Principal

Celebrating the Class of 2025

This week we celebrated the Class of 2025, a group who have been central to a period of real growth and change at MacKillop Catholic College.

When this group began their senior years, our program was still very young. As the second cohort through, they didn’t receive all the fanfare of the first group, but they haven’t let that hold them back. They have stepped up, led in their own way, and helped shape what senior schooling at MacKillop looks like. Their adaptability, steady academic focus and quiet leadership have come to define who they are as a group, and who we are becoming as a College.

MacKillop’s journey into senior secondary education has been one of steady growth and quiet resolve. Unlike other colleges that were purpose-built for expansion, we have had to build from the ground up, with limited system support. Despite those challenges, MacKillop has grown rapidly and is thriving. That success is a credit to the collective effort of students, staff and families who believe in what we are building together.

Each student has developed in different ways. For some, the highlight has been academic success. For others, it has been leadership, extra-curricular achievement or vocational training success. One of MacKillop’s great strengths is the diversity of pathways we offer and the many ways a young person can succeed.

The Class of 2025 has also been a wonderful example to the rest of the College. Tasmania continues to struggle with low expectations in education, but these students have shown that one doesn’t have to follow that path. They have shown our younger students that their time at MacKillop is a chance to aim high, work hard and make the most of every opportunity.

We hope that their time at MacKillop has helped them develop their character. Success is not only measured by results but by how you treat people, how you keep going when things are tough, and how you use your abilities to help others. That capacity for compassion and the willingness to serve will define them far more than any mark or certificate. This is why we strive for Excellence, Compassion and Service.

Graduation is never a solo achievement. Thank you to the families who have supported the College during this period of growth, and to the staff who have invested so deeply in our students.

To the Class of 2025, thank you. You have led with gentle energy, humour and care. You have left your mark on MacKillop, and we are proud of who you are. You have shown that success is not determined by resources or circumstance, but by belief, effort and community.

Congratulations and thank you.