Year 12 students call for reprieve so they can celebrate end of schooling
School leavers desperate for something positive to bookend what has been a gruelling year are begging the state government for some leeway so schools can resurrect some Year 12 celebrations.
Education
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School captains at a Melbourne school have begged the state government for some leeway so schools can resurrect some Year 12 celebrations.
Emmaus College captains Corinne Brennan and Zachary Busch believe they speak for tens of thousands of school leavers desperate for something positive to bookend what has been a gruelling year.
The co-captains said they understood the need for social distancing and care but time was running out with most formal end of year events due at the end of October.
“Current government regulations do not clearly specify what is possible for Year 12 celebrations for 2020,” they said.
“Year 12 students have been approaching school leaderships around Melbourne wanting to know if they can do any of their traditional final week activities.”
The Vermont South college had tentative plans to show the school graduation video at Coburg Drive In.
Families would be in their cars, ensuring social distancing.
“Like 50,000 other Year 12 students in Victoria, we have had a very challenging year. We have missed out on virtually all of our milestone events,” the co-captains said.
“With COVID numbers now relatively low, and hopefully even lower next week, we would like to do something a little special.”
They said while there had been concessions in the form of the consideration of educational disadvantage to assist with study scores and ATARs, it did not make up for what they had lost.
“Currently, large gatherings are prohibited in schools, which preclude any whole year level activity, even outside. At the moment, plans revolve around a virtual graduation and on the final day, small groups of students, which is not really a whole year level celebration and unlikely to be memorable,” they said.
Principal Tony Hirst, who leaves at the end of the year, said it was disappointing to see the students miss out on everything.
Padua College, in Mornington, has decided to have a reunion/formal next year.
De La Salle, in Malvern, has employed a video company called Crowd Culture to record and edit as slick presentation which will be beamed into homes on October 29.
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