From the Principal
At last – Preshil’s first IB Diploma graduates...
Last Friday’s Valedictory Dinner represented the completion of Preshil’s first year where the IB Diploma Programme is our sole offering for Years 11 and 12; our first group of IB DP students has completed the process the School set in motion some seven years ago.
Four years ago The Age newspaper reported on this radical move – offering me the choice between ‘axe’ or ‘ditch’ the VCE as the headline. I didn’t believe either captured the thoughtful, carefully planned transition we began implementing in 2013, but conceded its ‘clickbait’ potential.
'We are eager to move away from the constraints and standardisation of the VCE, with its reductive approach to disciplines and a narrow focus on competition as the impetus for learning' I am quoted as saying.
Our graduates demonstrated how thoroughly they have succeeded in moving beyond that narrow, competitive approach towards a true culture of collaboration and community. And while their IB final exams are yet to be undertaken our students certainly do not need to wait for their results to tell them who they are or what their worth is.
The Valedictory Dinner offers each student an opportunity to speak about their experience as a Preshil student. Together they represented an articulate, compassionate, funny and searingly insightful group of young adults, who were able to reflect deeply on their progress, drew strength from each other and who understood the value of the education Preshil has offered them. They represent everything and more than we ever hoped to achieve through the merging of the IB ideals with Preshil’s own, long-term, core values.
Recently, I have had occasion to remember a letter I received early on in the IB journey from a disgruntled alumna, angry because she believed the introduction to the IB heralded the end of Preshil’s commitment to the Arts for students as a focus of their Year 11 and 12 studies. She shared the common misconception that the IB was a rigorously academic, narrow course of study, suitable only to the highest performing students who would specialise in the Sciences as the most ‘prestigious’ subjects.
Preshil’s historic, almost reverential attitude to the arts is conveyed through the following quotes from two of Preshil’s key founders:
'Art, music, drama are not the frills of education but an integral part of it; the part, indeed, which helps the soul to blossom.' Greta Lyttle
'I believe that the best answer to any threat of a totalitarian society is a better democracy, and that we can have only by being better democrats. To this end, the education of children for self-control, sensitivity, both to others, and their own environment, and for clear and imaginative thinking, is best achieved through the arts.' Frances Derham
I would love for this member of our alumni to have seen our recent series of events that have showcased Music, Theatre, Film and Visual Arts, which could leave no-one in any doubt that the Arts are flourishing at Preshil within the IB framework.
Looking forward to 2020 we have almost twice the number of students starting the Diploma course than finished this year, with a very satisfying spread of subjects selected, indicating that the IB at Preshil is truly both inclusive and flexible, just as we hoped it could be.
For the immediate future, we wish every one of our Year 12 students the very best with their exams and, most importantly, that each one of them is offered the opportunity next year to take the first step on their adult journey to achieve their own version of great success.
Marilyn Smith
Principal