Valedictory

The next step towards the next step

It has been a heady time of tears and laughter as we shared parting words during the last week of Valedictory events. We applauded their courage as they trail blazed into a new era for Preshil, and it was inspiring to hear their own reflections about their time at the school.

One of the lasting memories for me will be how few people were singled-out in their thank-you's and happy memories. Instead, students used the collective word ‘Preshil’, which reflects the precious cohesion of our school community.

Perhaps more importantly, they will be looking towards the step after the step towards the Diploma, through to the exciting opportunities it opens up for students across the world. This kind of aspirational thinking can provide the motivation to push through challenges ahead, knowing that a worthy reward awaits them at their own finishing line. Some students want to blitz their final exams, and they do. Some students pour themselves into preparing for an audition to the Western Australian Academy for Performing Arts, or curate their portfolio for the University for the Creative Arts in London. We respect every student’s personally-defined goals, supporting them to look up and out at offerings through and beyond scholastic horizons.

The wonderful speech  delivered to our  Valedictorians by School Council Vice President, Claire Justin, warrants sharing with all:

'It’s an honour for me to be up here now, on behalf of the School Council, to welcome you all to the 2019, 'Hollywood' Valedictory dinner!

 

The School Council is likely unknown to many of you students, which is as it should be but we are the people who quietly work behind the scenes to help direct and support the course that Preshil takes. 

 

Consider for a moment that Preshil is a magnificent tapestry, much like the curtain that hangs proudly behind me, the one many of you collaboratively created all those years ago when you were only 11 or 12 years old, a tapestry of a school where students can be who they are and celebrate their differences, where students can talk freely about their beliefs, sense of justice and injustice, engage comfortably and confidently with honest candidness with their teachers and build deep friendships that will endure well beyond the brief life of a school student. 

 

So if the school is the tapestry, then it is you, the students, who are the threads of the piece. It is you, who have breathed life and vigour into Preshil every day, who keep the tapestry stitched together. And as you, the valedictorians of 2019, walk away from here, with parts of that tapestry which are yours to keep, to begin a new one of your very own, trust that everyone here; your Preshil family, believes in you and be buoyed by the support and love that you have always found here and know that we will all feel the gaps in our collective tapestry, that you will leave.

 

So, go now and give your all to your exams so that you can achieve your own personal goals and then take the incredible gifts that Preshil has given you and guard them fiercely so that you can enter the adult world as the best humans you can possibly be, ready and determined to achieve your wildest dreams. And when you’ve done that, dream up some more.'

One of the boldest visions the council set in motion seven years ago, was to implement the DP but even bolder was your decision, as students, to be the guinea pigs to take this challenge on - and what amazing trail blazers you have been. Clearly, the School’s leadership and your inspirational teachers have not let you down but you have all reciprocated with your remarkable commitment to your own learning and willingness to embrace the unfamiliar challenges that the DP brought, with the perseverance, self-awareness, resilience and confidence that is so much a part of what it is to be a Preshil kid.'

Part of our role as a school is to prepare students to make valuable contributions to the world outside of school. We, however, have the joy of being inspired by their powerful voices as they make valuable contributions even now. Meaning-making is every person’s right, and not just something for adults who have been burned out on the way to the top of the capitalist’s heap and are now desperate for some kind of existentialist relief. Preshil students are empowered to make a difference today. This is reflected in our school culture: where students advocate for issues such as climate change, and are rewarded explicitly in our school programs, such as the MYP Personal Project and the Service component of the Diploma. For this reason and many others, we hold the firm view that the Diploma Programme is far superior to the VCE in preparing students for life beyond Blackhall Kalimna.

We are proud that Preshil graduates are resilient life-long learners, creative innovators and ethical decision-makers.

Warmly

Dan Symons

Head of Campus