“So, for one last time, thank you… and goodbye”

The final line of Liv and Jazz’s address to the school. One expressing thankfulness, but for what? Was it the countless nights of staying up to finish that one assessment? Having to sit through hours of classes every single day in a uniform? Or for the HSC that would inevitably place us in a ranking with every student in the State? Yeah, I didn’t think so either. So, what were the school Captains thankful for?

Maybe it’s the opportunities that are present here at William Clarke College. During our 13 years of schooling, we are presented with countless opportunities. Possibly one of the biggest highlights of school is camp. The idea of sleeping in a tent may be daunting for many but pair it with good friends and exciting activities, and it can easily become a core memory of our high school lives.

This year the College Captains also had the opportunity to be at the forefront of communicating student voice. They identified a problem and solved it through the creation of WE ARE. This platform allows anyone from years 7-12 to write articles on topics that they are passionate about. This opportunity would not have been possible without the support of teachers, the IT department, and the effort of other students. Perhaps the Captains were thankful for the people that helped build WE ARE into what it is today.

Comparably, the Guard of Honour released an array of happiness and sadness. There were many tears, hugs and smiles, as the Year 12s walked through the College grounds one last time, a venture occurring almost daily for a large chunk of their lives. So, is it sad or happy that we will all graduate?

Perhaps our perception of the journey depicts how we will feel. Thinking about it now, it sounds like the best idea to walk completely away from school, leaving behind the two-week turnarounds, and having to sit in boring classes and the in-class tests. However, COVID-induced lockdown proved for many of us that maybe the idea of leaving school was not what we thought it would be. I remember the feeling of wanting to trade almost anything just to go back to a physical school. Perhaps daily, school may feel awful, but when we truly lose it, we want it back. Possibly, for many of the year 12s, this feeling will be felt for many years to come.

So, after 6 whole years of being in the William Clarke College Secondary School and having to sit at a desk 8:30 am to 3:20 pm, Monday to Friday, it’s all gone. The routines, the friends, and the teachers, say goodbye to it all. To the graduating class of 2022, congratulations on making it this far and good luck in the future. And remember:

“Graduation is not the end, it’s the beginning”