CAPTAINS' CORNER

SENIOR CAPTAIN

Now that the end-of-year celebrations have come to an end for the Class of 2022, Year 12s have shifted their focus back to the last big hurdle, being the final exams.

Shirt-signing day gave us the opportunity to express our thankfulness to those that contributed to making our High School experience so special. It allowed us to show our admiration for our teachers, who we will remember for the rest of our lives, by asking for a mere signature from them. Allowing us to admit things we’ve been meaning to say all year without coming across as excessive flatterers, the Class of 2022 lay their emotions bare with many warm embraces and shed tears.

The Valedictory Dinner, held at the prestigious Crown Palladium, ended the week on a perfect high. The night was not only memorable for many McKinnon families but was also a milestone for our very own Mrs Binnion who is graduating with us this year – her dreaded retirement resulting in the end of an era. The man of the hour, however, was Otto Cox-Martino who was awarded the title of the 2022 Valedictorian – a most sensible choice to recognise him for the stupendous human being that he is, with his incredible intentions and transparent talent. 

All of last week was dedicated to creating a sense of finality for Year 12 students, provided they had attended their last ever classes and were now saying goodbye to the safe confines of McKinnon. On behalf of the Year 12 cohort, I would like to thank the school for creating such a joyous final week for all of us, and we hope to make you proud with our achievements in the upcoming exams.

Taya Minin

Year 12 Student 

JUNIOR CAPTAIN 

Mental Health Week started on Monday 10 October and ended on Sunday 16 October. It included a range of activities which ran during school, with the most landing on World Mental Health Day on Wednesday 12 October. 

A sausage sizzle took place over lunch where people could buy sausages and drinks and then head inside to the ground floor where different games were set up for people to play. There was free drawing set up, as well as a massive game of Jenga and throwing hoops. Headspace were running a stall giving away pens and pop sockets and asking people to write down what they do to switch off. 

We also had our Wellbeing team running a stall focused on “Bite Back”, a campaign that encourages people to try something new every day. Signups are still available on the Compass newsfeed. Looking around the ground floor you could see many smiling faces enjoying the festivities and petting the therapy dogs wandering around. 

Pride Club also ran a bake sale on the Friday with all proceeds going to Headspace. All in all, Mental Health Week was a great success with raising both money and awareness, despite the heavy rain, as it gave students things to do during the school day.

Mckinley Markham

Year 9 Student