Last night, we celebrated the end of an education journey with our Year 12 class of 2024. The night was held at the Karalyka Theatre in Ringwood and was the biggest ever Valedictory event that Heathmont College has hosted. This is testament to the Class of '24 and the positive impact they have made on the College, each other and to their families.

Thank you to the Senior School team for organising such a wonderful evening. Special credit must go to Josh Chappell, Lachlan Hunter, Christine Walshe, Melissa McMurray, Kelli MacDonald, Kerryn Sandford and Nina Ling. Enjoy the below photos, but please know professional photographs will be available shorty.

Congratulations to all Year 12 students on graduating and an extra special congratulations to the award winners listed below.

Academic Achievement in Biology James Trevillian

Academic Achievement in Business Management Darcy Cook

Academic Achievement in Chemistry Gyan Holtzner

Academic Achievement in English Evie Taylor

Academic Achievement in Food Studies Tess Morton

Academic Achievement in General Maths Ava Scott

Academic Achievement in Health & Human Development Ava Scott

Academic Achievement in History Revolutions William Popovic

Academic Achievement in German Gyan Holtzner.

Academic Achievement in Legal Studies Evie Taylor

Academic Achievement in Literature Stephanie Morgans

Academic Achievement in Mathematical Methods Cameron Philp

Academic Achievement in Media Jessica Gibbs

Academic Achievement in Music Dylan Rolfe

Academic Achievement in Physical Education Ava Scott

Academic Achievement in Physics Gyan Holtzner

Academic Achievement in Psychology Tess Morton

Academic Achievement in Software Development Kane Homewood

Academic Achievement in Visual Communication & Design Riley Hoskins

Outstanding Achievement in VM Literacy Merinda Carter

Outstanding Achievement in VM Numeracy Sebastian Porteous

Outstanding Achievement in VM Personal Development Skills James Lowe

Outstanding Achievement in VM Work Related Skills Wil Stephens

John Carbery Memorial Award Jade Devries

John Carbery Memorial Award Jarrah Street

ADF Leadership and Teamwork Maddison Butler

Lynne Greenlees Award Storm Small

Performing Arts Award Claire Puckering

Deakin Shield Award - Academic Evie Taylor

Deakin Shield Award - Citizenship Stephanie Morgans

Deakin Shield Award - College Values Claire Puckering

Valedictorian Maddison Butler

College Dux To be determined

Principal Team Award Fletcher Sales

Arguably the highlight of the evening, was the speech made by Assistant Principal, Nina Ling, present the Principal Team Award to Fletch Sales. Nina has kindly shared her speech which you are welcome to read below:

There is a lot of people here tonight; 410 students, parents, family members and staff. This is certainly the biggest Val eve I have seen in my 14 years at the College. This may seem odd on the surface but when we stand back and look at the cohort of students, the sheer number of people in the venue tonight doesn’t really surprise me. The reason; the young people in this group are remarkable humans. They come together, they work together, and they stick together.

We have students with us tonight who have been with us of 6 years, those who have been with us for only one year and we have students who left and came back during their secondary education. We would like to say congratulations to all of you.

Those of you in the education circle will have heard of Rita Pearson. Rita was an educator in the US who articulated the notion that every child needs a champion. Every child needs that one staff member who they connect with, trust and who can motivate them to reach their potential. I believe Heathmont does this VERY well. We have seen a lot of students called across the stage tonight for being top of their class, for their academic achievements, for their leadership achievements and it has been great to celebrate all these achievements. All those students have had their champion, even if they didn’t realise it at the time.

This award is a bit different to the others and it is given to a young person who has made it to tonight despite the lemons life has thrown. In this cohort of students, there have been people who struggled with homelessness, those who suffered illnesses, those who stood up and faced violence. There are many worthy recipients of this award tonight but there is one student who has faced his battles head on, he’s never given up (even when he had days when he wanted to) and it’s taken a collective effort to get to here. Most students and staff in the room know who I am talking about. I need to call a few people to the stage to help me with this because they have been a significant part of the journey for our recipient. Ms Leesa Jacobs and Ms Anne-Maree Hatfield, please come and stand beside me on the stage to be here when our recipient makes his entrance.

As I recant this young man’s journey through school, I am going to name a lot of other people. If you could stand up and remain standing (if you can) we will all be able to look around the room and understand why there are so many people here tonight and we will be able to see all the people who were pivotal in this young man’s high school journey.

I first met our recipient when his eldest brother started year 7, our recipient was asleep (or resting) in the car. His mum came into the school to meet with me about his brother’s start. Our recipient had just a few weeks earlier had undergone his first of two craniotomy’s and was about to start chemo. My heart broke for this young man and his family, and I remember going home that evening and hugging my boy especially tight because; how lucky was I…

