Mr Murphy's Speech - Graduation Night

Good evening to the class of 2023, the parents and carers, families, well-wishers and everyone else who has taken the time to be present this evening on this most momentous of occasions. My name is Rhys Murphy and it has been my great pleasure to have been the Year Adviser for the outgoing class of 2023 at Evans High School.

The idea of being the Year Adviser of a cohort was first floated to me by a former colleague in the dying weeks of the 2017 school year, which when I take the time to think about it seems like an incredibly long time ago now. However, as time often has a habit of doing, those years have slipped by to the point where it now feels as though the conversation that I had with that colleague occurred just yesterday. Now, whilst we are reminiscing I will ask you to think back to your own high school experience. And if you permit me to speak frankly with you now, as I am sure you will all agree. There are times when high school can be really tough! Aside from the rigours of the experience, high school is also a rewarding, fulfilling and deeply engaging time in our lives that allows our young people to blossom into the capable members of society that we see before us today. As we all know, nothing worth doing is easy and pressure makes diamonds. I could not be prouder to say that these students have not only managed to navigate the difficult parts of their schooling that have included truly unique challenges not witnessed in a century, but have managed to thrive through a process that has been their daily experience for near on a full third of their entire lives. This is no small feat.

I have many great memories of the class of 2023’s time at Evans High School. My first interaction with some of them was when I went and visited them at their Primary Schools while they were still the big kids in Year 6. Even that early in the piece I could tell that some of them were certainly going to leave a mark when they joined us in big school the next year. At the time I wasn’t exactly sure what sort of mark that would be, but I am glad to say that six years later it all mostly worked out for the best. Whilst their high school days were in their infancy, I remember teaming up with Ms Doyle and Mrs Field to take them on an excursion to the Australian Museum. Where I quickly learned what having to wrangle an overly excited group of 12 and 13-year-olds on a train trip to the city would take. I remember that excursion happened at the end of the first week back after the Christmas school holidays. I also remember thinking that I immediately needed another Christmas school holiday afterwards.

I have watched the cohort grow as young people through events as simple as fundraising barbecues at school sports carnivals. I have smiled watching the last kids that you would expect from different social groups come together and demonstrate incredible teamwork and eagerness to work towards a common goal. Might I add that in my esteemed opinion, the class of 2023 produced the best sausage sizzle that Evans has ever seen. There have been trips on scorching hot days to Wet and Wild, bushwalks, kayaking, Harmony Days, World Refugee Days and about a million other things that will come to me in flashes as the years go on. Each of them is a memory from my own journey at Evans that I will treasure, and a memory that could not have happened without the people that sit before me graduating today.

The old phrase goes something like ‘it takes a village to raise a child’. Well, I personally believe that it takes an entire school to raise a cohort. On behalf of the class of 2023, I would like to extend our personal thanks to the various people who put in work for us every single day. Firstly, I would like to publicly acknowledge our tremendous SASS staff in the front office. The patience and grace that you have all given to us does not go unnoticed. You were often the first faces at school that these students saw each day (particularly those students that tended to get on the late bus) and the fact that they could always rely on you to be both friendly and helpful is something that I personally think is an invaluable part of the school experience. To the man in red, Pete Berghofer. I literally mean this when I say that if not for your tireless efforts, school would not have been the same for the Class of 2023. The amount of effort and care that you put into your work is something that we were incredibly fortunate to benefit from and I am sure that each student will take the time to come and let you know that this evening. To Tracey Dixon and Sarah Collins. Frankly speaking, tonight would not have happened without either of you and every student in here owes you a huge thank you. So shout out to the two of you, the whole evening has been great.

To the classroom teachers, I know that it hasn’t always been an easy ride, but I truly believe that it was a ride worth remembering. Your support, encouragement and dedication to the cohort has allowed each of them to ultimately experience success in their schooling. I encourage each student here to take the time to thank your teachers this evening. Share a laugh, share some stories and think back to the good times. One of the greatest parts of being a teacher is when we get to have those conversations at the end of your high school journey and I look forward to having 62 of them tonight myself.

To the Senior Executive Staff. Your consistent presence in the lives of these young people has greatly assisted them in developing the tools necessary to become the people that they are today. The class of 2023 are all the better for the passionate and good-natured presence that you have been in their lives ever since they first walked through the doors, all the way up until tonight. To Mick Dempsey and Renee Field. I am eternally grateful for the fact that you have both been a part of the team since the early days. The years of experience that you have both brought to the table have helped mould the students into the people that they are today.

And finally, the biggest thank you of all to Tegan Selby. Never has there been a more organised, level-headed and just downright hilarious Assistant Year Adviser. Whenever I ask the students in Year 12 who their favourite teacher is, I always expect them to say that I am. And I am always disappointed because without fail they will say ‘Ms Selby’. But really, that makes so much sense because the sheer amount of dedication and time that you have committed to the education of these young people is evident for all to see. It is difficult for me to put into words just how much your effort has meant to me these past two or so years. I will try and tell you later, but I am sure you will just make fun of me then as well.

I’m mindful of taking up too much more of everybody’s time so to wrap things up I will address Year 12 directly. Tonight is the crowning of 12 years of time, effort and hard work. What you have all achieved by being here tonight, particularly with some of the obstacles that you faced along the way is honestly awe-inspiring and to say that I couldn’t be prouder of you is one of the great understatements of my life. Whenever people ask me what the best part of being a teacher is, I don’t even have to think about it. I tell them straight away that it is rocking up every morning and just having a yarn with the kids in Year 12. And perhaps slightly selfishly, your achievement of completing high school is my achievement as well. The privilege of being the person that you guys chose to help guide you on this journey is probably the biggest honour of my professional life. From the bottom of my heart, I would like to say thank you to you all. Thank you for teaching me empathy and compassion, helping me grow as an educator and as a man, and most of all for being the best cohort that a Year Adviser could ask for. Take some time to smell the roses and enjoy it guys. Because while your best days are surely ahead of you, we have all left some pretty damn good ones behind.

Thank you.

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