It has been a whirlwind finish to the term with so many activities for the departing Year 12 cohort along with Royal Show preparations, Farm Skills involvement and finalising of results.

Our staff have once again gone above and beyond in their commitment to the students at the College.

Farm Skills

The Farm Skills teams left at 5.30 am on Thursday and did themselves and the College proud with the professional way they completed all events. A big THANK YOU to Mr Swallow, who was a very proud trainer as he watched students showcase their skills.

Thank you also to Mr McGee, Ms Warden and Mr OIde, who were integral to the day's activities through their logistical support and encouragement. It was a very long day for all involved and a rewarding experience that ignited a fire for success next year.

It has been a challenging term with various issues impacting our staffing across all areas of the College, but everyone has worked cooperatively together to ensure that College systems have remained in operation and students well cared for. I thank everyone in the Catering and Cleaning team, Residential team as well as all the Trainers and Teachers for such willing cooperation and assisting each other to work through these taxing times.

R U OK? Day

Our R U OK? Day celebrations were taken to a new level this year with special thanks to our Chaplain Emma Curulli, who decorated the dining hall and organised a range of activities throughout the day, as I am sure you have seen on our Facebook feed. It was a great way to create a meaningful conversation around a serious topic. This ran into the wonderful Quiz night that night.

I have been reading the stories written by students in their English class as part of the Heywire competition. Some very thought-provoking and heartfelt pieces of writing were featured. I commend the students and their teachers for this activity and encourage you to read them.

Climate Smart Innovation Challenge

I was also honoured to be a panel member for the Climate Smart Innovation Challenge, where we had the pleasure of having eight students present their research and innovative solutions to us. They only had a short time to frame the issue, define a gap, outline a solution and provide details on how agricultural enterprises would promote and adopt it.

The range of thinking from the students was amazing! From apps to making watering more effective through government incentives to adopting innovations and ways to deplete and eliminate methane gas from the atmosphere. Along with a way to reduce evaporation from dams, drone technology enables effective identification of bugs on plants and even ways to more effectively provide fodder from seaweed.

Each student presented their findings and solutions in a unique and engaging way. Special mention has to go to Zoey Morris, who presented her innovation from Narrogin while she was competing at the Equine Challenge last week using her phone.

Farewell to the Year 12s

'The 12s' are just about finished and it has been a frantic week of finishing off last-minute assessments/units and ensuring sign-off sheets are completed, permissions gained and dorms cleaned, and saying their goodbyes.

Mrs Pfitzner organised a wonderful conclusion to their academic program on Wednesday, with some free time activities in the gym, music room, recreation room and outside grassed area. This was followed by ice cream and drying time. It was a great way to celebrate the conclusion of their classwork. Just one more little exam for the students doing Maths Applications!

The Residential staff organised the Year 12 dinner last night. Thanks to the Brugan for their lovely food and quick service.

I was also present this morning when Bill provided a brief snippet of history for each student, which was personal and gave insight into their time at the College.

I have enjoyed my first six months at Harvey Ag and I thank all the staff and students who have made me feel welcome. I wish everyone a safe and restful break for the next couple of weeks and look forward to Term 4 when we can say our formal farewells to the Class of 2024 and welcome a new cohort of students to the College for transition.

CHAPLAIN CHAT