Eighteen Year 12 students will make history on Monday morning as they become the first group to sit the Higher School Certificate at St Raphael’s School.
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The very first Year 12 cohort at the school has been busy studying and preparing for the exams, which begins with English Standard and Advanced on Monday morning.
St Raphael’s Principal Michael Gallagher said the students, their families and teachers have done everything possible to be ready for the exams.
“I’m feeling very confident they have been well prepared,” he said.
“They’ve invested a great deal in what’s been going on but so have their teachers and parents. It is the biggest hurdle they’ve had to face in their short life.”
Mr Gallagher said the school has been preparing for this moment for the past two years, ever since the students first chose which subjects would be available for the inaugural Year 12 class.
“It was from that one on one conversation with each of the students and their families about what were their ambitions,” he said.
“The way that we did it was that the students and their families are in the driver’s seat… They name the subjects and we provide the teaching and learning experiences for them to get those subjects.”
He said students have not only got the pressure of being the first to take on the HSC but have also had a number of obstacles throughout the year.
“The biggest challenge for this year’s group is that one our students passed away earlier in the year and that grief had a massive impact on the group.”
However he said students have already began receiving great news about their futures.
“We’ve already got quite a number of the students who have been either accepted conditionally or unconditionally into uni.
“We’ve got a number of them with training positions already finalised and signed up.”
The students had the opportunity to celebrate their achievements at their Graduation Mass and Dinner on September 21, along with a host of other events during their last official week of school.
Mr Gallagher wished the students the best of luck for the next few weeks.
“I’m very proud of the way the students have dealt with the situation but I’m also very proud the way the teachers and parents have gathered tightly around this band of students to give them every chance of maximum success.”
