style, despite Covid restrictions

Schools are getting creative to give Year 12 students a graduation ceremony to remember, with one Southern Highlands college staging a drive-thru farewell.

After a brutal term of home learning and extended exams, schools are getting creative to give Year 12 students a graduation ceremony to remember.

As school leavers lament yet another disappointment with the likely loss of their “schoolies” plans, Oxley College in the Southern Highlands tried to give their Year 12 students something to smile about by hosting a ‘drive-thru graduation’ last week.

Oxley College teachers stage a drive-through graduation parade for Year 12 students.

Principal Jenny Ethell said the celebration was organised like a parade, with the students and parents in their cars ushered through the school driveway.

Teachers held signs congratulating the students, and handed out gifts like books, pins and cupcakes.

“You have to give kids hope and something to look forward to, and knowing that the whole school is behind them and that teachers care about them … it was much better than they imagined,” Ms Ethell said.

Oxley student Codi Gibbeson said with the school formal postponed it felt great to be appreciated by his teachers.

“They really care about us at this school it feels like, they made it a big surprise and made a big deal about it,” he said.

Oxley College Principal Jenny Ethell says goodbye to Codi Gibbeson ...

... who said students really appreciated the surprise from all the teachers.

Other schools have been sending their students care packages at home, with sweets and gifts to mark their graduation, while many have held ceremonies over Zoom.

Year 12 student Ellen Firth said her school had proposed to delay graduation to early next year but that idea was swiftly shot down by most students and parents.

“We’re all extremely frustrated about it because this has been such an incredibly long two years for us. It’s exhausting, sitting at home feeling trapped and unproductive,” she said.

“It’s hard to stay focused or motivated so we’ve been really frustrated that finishing school has been pushed back.

“Everything you usually look forward to in Year 12 is pretty much gone, the bonding, the peer group recognition, the events, but everything we dread and stress about remains and
is amplified.”

While the official Schoolies Gold Coast and various NSW events haven’t been cancelled, it’s highly unlikely Sydney school-leavers will be making the Gold Coast trip.

Year 12 school leavers Anika Kelly and Hannah Potma said they were planning to still proceed with their own quiet schoolies celebrations with their mates.

The friends plan to go to the Central Coast, but are worried more school-leavers looking to party will head to Terrigal and Avoca.

“I think with everyone relocating their schoolies plans, the parties could encroach on areas that previously maintained a quieter, safer atmosphere,” Ms Kelly said.

“Moving it to Terrigal there’s the question of if they are well equipped to have parties there – I know people go up to the Gold Coast and the Schoolies organisation will provide ways to celebrate, but they won’t have that somewhere like Terrigal,” Ms Potma said.

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