Student Leaders' Messages

by Cameron Roper - School Captain

On the wall of The John Landy Centre reads, “Through unified effort, we will thrive”. As a school, a state, a nation, and as a world, we have been consumed by a great challenge in the Coronavirus. From the outset, the course of our 2020 was to change significantly. However, as your School Captains, we commend the efforts of the Principals and teachers of our school, working tirelessly to make our transition to online learning as smooth as possible. That is unified effort. Then, to return to school and continue to perform at our College’s consistent best - that is a display of the ways we thrive at EDSC. We must acknowledge how, through unified effort, we have stood in the face of hardship and shown persistence, perseverance, and overall excellence. Through unified effort, we have thrived! Through unified effort, we will continue to thrive. 

by Megan Lim - School Captain

Hey everyone!  It looks like we’ve come to the end of another school term. It’s undoubtedly been a really tough and uncertain time for us all; a global pandemic isn’t really something any of us would have predicted, understandably, and preparing for something like this when we’ve never really seen anything like it may have left us all feeling a bit unsure about how everything will eventually play out. But we powered through it with our heads held high and there were many things this situation has taught us about the importance of community and supporting one another.

Over the course of our isolation with online learning, dealing with a very new way of learning and missing out on the usual socialisation I had with my friends and teachers was a little difficult, as I’m sure it was for the majority of you. I’m going to be honest; socialising is a very big highlight of my day. It’s the small interactions that get me through the school day, and through all the challenges life has to throw at me. I really learned to appreciate these small interactions, especially coming back to on-site learning and finally seeing everyone in person again, and the significance of supporting one another in situations in which we might need a little encouragement. I guess it was something about having my daily school schedule being drastically changed that I realised how much I valued what I had.

I’m hoping that you guys have finally settled back into normal school life, even if we need to get used to a few new precautions around social distancing and such. I think we all deserve this proper holiday, and that coming out of isolation, we’ve also learned how to be more resilient, and appreciative of our amazing friends and the fantastic teachers backing us up through our academics and school life.

Have a good break, and I anticipate seeing you all fresh and well-rested in Term 3!

by Stephen Kazakis - School Vice Captain

2020 has been a year of hardship, challenge and disappointment. However, it has also been a year of resilience, strength, perseverance and courage. We have had to continue to adapt to the everchanging situation we are currently in. I am thoroughly impressed with and grateful for the efforts of all the students and teachers throughout this period. We have truly shown how ‘Through unified effort we will thrive”.

This period for me has been a bit of a rollercoaster. There have been times where I have felt like I am on top of the world but also times where I have been overwhelmed by the all the work I needed to complete. I’m sure some of you may have felt the same. During the time in quarantine I felt very comfortable. This is because I didn’t have to face the usual hustle and bustle of getting up going to school and all my extra-curricular activities. I was also privileged enough to have all my family members at home, and I found myself discussing and spending more valuable time with them, which I hadn’t before. The transition back to face to face school was smoother than I anticipated. This a credit to the school staff who catered to the needs of our students. I found myself being overwhelmed by the sudden increase in workload but with the support of peers and teachers alike I was able to keep my head high and stay motivated.

I hope you all have a safe break from school and come back for a Term 3 where we as a team, as a community, and as a school will reach higher heights.

by Boon Lee - School Vice Captain

What a way to start the decade! Some predicted 2020 to be the year of the century. Others predicted year 2020 to be a prosperous one! But I bet none foresaw 2020 to be the way it is now! It has been such a whirlwind of experiences; the uncertainties towards the beginning of lockdown, the time adjusting to online learning as well as changing all our normal habits at home and in society. I commend each and every student and parent in our community, these times have not been easy, but yet we still stand strong and live another day to see what our future holds.

Personally, this time has been such a wonderful experience for me. Normally my schedule would be jampacked day to day with extra-curricula activities, but since lockdown I’ve had more time to spend with my family. Quarantine has been a gift in disguise for me, in our fast-paced lives, it’s given me a moment to slow down and reflect. Although I am privileged to have a safe home and family to return to, my heart breaks for those that are homeless or have broken families. Let’s remember how fortunate we are and remember to be thankful for all we have. Every day is a blessing,it just depends on how you perceive it. 

I wish you all a happy holidays and make the most of this well-deserved rest. Though we are amidst a crazy period of time, let’s stay healthy, sanitary and happy! All the best!

by Mary Zhao - School Vice Captain

Hey everyone!  It’s been a tough term, however it’s safe to say that all of us, students and teachers alike, have managed to come out of the other end with our health and sanity very much intact (arguably)… congratulations!

As we look back on the past few months, it is incredible how much has changed (and still continues to change) around us. In the past 6 months, we have faced unprecedented times, restrictions and challenges that would have sounded completely insane to us just one year ago. During this time, each one of us would have faced considerable difficulties; varying from social, mental, physical to school-based obstacles. Although it is pertinent that we acknowledge these events, it is most important that we also recognise, reflect on and appreciate all of the positives that were gained from these unprecedented times.

Something that I discerned from this experience is the vast amount of resilience that each and every one of us carried throughout the past few months. I’m sure we had it all along; but as a result of the lockdown, it became clear that as a school community, we were able to adjust to online learning and then back to school, considerably quickly and very well!

Huge praise to all the teachers and IT support that were able to make this happen, and even more acknowledgement to my 1600 fellow peers that were able to act with optimism and be proactive in this undeniably difficult situation. Our generation may be facing unprecedented times, but we can combat this by continuing to emanate unprecedented resilience and positivity! Take the next two weeks to rest, recharge and have some fun; you deserve it!

by Mariam El Meligi on behalf of Middle School Captains

Online schooling was a new experience for most of us; however, we still managed to cope well with all of the challenges that we faced. Although it was pretty hard to do (at least to begin with), online learning has been a great experience - many have thrived in the different learning environment and exciting things like the student newsletter began during the time to keep up morale. 

Transitioning back to onsite schooling has been somewhat difficult for all of us; however, it has also been an absolute delight for most of us being back to (almost) normal life. We may have taken our friends and teachers for granted before, but we will be more grateful for them in the future. 

It has been a fairly smooth transition with everyone working together to maintain good hygiene standards at the school - even so, please make sure to remember to do social distancing when possible and sanitise/wash your hands frequently. If you are having trouble with transitioning back to in-person schooling or are feeling concerned about the current situation, you can talk to the wellbeing team who will be happy to help you. 

We would like to thank all of our teachers for trying to keep our morale high and making sure we stayed up to date with all our work; they always reminded us that there are people who are happy to support whenever we need it.

Photos

A sign of the times ......

Out of Uniform day and VCAL Minute to Win It games on Tuesday .....

Photos courtesy of Maryam Saleknezhad (Year 12)