We are genuinely very proud of the way our Year 12 Oxley students have managed during this unusual year and how they have risen to the challenges of 2020.
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As a cohort, they have missed some landmark occasions and experiences due to COVID-19 but on the flip side they have also learnt many new skills and qualities that they will carry into adulthood.
These include an open mindedness to change, resilience, agility, a deep gratitude for what they have and an ability to think outside the box.
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We are enormously proud of how much they have achieved and their positive outlook.
We know they will be okay and will thrive as young people on the next stage of their journey.
Jenny Ethell
Head of College
From Year 12 Academic Master - Molly Simpson:
Usually, at this time of Year 12, focusing on academic preparation for the HSC must be balanced with the competing demands of shopping for formal dresses and suits and planning for the celebrations of schoolies week.
For the Oxley Class of 2020, the reality of the global pandemic means that these events are no longer happening, at least not in the way in which students envisioned.
I caught up with Oxley's Year 12 to find out about the things that have changed and what has stayed the same ... here are their thoughts, in their own words:
What were your expectations for your final year of school? What were you looking forward to?
"A balance of curricular and co-curricular. Studying hard but also playing sport together and going to parties. I think that these are the things that foster a sense of cohesion during the final year of school, a sense that we are all in it together. I know that's how it was for my siblings."
"I was looking forward to everything about Year 12. I was especially looking forward to my leadership role, speaking at assemblies and going on the Year 7 orientation camp. I knew it would be a demanding year academically but all the good things like 18th birthday parties and the formal would balance that out."
"I was really excited about my Group Performances in Music Extension and Drama."
"I had just witnessed the year above me have the best schooling year of their lives. I was excited to spend my weekends playing our last season of school sport, hanging out with my friends and bonding as a year group."
"I was really looking forward to 18th birthday parties, schoolies on the Gold Coast and meeting lots of new people through new experiences."
"I thought our final year would be the same as it was for last year's Year 12, with exactly the same rituals and celebrations."
How has COVID-19 impacted your experience of Year 12?
"No sport. Assemblies on Zoom. No music groups. Strings are allowed but I play in the wind ensemble."
"Schoolies being cancelled was a big thing for me. Also not being able to have a party for my 18th birthday."
"It is really different making a speech at assembly when it is on Zoom. Public speaking while making sure you are looking straight at a tiny camera on a laptop screen is a new skill for me. I also learnt to be careful about my facial expressions because if you pull a funny face or yawn, you can be sure someone will screenshot it."
"COVID-19 has meant that I have focused more closely on my studies. Usually sport is a huge part of my life, which I love, but it takes a lot of my time. Obviously more study is not a bad thing, but I am disappointed that we couldn't have spectators at our last athletics carnival."
"I was, fortunately, able to experience learning from home which worked so much better for me than regular school. If COVID-19 hadn't occured I would not have been able to negotiate learning from home."
"For most of high school, I have been dreaming about a gap year travelling across Europe. Now it feels like the only logical thing to do is head straight to university."
"COVID-19 has limited our ability to engage in new experiences and gather together physically as a year group. We've had to find other ways to make connections with each other."
Has anything about your final year changed for the better because of COVID-19?
"Because we can't have parties or big gatherings, I have learnt to really appreciate the time I can spend with my friends at recess and lunch."
"I realise how lucky we are to live in the Southern Highlands as there are comparatively few cases of COVID-19 here."
"Our school's learning@home program worked really well and I am so glad that we have kept aspects of it even though we are back at school. The Weekly Learning Cycles are so helpful for planning ahead."
"I have learnt not to take things for granted. I have become more flexible and adaptable as I have had to adjust to the restrictions of COVID-19, particularly coping with not having face to face lessons during lockdown. I have surprised myself by how much I have grown."
"I think COVID-19 has forced Year 12 students to discover their own learning style. Some students thrived during learning@home, while others recognised that they need support from and contact with their peers to succeed."
"During lockdown, I spent a lot more time with my family and even thought things are back to the "new" normal, I am determined to continue to prioritise spending time with the people I love, especially my sister and nieces who do not live with me."
"So many more opportunities to do things differently, especially in music. Our Foundation Night performances were professionally filmed, as was our Year 12 Music Night, so I will have that record of Year 12 forever."
"While COVID-19 has thrown many curveballs in my direction, it has also provided an important opportunity for self-reflection and personal development. I have focused on making the very best of situations and having a positive mindset and I am a better person because of that."
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