October 2019

It was with great pleasure and enormous pride that I farewelled the Class of 2019 at our recent college assembly on Tuesday 22nd of October. This week marks the completion of the Year 12 students’ secondary school education.

It has been six years since this cohort of students were welcomed into the college. As a college we assembled to congratulate and farewell them and wish them well in the next stage of their lives.

There are many things I can say about this group of students, but I took this opportunity to focus on three simple, but important pieces of advice.

1. Never forget your roots and never forget that you are now part of the history of Kurunjang SC.

Whether we like it or not, the past shapes us. It is undeniable that our experiences, impact on who we are and who we will become. They affect the way we deal with situations or people – they impact on how we see the world.

I asked our Year 12 students to reflect on the experiences they have had at Kurunjang SC. Some will look back with great fondness and will celebrate with great pride and joy and others will have mixed feelings about what has taken place. In either case, remembering where you come from, building on the positives, learning from mistakes made or misfortunes had is the key for future successes and happiness.

My hope is that our Year 12 students will come to see that they have been given many opportunities to experience a rich and diverse education, and one that I’m sure they will grow to appreciate as they mature. It is also my hope that they will take their experiences, opportunities and the friendships forward in trying to make a difference in the world.

2. Live your life to the full

I encouraged each of our Year 12 students to follow in the well-worn footsteps of thousands of students that have gone before them by aiming to not only maintain the proud history our past students have created, but more importantly set about creating their own history.

I asked them to always remember that they should never stop learning. Over time they will have absorbed not only information, knowledge and skills from this school, but also our school’s values, culture and history. It is important that they take that experience and use it to make a difference in the world.

I also asked them to be brave and positive and to have big dreams and ambitions. They should be courageous about meeting people, about having a go at something they haven’t done before.

I also reminded them that positivity attracts positivity – and positive people are generally great to be around.

3. Always remember our Vision and Values

Just as our vision and values guided our Year 12 students to get to this stage, the same vision and values will also guide in the future.

Our vision is to achieve success for our community through respect, responsibility and collaboration. Our college vision talks about achieving respect for the Kurunjang Community; their community as of now will not only include Kurunjang but also the world around them and beyond them as well.

Our values talk about Respect, Achievement and Responsibility.

It is important to remember that just as they have gained success now they will also do so in the future. The same rules apply.

Also, I reminded them to always respect themselves, our community and our world and particularly each other, and understand that our attitudes and behaviours have an impact on the people around us.

The Class of 2019 will leave us in the knowledge that their contribution to the college’s history is almost complete. Their contribution as a group has been unique and they should be proud of what they have achieved to this point. They have worked together, collaborated just as our vision states, with their dedicated teachers and staff in preparing for their exams and their achievement of competencies. I want to take this opportunity to thanks all the staff who have supported these students over the six years.

In concluding, to all the graduating students, we wish you well as you embark on the next phase of your journey whether it is further study or employment.

No doubt we will all be waiting in anticipation for mid-December when the results are released.

Best wishes and good luck.

John Mitsinikos

College Principal

KSC Study Hall