Our recipient recovered from that trauma and a few years later started high school. But, there was always the chance that the cancer would return, there was immense pain and other health concerns…before he started, I spoke to the staff and explained how we were going to support the family and the student. I spoke about the numbers of people affected by this. Anne Maree, I’m sure, will agree that in Year 7, our recipient showed he was just another energetic kid. He ran about and kicked the football. He came to school every day and had fun with his mates. Dylan Stewart, Bob-Josh Simpson, Jade Devries, Kirilee Smith, Zac Porter, Claire Puckering please stand up. But it wasn’t long before things were looking grim and he was struggling to make it through a full day of school. I spoke with the office staff and explained that “my little buddy” wasn’t doing so well and Mandy Smith and Wendy Eslick supported staff and students. Together, with his family, (Petra and Stuart can you please stand up?) we staggered his timetable with only a handful of subjects, and we set up a sleep suite (not the sick bay) for resting during the day. This was tough on his brothers and his cousins, but they too were not far from our hearts. Cameron Sales, Joel Sales please stand up. Emily Maniscalchi, Grace Maniscalchi please stand up. Then he moved into life using a manual wheelchair while at school because he couldn’t get safely up and down the stairs…I often walked with this young man carrying his bag and being there to catch him in case he fell so, for safety, Ross MacLean re-roomed the entire school in one afternoon so all his classes were on C block level. Marquita Corr together with Andrea Poole and Justine Olsen taught science to the class out of ice cream containers so science experiments could be taught outside of a science lab. Joel, I remember what you said to me when you first saw your little bro in the chair at school. Do you remember, we were planting a tree? It went something like “what is he doing in that thing?” – there were a few more expletives in there though and a really frightened look in your eye. We know it was hard to watch him go downhill. We hired extra staff to support him and ensured he was always safe. On his request, we held assemblies and explained to the students what was happening with the room changes and why and they just sat calmly and quietly and were so respectful. We spoke about what to say and what not to say and how to be a good friend but with hindsight, I don’t think we really needed to do that. This group of students is remarkable. Our recipient is remarkable; he just wanted to come to school.

Time went on, his health was still going downhill and staff and students just rolled with the punches, always including our recipient, always looking out for him. Our first reaction, with each step, was “OK, let’s find a way”. Curriculum was adjusted (Amelia Vance, Tristan Russell, Kelli MacDonald, Tim McClare, Clare Shae, Dee Dharmasena, Lachlan Hunter please stand up) buildings were adjusted thanks John Ikin, auto doors were put in and ramps. We moved into automation and used assistive technology to support learning (Mel Lamb, Olivia Grant, Samara Kennewell please stand up). COVID lockdowns and remote learning helped but staff just got use to going about things differently to ensure everyone was included and I love that we were able to learn from our recipient how to be truly inclusive. If that meant, pegging the doors open (Christa Beavis) hiring a wheelchair friendly bus to go on an excursion, that was factored in, (Josh Chappell, Trent Pitts) if it meant hiring a lift so this young man could cross the stage tonight, (thanks Shane Hunt) then we just made it happen. I’m sorry I couldn’t make the other ramp you really wanted a reality, but we were truly unable to move the sewer line. We went on camps (Ally Vance please stand up), excursions (Julie Prior, Leigh Holland please stand up) and at times our recipient even wagged class and went up the street for lunch with his mates. I was furious but proud and excited at the same time.

As this cohort embarked on Year 10 – Year 12, this student’s subjects were chosen and planned specifically to allow achievement, to ensure he could graduate with his peers. Thanks Mel McMurray and Mandy Kortholt. A 3-year VCE was embarked upon and without a doubt, Year 11 was the toughest year academically. With both Year 11 and Year 12 subjects being undertaken, managing all his external appointments and trying to ensure a full rest day, there was not a lot of time left. Josh Pearce timetabled the entire school around the needs of this young man more than once. But, his friends and family were never far away and when he went into hospital for spinal surgery and stayed in hospital for 82 days, they were there waiting for him. Younger siblings and cousins (Blake who collected so many things to take home, Chloe excited about visiting the meerkats) have spent their childhood in the hospital visiting areas, but, they were there. Kevin and Tania picking up children (not just theirs), providing a safe haven and driving people into RCH to visit, they were there. GrandparentsJeanette and John were always there. For an award like this, for one who has risen above life’s adversity, it is hard to beat a kid that fought and has beaten brain cancer. It is hard to win against someone who lives with the awful repercussions of the cancer treatment, the constant pain and a life limiting condition. But, you see, his determination to continue with school, to continue with the people with whom he’d started this journey, never giving up on himself showed us all how to attack life. His honesty, humour and quick wit despite the lemons has been a highlight too.

They say it takes a village to raise a child and have a look around the room at the village. Whether you are standing or sitting, it is this group of people who helped this child be here tonight. I have reached out to members of your primary school and the regional office and a lot of people send their best wishes and congratulations to you. It is all those little things, the phone calls and text messages, the OT visits, working with RCH, the communication, the fun times out, the parties, the footy, the alterations to a ‘normal’ day, that when grouped together highlight the importance of the village.

It is really special to present this award to Fletcher Sales because while we have banded together to help him, he has taught us so much more than he would ever know.

How to think outside the box.

How to include everyone.

The importance of humour and honesty in resilience.

How to accept people for who they are, always.

How to ensure we celebrate people not just causes.

I am so proud to have been a part of your journey. I am so pleased mum and dad chose Heathmont for you and your brothers and thank you for teaching me.

Rita’s lessons of needing a “champion” rings true here but I think it has been flipped in this instance because Fletcher Sales is our champion.

Please charge your glasses and be upstanding as we would like to congratulate Fletcher Sales and the 2024 finishing class.

Again, thanks to all the contributed to the evening and well done to our departing Year 12s.

Shane Hunt

Acting Assistant Principal

State Champion!