Ballarat Grammar alumni swing into action to help Year 12s

Many Ballarat Old Grammarians signed up to tutor the current Year 12s in their toughest subjects to provide extra support and motivation during remote study.

Home front: Ballarat Grammar students Larah Butler, Sky Fitzgerald and Liam Butler study online together in Balranald NSW. Picture: Claire Butler

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TEACHERS and support staff at Ballarat Grammar put in a huge amount of work to deliver the school’s Learning at Home program for the past several months, while coronavirus-induced restrictions meant students could not attend face-to-face classes.

The coeducational school’s 196 Year 12 students, in particular, found learning from home presented unique challenges, with some students feeling anxious, lonely or in need of further support. In response, many Old Grammarians signed up to tutor the current Year 12s in their toughest subjects to provide extra support and motivation during remote study.

Former student Harrison Monk, who finished Year 12 at Ballarat Grammar in 2017, was one of the eager volunteers. “The main reason I signed up was because during my time at Grammar, I found myself surrounded by people, both teachers and peers, who offered me so much support and help which went a long way in enabling me to achieve my goals and ambitions,” Harrison said. “I can imagine that with Year 12s at home they don’t have that direct access to teachers and peers and therefore may not be able to seek the help I received during this time.

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“I am excited to be involved with Grammar again and hope that through this experience, I can do my little bit in helping students achieve their goals and ambitions, despite the circumstances.”

More than 200 younger Old Grammarians, all having finished Year 12 in the past five years, signed up within four days to be a Young Grammarian Guru. President of the Ballarat and Queen’s Old Grammarians’ Association, John Taylor, said the response was overwhelming.

“It is fantastic to see Old Grammarians step up and help out fellow Grammarians in a time of real need,” he said. “This is what being an Old Grammarian is about. As a community we look to support each other when and where we can.”

TO FIND OUT MORE:

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bgs.vic.edu.au