OVER the next four weeks more than 2000 of the region’s school leavers will face what could be the biggest tests of their lives.
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Some students have been studying consistently for the last year, while others picked up the pace as the end of the school year loomed.
Many of the kids spent the October school holidays with their heads in the textbooks, while others have admitted they’ve left their revision to the very last minute.
Some of them have detailed their strategies for study and are targeting the hardest subjects first that will have the most value towards their Australian Tertiary Admissions Ranking (ATAR) marks.
Whatever their study methods might be we hope they leave the exam rooms after each test feeling like they gave it their best shot.
The High School Certificate exams are a rite of passage for every year 12 student.
But is this important piece of paper gradually losing its meaning?
One glaring point that stuck with us after we spoke to local year 12 students ahead of their exams last week was that these young people realised that the HSC results were not the ‘be and end all’ and they can still achieve their future career goals and dreams by other means.
Among these young visionaries was 18-year old Liam Crowell from McCarthy Catholic College. While he hopes to do well in his exams, he understands there are other means of entering into tertiary qualifications after the HSC is done and dusted.
While he did hope to have employment opportunities lined up in the near future, he was aware there were other options there if he decided further education was right for him regardless of his marks. There was also Maddie Michie, 18, who decided to enter into a traineeship instead of applying for a course.
But then there were also the students like Faith Melvey who wanted to qualify for a Bachelor of Arts because she believed in the value of a tertiary qualification.
Regardless of whatever paths they choose in the future, as a community we should should be proud of these driven, motivated and conscientious young adults, who despite whatever the next four weeks of exams might throw at them, they know that afterwards they can still achieve their dreams, whatever shape or form.
Congratulations to the class of 2017 and best of luck with what lies ahead.