SCHOOL NEWS

VALEDICTORY SPEECH: OTTO COX-MARTINO

Good Evening parents, family, friends, teachers, my Mum and Dad, and of course, all of us, the Class of 22’.

I want to start tonight saying how thankful I am, and how thankful I think we all are of McKinnon.

Not every school goes out of their way to make it an enjoyable time for students like McKinnon does. Things like Central Australia and the Formals and these last two celebration days at school, the school doesn’t really have to organise for us, but they do. 

If you think about it, the teachers don’t really have to care about us either. They could just teach us and leave it at that, but I’ve especially realised this year how so many of our teachers genuinely care about their students. We get to have genuine relationships with so many of our teachers, and it’s made this tight-knit little community that we’re able to feel so comfortable in, and that we’re able to thrive in, and just have a nice, fun time.

It began with our first days at school, as little dots in our oversized blazers running around A-block. Then moving to the old B-block in Year 8 and kind of thinking we were top stuff because we weren’t Year 7s anymore. Then Years 9 and 10, whatever went on there, and all the way to this year and the stress and anxiety of being senior school students. All along the way, McKinnon’s been an environment that I think has made a lot of us actually want to come to school. Not all of us, but a lot of us. 

This year has really been the cherry on top. We made sure to suck every little bit out of our last moments, and the majority of us got involved in as much of what was going on in the school community as we possibly could, to make a final year with lots of memories we’ll cherish forever.

Today, our final day of school, has been “out of this world amazing”, but upon reflection, even just the little things, like being able to sit around and chat with your mates at recess and lunch, with no real responsibilities in the world - I for one am really going to miss it. And I think we all will. You could kind of tell by the tears at Year 12 Assembly today.

That’s pretty much all I have to say, but before I finish, I have some people I think we need to thank. Even if they’ve already been thanked, they can be thanked again.

All of our teachers. That includes all of our teachers since Year 7. You’re all amazing. I don’t know how you deal with us but thank you for dealing with us.

Thank you to our beautiful Student Managers and Miss Felmingham and the Assistant Principal team. We love you all. No more needs to be said. 

I know this is controversial, but the therapy dogs. Thank you to the therapy dogs as well. 

And of course, the most important thank you tonight: Thank you Mrs Binnion. You’ve been such an amazing Principal Mrs Binnion. You really got the best out of all of us. You set such high standards and we’re all better for it. Even when you’d tear into everyone and their dog at Form Assembly, with your routine uniform rants, you probably had a point that’s turned us into better, more adult and respectful human beings. Yet you’ve still always been that Principal we could just have a chat with at lunch and have a laugh, and it was that sense of genuine community you’ve brought to the school that I think has been the best thing about you and is what I’ve been most grateful for. 

So, I think everyone here is really, really going to miss you Mrs Binnion. We’re so thankful for every little thing you’ve done for us, and to repeat what we’ve already told you at Assembly - we love you.

Finally, a shout out to the toughest, most loving and beautiful pair of people, my Mum and Dad. I hope this was all a nice little surprise. I do have to admit however that I did swear on your lives that I wasn’t Valedictorian. But it worked very well, trust me.

So, Class of ‘22, this isn’t really goodbye, this is more ‘see you in 5-10 years at the reunion when you and I are significantly smarter, wealthier, funnier and more attractive than we are right now’. Nonetheless, I’m going to take this chance to leave you with an extremely inspirational quote, because I can. These are the single most life-changing words I have ever had the privilege of processing in my frontal cerebral cortex, and they go like this.

‘This is for everybody going through tough times. Believe me, been there, done that. But, every day above ground is a great day - remember that.’ 

That’s it. Cheers. Enjoy your night. 

Otto Cox-Martino

Valedictorian of the Class of 2022