Principal Report

Welcome to August, everyone.   

Last Friday, we had our first Debutante Ball, and there was so much evidence of the strength of the community at Wangaratta High School – past students returning after seeking out the opportunity to be a part of something that the peak of the pandemic took away from them. There was no hesitation in any corner to embrace and welcome these past students back.   

The night was a great success – fun, formal and grand! Thank you to the organiser and long term champion of the Ball Cate West, and to MC Deb Emer, Dance Trainer Deb Ravida, Rebecca Younger, Year 12 Student helpers Alannah, Adella, Stephanie & Mirryn and our very own talented Scott Solimo and his music partner, Amanda, who made sure that everyone was up dancing the night away.   

I wanted to congratulate our first group for their discipline of practice over countless hours and weekends, and the deeper relationship of care and support that has developed between dance couples and the group collectively. All the very best for tonight's second group.  

In my speech to the debutantes and guests, I spoke about the value, in life, of focusing on the journey as well as the destination. Sometimes the journey is more important. Living in and loving the moment is very much linked to our wellbeing and success. Doing what you are doing now well really matters. Lots of memories were created as they readied and trained for the ball, but I expect a number of them will be from the practice and journey to this evening, not just the ball itself. 

Focusing on the journey also shines a light on what else you get out of trying to reach your goals. The trek is where you learn and where you grow. In some ways, achieving goals is just a by-product of your journey. Yes, they all learnt to dance (really well!), but they also formed new relationships and found more in themselves than they thought possible. 

It is very likely that you might not even need to reach your goal to be successful. But what you get out of trying is guaranteed to make an impact. By setting out to achieve a goal, you're forming new habits, striving towards something bigger than yourself, and filling your life with purpose. And no one can take those lessons or that journey away. 

This term will present many excursion opportunities for our students and hopefully will provide them with the exposure to new experiences, such as last week when some Year 11 and 12 students visited our local hospital. I had the pleasure of accompanying Year 11 and 12 students on a short cross country skiing trip earlier this week. A highlight was introducing a number of students to the snow and to skiing for the first time in their lives – our access to the alps is a highlight of living and learning in the North East. We have a multi-day ski trip to Mount Hotham coming up for Year 9 to 11 students, which will also provide a first time experience for many, as well as those that have been on skis and snowboards before. All students will complete lessons with professional instructors. These opportunities enrich and further develop their education exposure. I would like to thank every one of our staff members who assist in facilitating these wonderful opportunities for our students.  

We have had many students come together and represent our school at sporting events, whether it be the boys' playing netball or multiple groups playing table tennis, each student should be proud of their teamwork, sportsmanship and the representation of our school. Congratulations everyone.   

I have been prioritising engaging with universities of late and had the pleasure of sitting with and hearing the La Trobe University speak last week in Albury. A Provost is a bit like an assistant principal of a school – the one who makes things happen! It was pleasing to hear again of the renewed energy of universities to serve students in regional centres and hear of the future forecasting of trends that will impact the lives of those we teach. I will share some of these in a future newsletter. La Trobe also took the opportunity to announce that they will be offering undergraduate primary and secondary teaching degrees on their Albury Wodonga campus from 2023, which is terrific news for North East Victoria, and for the education sector broadly. 

Lastly, a courtesy reminder that we have our Professional Practice Day next Friday, the 12th of August and our Curriculum Day is on the 24th of August. 

Have a great weekend everyone.

Dave Armstrong

Executive Principal