Deputy Head of College News

Schools are places of beginnings and endings, of milestones and transitions, and of journeys that are often only fully appreciated when we stop to look back on how far our young people have come.

Last week, our Year 12 students gathered for their final College Assembly, following their final House Assemblies. At its conclusion, came one of those traditions that is beautiful in its Marist simplicity but deeply significant in meaning: the Year 12 clap out.

As our senior students processed from the gym at the conclusion of assembly, they were applauded by fellow students and staff as a visible expression of pride and congratulations from the community that has walked alongside them over many years. What made the moment especially poignant was the music accompanying them. They left to A Million Dreams from The Greatest Showman, the same song to which many of them had processed in with when they first arrived at the College as Year 5 students.

There was something delightfully full circle about that moment.

Years ago, those young people entered Marist with so much still ahead of them, friendships yet to be formed, challenges yet to be faced, talents yet to be discovered and dreams still taking shape. Last week, they walked out together as young adults, carrying with them not only memories and achievements, but the imprint of the people and experiences that have helped form them.

At the other end of the journey, we have also been welcoming our incoming Year 5 students for 2027 through transition activities. Watching these students take their first steps into College life while our Year 12 students prepare to take their final ones is a powerful reminder of the rhythm of school life.

St Marcellin Champagnat understood education as much more than the transmission of knowledge. At its heart was relationship, knowing young people, walking with them, believing in them and helping them understand that they are deeply valued and loved by God. Our characteristic of presence calls us to be attentive to the young people in our care, especially at the significant moments of their lives. Our family spirit reminds us that a school is not simply a place students attend, but a community in which they should feel known, welcomed and that they truly belong.

There is also something very Marist in the quiet, everyday work that sits between these milestones. The years between a first day and a final assembly are filled with ordinary moments: conversations in classrooms, encouragement after disappointment, guidance through mistakes, celebrations of growth, rehearsals, training sessions, camps, friendships and countless acts of care. Through our Marist characteristics of simplicity, presence and love of work, staff and families help shape the person each student is becoming.

It is a privilege to be in such a position.

As staff, we have the opportunity not only to educate our students, but to accompany them, to help them discover their gifts, grow in character, develop compassion and courage, and learn that their lives are ultimately called to be lived in service of others.

For our Year 12 students, one significant chapter is closing. For our incoming Year 5 students, another is only just beginning.

From the first walk in, to the final walk out, our hope is that every young person knows they have been seen, known, challenged, encouraged and loved, and that when they eventually leaves our gates, every student carries something of the Marist spirit with them into the world.

……and one final point…..

Despite the sentimental mood I was left in after the final assembly, I still closed the gathering reminding the cohort of the important examination period our graduating students are entering into. So, although it is a time of celebration and sentimentality, we still have a few more boxes to tick before we finally celebrate at the Year 12 Graduation Mass and Celebration later this term.

Good luck to all our year 12 students as they conclude their secondary studies and final assessments before they walk out the gates for the last time as students of Marist College Ashgrove.