Monday 14th October was the end of an era for the class of 2024, their last whole school assembly. For the last time, the 2024 College Captains addressed the college community, and we heard the beautiful voices of Year 12 students, Georgia S and Elly M.

This traditional assembly saw the 2024 Captains hand over the reins to the 2025 College Captains, and it was the first time the new Captains addressed the college.

Congratulations to our 2025 Captains:

International: Angle X. and Allen H. (Vice)

College Captains: Campbell H. and Atika S.

College Vice-Captains: Emily W. and Paige G.

Thank you to our 2024 Captains Zoe A. and Anastasia K., Vice-Captains, Darcy R. and Charlotte V.P. and our International Captain Thanasing Y. and Vice-Captain Telyly (Lily) K. for all that you have done for the students and college during your time in these important roles.

Following are the speeches the students made at the assembly...

From the 2024 Captains

The last six years have been jam-packed with the kinds of memories none of us will ever forget; the kinds of memories that will last a lifetime. Please bear with us as we go down memory lane just a bit…

Our first ever camp together at Forest Edge where the girls collectively sang Rip Tide at the talent show
The chaos that would happen at the end of lunch every Friday in Year 7 when Mr Ferrier would stand at the top stairs with his gigantic box of chocolates and we would all fight to catch them
Ms Bassi and her constant - “SHHH PEPI” at her dog during Italian in online school
Waking up to the voice of Ms Dempster singing her ‘G'day G'day’ song on our trip to Central Australia
Gerry’s interesting song choices playing over the speakers while we walk into school in the morning
The always heated games of Alphabucks in Ms Hine’s English class this year
When Mr McIntyre ripped his pants on the inflatables and Mr Rice let us bedazzle his head with rhinestones last week

We implore each and every one of you to make the most of your time here. Push yourself to do things out of your comfort zone. Get involved with things like Avenues and school musicals and sign up for leadership positions, because I assure you that you will meet so many incredible people.

We also want to take this opportunity to acknowledge all of the teachers who have supported us through our years here and always pushed for our best. It’s obvious that without you we’d be pretty lost right now. So thank you for expecting a lot from us and also for putting up with us in moments of pure chaos.

Finally, to our 2024 cohort - this is it! We remember talking in Year 7 back in 2019 saying “Woah, 2024 is so far away!” But we’re here! It’s our final week with exams fast approaching and we want you to take in every little thing around you. We’re about to be small fish in a big pond again. Keep working hard, enjoy these last moments, create memories and get ready for a new adventure.

And don’t forget to “Stay Amazing” as a wise teacher tells us everyday.

Zoe, Anastasia, Darcy & Charlotte

Signing off as International Vice-Captain 2024

It is bittersweet writing this as I officially hand over my responsibilities as the Vice Captain of the international cohort. It's a moment of reflection, pride, and excitement as we look toward the future with new leadership.

First and foremost, I want to express my deepest gratitude to Mrs Spiteri, the teachers, staff, and students for giving me the opportunity to serve in this role. Your support, guidance, and encouragement have been invaluable, and I’m incredibly grateful for the trust you placed in me.

It is an honour and privilege to be a student leader who can represent the voices of our diverse student body, and embrace our differences. It has also been a pleasure to work alongside amazing people and organise all the events that we had this year. I still remember the fun activities we did, and the very delicious dumplings we had during that Lunar New Year celebration.

To my teammates, friends, and especially our International Captain, Thanasing, thank you for always standing by my side, pushing me to be a better leader, and giving your all in everything we did. This journey wouldn’t have been the same without your dedication, energy, and passion.

I am proud to pass the torch to someone who I know will continue to lead with vision, strength, and heart. To our new International Captains, Allen and Angel, congratulations!

You have earned this role, and I am confident that you will excel and take our team to even greater heights.

As I step down, I do so with the knowledge that our future is in good hands. I’m excited to see what lies ahead and will always be here to offer my support whenever needed.

Thank you again to everyone who has been a part of this journey with me. It has been an honour to serve as your captain, and I wish the very best to Allen and Angel.

To our international students, continue to support each other, share your stories and no matter where we come from, in this community we are one. And to all Year 12s, let’s enjoy the few moments we have left together and good luck on the upcoming exams.

Let’s continue to strive for excellence, support each other, and make our school proud.

