Our 2021 Senior School Co-Captains have provided magnificent leadership over the course of their final year at St Catherine’s. Whilst not the year they had expected, they continued to demonstrate integrity, empathy and grace not only within their Cohort but throughout the entire School. We commend them for their commitment and thank them for their stewardship of the Student Co-Captain positions.

In their final Assembly Address to the Senior School, Lucy and Clementine provide insights into their journeys at St Catherine’s and the important roles their teachers and fellow students have played. Hear from our Captains below:

St Catherine’s School
Senior School Assembly
Monday 18 October, 2021

Clementine: The other week, at lunchtime, I sat near the Fountain with a friend. I know the majority of you haven’t had that experience in a while, so I’ll paint a picture for you. The sun was out, we were in our summer dresses facing Sherren House from the top of St Catherine’s Walk, not really saying too much.

As we sat there on chairs, with our eyes closed in the sun, my friend said, “just soak it in.” That was the moment where it felt real to me, that our days at St Catherine’s are coming to an end.

Being back at School for the past couple of weeks has enabled us to really see what makes our School and, in particular, the Year 12 Cohort wonderful…After all our time at home, being able to celebrate our last few days has been memorable and awesome.

At this stage of the school year, it is pretty easy to look forward to what’s to come in the next few weeks and beyond. However, we think it’s necessary to look back and reflect. Reflect on a year of ups and downs, of separation and celebration. Although we didn’t get the Year 12 we all thought we would, our year has been nothing short of extraordinary, which is directly linked to the group of girls in our Cohort.

Some of the girls I have known since Year 4, others have trickled in along the way, and although we are all vastly different in our talents and goals, we all share a similar set of attributes.

We are kind and passionate, those two make for a pretty good mix. When you have a look at all the Year 12s, it is evident these characteristics make our Cohort so special.

From our time at School, seeing the girls working hard in the Library, running back and forth from the Art Room or meeting a teacher several times to master their skills – it is blatantly obvious to us we are a hard-working Year and when we commit to a goal, we make sure we try our best to achieve it. Not only is it an individual drive that we all have engaged this year, but also helping each other, sharing pieces of work and continually encouraging each other to perform to our best. This has made it evident to us that we are a close-knit family and there is never anyone left behind.

So, thank you to the Class of 2021, together we have made our St Catherine’s experience for each other amazing. During a filming process for our Valedictory video, one of us captured our Year level in a statement, “no matter what, you can sit with whoever you want at recess and lunch and feel completely fine.” Through something as simple as feeling welcome with every girl, it is crystal clear how kind and inclusive we are. This has made growing up around you all such a blessing. We will forever look back and be grateful for such a great Year level that has been through it all together. I can’t wait to see how it all pans out at our reunions down the track. I know they say it takes a village to raise a child, but if this year has proven anything to us, it’s that it takes a village to complete Year 12.

Lucy: Now commencing our week of SWATVAC, we can undoubtedly agree that the end came a lot faster than we thought it would. What felt like a new “COVID free” year at the start of Year 12 suddenly became all a bit too familiar with our return to online learning.

Whilst we can look back at the past two years with anger, resentment, and a feeling of being “short changed” as the supposed best years of our schooling were spent in front of a screen, the way we as a Cohort approached and survived this experience is truly admirable.

As a collective I think we can agree that it wasn’t just our positive and resilient nature that got us through to the other side, it was the teachers and staff who helped us unconditionally along the way.

I can personally say that I have relied on my teachers A LOT this year. Even before lockdown I would meet with every single one of them at least once a week, whether it was to get genuine help or just meet up for a bit of a chat. In lockdown, this support continued. I would meet with my teachers before, during, and after school or even on the weekends just to ensure I was on top of my work and feeling in control. This year and last, all the teachers have been going above and beyond for us and I know we all appreciate this generosity so much…In lockdown, when times have been uncertain, there hasn’t been one moment where I have felt like I wasn’t supported.

I personally think the encouraging and kind dynamic between students and staff at St Catherine’s is what makes our school so connected and friendly. The ability to approach anyone and everyone is so special and I am truly going to miss this so much.

A special shout out to Mrs McCallum, you have been with us throughout our entire Years 11 and 12 journeys. Whether it was the constant supply of lollies in your office when we were at School, or your weekly motivational level sessions, your support really got us through. Thank you for being an anchoring presence through the rocky waves of VCE, your commitment to each of us individually and as a Cohort has been unmatched.

So now, as we commence our exams, we should recognise that it is not these exams that define us, it is the way we have conducted ourselves over the last 13 years, especially the way we have survived and thrived in these past two years. I remember saying to the Year 12s last year that because of the treacherous year they had, they would be more ready than any other year before them to conquer the world outside of the Heyington Gates, and this certainly applies to us too.

I am going to miss everyone and everything about St Catherine’s. From as young as I can remember all I wanted to be was a St Cath’s girl, and in Year 7 I became one. I came to St Catherine’s with such high expectations that it was going to be the greatest experience of my life. My expectations were so high my parents were scared my experience would not match them, however, it is true to say my journey here has definitely met and exceeded everything I had hoped for.

I don’t think it has quite hit me yet that my journey here is over. I believe I will never truly have to grieve leaving St Catherine’s because we really are one big supportive family. A family of 2021 graduates, and a family of St Catherine’s girls and teachers, that will always look out for one another. If this lockdown has proven anything, it is that nothing, not even a global pandemic, will be able to crush our spirits.

Saying goodbye to our School today is not quite how Cece and I had envisioned our last assembly, but nevertheless, we would like to say thank you to every member of the School; all the girls, the teachers and staff. This year has been particularly special for us because of your engagement with our assemblies and initiatives. For the whole year, we and the Student Executive Team have felt an enormous amount of support from each of you and only through that, were we able to feel comfortable and motivated to test the boundaries of our collective and individual capabilities. We feel that this year we have really been able to grow, not only through developing our online assembly skills, but as people. Thank you for providing us with a supportive, welcoming environment to do so. We are so grateful.

This year, JB [Mr James Brown],has led us week in and week out in organising the assemblies. Whilst he remains modest in taking credit for his contributions, as a group we all agree that what we have achieved this year definitely couldn’t have been done without his constant support and enthusiasm. Anyone who has had the privilege of interacting with Mr Brown would know that his persistent energy and positivity is genuinely out of this world and the manner in which he has optimistically mentored us is something that we admire most about him and we are so grateful.

Clementine: And as our time as School Captains draws to a close, we would like to wish the best of luck to our incredible successors, Angela Yu and Madeline Powell. We couldn’t be happier leaving the School in such capable hands, you two are such compassionate and driven people and we can’t wait to see what you, and the 2022 Student Executive achieve next year.

Finally, thank you to the Leadership Team for your continual support of us and our Cohort. For always going the extra mile to make sure we felt well equipped and ready for the challenges we faced this year.

So, that is it from us, we can’t wait to come back after our exams and have another celebration where we can all be together and say an in-person goodbye. We, as the Year 12 Cohort, are definitely going to miss seeing you around School every day, but if you do see us walking around, whether that’s going into an exam or working in the Library, please do come and say goodbye as I’m sure we would all love to have a chat.

Thank you.