From the Principal... cont'd

The VCE graduates of 2018

Teaching Year 12 is always very special for teachers, who have formed strong bonds with the students they have known over several years, some much longer, and who have supported the aspirations and hopes of every individual as they complete their final years of schooling.

In 2018 our final cohort of VCE students made this class even more special and so it is with great pleasure that we share news of their next steps into tertiary education.

I have reiterated each year how important it is to keep sight of the fact that the whole point of the VCE is to have students gain entry into the courses they want and to pursue careers that will suit and satisfy each individual. Seeing VCE as a race for the highest ATAR possible is a narrow and demeaning view of these young people’s worth and I am proud that Preshil does not subscribe to this limited view of achievement.

We have an outstanding program of career and course counselling, supporting each individual to think beyond the end of school to the lives they want to live and the adults they aspire to be. The extraordinarily diverse pathways available and the understanding that students are no longer opting for a single career choice means that finishing secondary school is one step in an ongoing array of choices.

Preshil has continued to take great pride in preparing students to undertake tertiary study and even greater pride in the success rate our students experience in tertiary completion. The drop-out rate at tertiary level is a troubling side effect of pushing students to aim for courses that reflect glory on the school rather than deliver what the student actually wants to do in adult life. Our students are independent thinkers who are confident in making choices that genuinely reflect their interests rather than someone else’s idea of success.

With plenty of opportunities to change courses along the way across Australian tertiary institutions, we can confidently advise students of many accessible options. It is simply no longer the case that careers are decided at the end of secondary school.

We have an outstanding program of career and course counselling, supporting each individual to think beyond the end of school to the lives they want to live and the adults they aspire to be.

Of the 24 students who applied for tertiary placements, 80% received first round offers and all except one student, who is looking to take a GAP year before tertiary study, have received an offer at the time of writing, the majority achieving their first preference.

Monash was the most popular choice this year, closely followed by RMIT, Latrobe University, Deakin, Swinburne University, University of Melbourne, the Australian National University and ANU College.

Students have taken courses in the following areas:

• Philosophy, Politics & Economics/Arts
• Arts
• Engineering - Mechanical
• Engineering - Biomedical (Honours)
• Building and Construction
• Science
• Health Sciences
• Nursing
• Film & TV (Honours)
• Screen and Media
• International Business
• Computer Science
• Criminology
• Pharmaceutical Science Advanced (Honours)

We salute our newest group of alumni and look forward to our next Year 12 group – the first IB Diploma students to graduate from Preshil.

Marilyn Smith

Principal

marilyn.smith@preshil.vic.edu.au