AFTER a challenging year with two extended periods of remote learning, year 12 students in Kerang held a range of events to mark their final week of school.
Kerang Technical High School (KTHS) VCE coordinator Robyn Cocking outlined the aim of the week.
“Unfortunately, they haven’t been able to do big celebrations like they would in most years, but we’ll try and make it a bit of fun for them,” she said early last week.
That didn’t prompt teaching staff to show the year 12 cohort any mercy in a one-sided ultimate frisbee duel on Tuesday.
Dress-ups were a prominent feature of the rest of the week at KTHS with themed days such as ‘when I grow up’ and ‘iconic duos’.
There was also a midweek morning tea, which was BYO in keeping with the COVID year.
Kerang Christian College (KCC) students decorated the school on Thursday afternoon, having also held dress-up days, with a Friday afternoon excursion to Swan Hill including lunch and a paddle steamer ride.
KCC’s dress-up themes across the week were pyjamas, op shop, business, bogan, and desired career.
School captains Victoria Farrant and Blake Van Der Drift were disappointed not to get the opportunity to be more involved in the school throughout the year, but did their best to bring students together where possible.
They ran an Anzac Day themed poster colouring competition early in the initial lockdown period, encouraging students from all other year levels to take part.
The pair also organised lunchtime volleyball competitions.
Victoria and Blake agreed that group chats on social media and Zoom sessions with teachers and other students helped people keep connected and manage course work during remote learning periods.
Looking ahead to next year, Blake found an unexpected positive in 2020’s unique circumstances, realising through remote learning that he is not wanting to pursue university study.
“It’s opened my eyes and pointed me in the right direction,” he said.
“If it was a normal year I’d look at doing an ag-related course at uni but because of the current circumstances and this learning environment I feel that I’ll be better off picking up a trade.”
He is considering an apprenticeship as a diesel mechanic or boilermaker.
Victoria has her sights on a very different path.
“I want to go into primary education and I’m not sure whether I go to the Northern Territory or somewhere in Queensland and become a governess and study part-time as well, or whether I just go straight into it,” she said.
She explained being a governess is like being a nanny but with a greater focus on teaching children and guiding them with their online coursework in places remote from schools.
