Standing here tonight feels surreal. Six years of homework, Teams calls, last-minute assignments, laughter, tears… and somehow, we made it. I know we’re supposed to be the mature, composed, educated leaders of tomorrow who are destined to solve the issues of our time, but let’s be real, most of us still don’t know how to turn on the Common Room dishwasher!

These are the words of Jessica Sibly, a member of the Class of 2025, who recently gave the Valedictorian Speech at the Year 12 Valedictory Dinner. Jessica’s words reflect her growing maturity, and yet, she understands that she and the other Year 12 students are on a journey. But they not there yet.

Jessica’s speech at the dinner was filled with insight, warmth and a good amount of humour. She spoke about the journey all the Year 12 girls have been on since they arrived at St Catherine’s. Listening to her speak with confidence and conviction reminded me of how important it is for our young people to have a voice. Being part of a community, having a say and the opportunity to influence others is important. Jessica knows this very well and during her speech she said, we also found our voices, sometimes too loudly. Whether it was standing up for ourselves or politely convincing teachers their marking was ‘subjective’, we made ourselves heard.

If we look at Indigenous cultures, learning ‘involves generational roles and responsibilities’ is ‘embedded in memory, history, and story’. Expressing one’s voice, whether it be speaking or writing, is how we cross the generations and, for our young people, it is how they move into the adult world.

From a purely academic perspective engaging with students and promoting a strong student voice is a positive thing. There are benefits of listening to, and acting on, student voice which include:

• increasing students’ engagement in learning
• encouraging collaboration between students and their teachers
• creating and maintaining a positive environment and culture
• building respectful relationships, connections and belonging
• developing personal and social capabilities.

St Catherine’s is a school where we not only encourage student voice, but it is also expected. In the curriculum there are many opportunities for the girls not only to engage in deep thinking but to conduct critical conversations. They are taught how to debate, speak in public, and how to express ideas and thoughts with clarity, purpose and conviction. This is what marks a true education: where the measure is not in numbers but in the quality of the thinking, and the capacity to express one’s views with confidence.

We challenge the girls every day to push their intellectual boundaries, so that at the end of their education here at St Catherine’s, they can go into the wider world with the skills and ability to speak their voice. Guillaume Apollinaire, considered one of the most important literary figures of the early 20th century wrote the following poem:

‘Come to the edge’, she said.
‘We can’t, we’re afraid!’ they responded.
‘Come to the edge’, she said.
‘We can’t, We will fall!’ they responded.
‘Come to the edge’, she said.
And so they came.
And she pushed them.
And they flew.

Jessica concluded her speech with the following: So here’s to us the Class of 2025. The spark. The chaos. The resilience. We’ll never forget this place, or each other. As we step forward, keep laughing, keep learning, and in the wise words of Matthew McConaughey: just keep living’.

There is no doubt in my mind that Jessica and the Class of 2025 have taken the leap.

They are now in full flight.