Signing off one last time, this is Lyly and I would like to end this speech by saying thank you in my language which is អរគុណ។

Lyly

The first address from our 2025 College Captains

Atika - 2025 College Captain

Good morning, teachers, students, and family.

My name is Atika, I'm here today alongside Campbell, Paige, and Emily with great pride as your 2025 captains.

As school captain, I am committed to being not just a voice- but a representative. Whether it’s about improving our school environment, enhancing student experiences, or finding ways to foster unity and support among us, my role is to listen, advocate, and lead by example.

But leadership isn’t just about one person standing up here with a new badge and saying you can come talk to me in the yard, or email me if you have a concern, it’s about all of us working together, and realising that it’s not just me that can make a difference but any of you can too.

Each of us has something unique to offer. Whether it’s through academics, sports, arts, or simply being a positive influence on others, every one of us contributes to the spirit of our school. My goal is to encourage all of you to be your best selves and to help create opportunities for everyone.

I hope we can embrace challenges, celebrate our achievements, whether they be big or small, and most importantly learn from each other. Let’s build an environment where kindness, respect, and teamwork thrive, and where we support one another no matter what.

Together, let’s make 2025 a school year we can be proud of.

Thank you.

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Campbell - 2025 College Captain

Hi everyone, I’m Campbell, one of the four up here today lucky enough to be your school captains for 2025. Firstly, we all have a lot to live up to and we would like to thank this year’s school captains for all of the hard work they have put toward the school community.

As we look towards 2025, we first need to reflect on what we’ve achieved. These last few years, the SRC have worked on showing everyone that they have a voice, student, teacher and parent alike. Now you know we want to hear you, it's our plan to make it easier for everyone to use their voice and make a difference in how we approach your concerns.

Because it’s not just up to us few who have badges, we need your help and voices to understand what you want to see. By working with the international students and our new year 7s, we want to celebrate everyone in our school community and their achievements. This is how we grow as a community; by hearing everyone’s unique, special and important opinions and working together for as long as it takes to see them come to fruition.

That’s why this coming year is not just about the ideas of us four up here, but it's about all of your ideas and the plans from years and leaders before us that we can build on. I know us four are excited about this coming year and I hope you all are too.

Thank you.

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Emily - 2025 College Vice-Captain

Good afternoon everyone,

I’m Emily, one of your College Vice-Captains for next year.

I want 2025 to be the year of building student voice and agency at the College - making sure everyone feels safe, happy and excited to come to school. I want to ensure that Cheltenham Secondary is a positive, engaging and supportive place for everyone who walks in the gates.

Like Atika mentioned before, this upcoming year is about more than just us, it’s about everyone here today having an opportunity to express their ideas and wants, and to have those listened to.

I believe that 2025 can be the year of really building a strong sense of community here at Cheltenham Secondary and I can’t wait to work on that with all of you.

Thank you.

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Paige - 2025 College Vice-Captain

Good afternoon Cheltenham Secondary,

My name is Paige, and I am very proud to be your Vice-Captain for 2025.

The leadership team and I plan to bridge the gap between student voice and faculty, by allowing all members of our community to become active contributors to their own learning. I would love to foster a supportive environment where we can nurture the ideas of the greater community, and to make sure that everyone’s contributions have led to the development of a better school.

I hope 2025 can be the year of exciting new adventures, and despite the challenges we might face, we can work together to create an amazing year.

Lastly, I’d love to thank the 2024 school captains for their contributions this year, and would also like to wish the year 12s the best of luck for their upcoming exams.

Thank you.

A message from our 2025 International Captains

Hello everyone.

Our names are Angel Xie and Allen Hu, and we have the privilege of serving as the International Captains at Cheltenham Secondary College in 2025.

We are excited to share with you our thoughts and vision for our school in 2025 and beyond.

We believe each of us carries a unique vision for the future of our school, and for us, that vision is about creating a space where we can all pursue our dreams together. Our school is a vibrant community, with more than 52 students from six different countries and regions, each contributing their own culture and background. Through this diversity, we have the opportunity to learn from one another, exchange ideas, and grow together.

We would like to invite you to make friends and build connections with our international students!

Together, we are better!

We are committed to supporting our peers and the international department to the continued growth and success in Victoria. I also encourage all of our international students to get involved in the many activities our school offers, so we can build a bright future together.

Together, we are stronger and better!

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