Principal’s Address
Year 12 Graduation Dinner, Ainslie Football Club, Tuesday 28 November 2023
Welcome all to this evening’s celebration farewelling the Year 12 Class of 2023. Welcome to our young women, welcome to their parents and loved ones and welcome to the staff from Merici College.
This evening marks a significant moment in the lives of everyone here, especially in the lives of the Class of 2023. A moment that exemplifies what it means to be experiencing change, transition or to be in the state of “flux”. This cohort has experienced SO much change and disruption. At the moment, everything still seems to be in a state of flux: the season, the weather, our moods, the mandates of those in power or that of the electorate, navigating spaces old and new. We are (and have been) in a time of transition. While change naturally happens as an ongoing process in our lives, there are some moments that significantly stand out as being marked by capital c Change. This is one of them.
Depending on our expectations of what that means, it can look a lot different! And it will look a lot different for everyone. It’s important to remember there is no one way, no right way to experience change or being in a state of flux. We all must go through it in our own ways, guided by the decisions and values we each hold dear. The recent hit movie Barbie showed us “That’s life. It’s all change”. I think this was stereotypical Barbie’s journey… as well as finding out about mortality, the realities of a patriarchal world and what it means to have flat feet!
Year 12 know all about change – they have lived through a unique set of challenging years.
What did they turn to help navigate change, transition or being in a state of flux? How did they evolve as a cohort.
Firstly, they turned to grace:
Sometimes the simplest yet most complicated act they did was to offer themselves and others some grace. They developed the ability to ease up a little in terms of expecting to have to get it right, do it the best, be the best for everyone else, and do all the socially acceptable things to do.
Grace sounded like:
- Hey, I’m doing the best I can.
- I don’t have answers right now, and that’s okay.
- This is a lot.
Grace looked like:
- Giving a hug and or asking for a hug.
- A deep breath.
- Letting go of what cannot be controlled.
- Letting feelings just be.
- Validating self and identity.
- Working determinedly to build an inclusive, socially aware, just and tolerant community.
Secondly, they learnt to appreciate the power that moments of stillness can offer:
The Class of 2023 know that, sometimes, a helpful thing to do is to purposefully stand still, create moments of stillness in times of change in order to re-ground, re-orient and find their center before re-entering the maelstrom of life.
Their moments of stillness have looked like:
- Drinking tea, coffee or a slurpy while looking out a window/or being outside in the New Quad.
- Reading quietly.
- Muting their phones/notifications for a limited amount of time per day to focus on just 1 thing.
- Listening to a song with all of their attention.
- Meditating on retreat
- Being in the moment
Thirdly, they have also learnt to be human and ensure that basic needs are met:
In all their glorious and vivacious loudness, loyalty, eccentricity, resilience and ‘mostly wise’ risk taking, this cohort have remembered that we are all human: fragile, vulnerable humans in physical bodies that have very physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual needs. They have learnt to take a moment (or several) to see how they have been caring for themselves and others.
What their caring for basic needs has looked like:
- Setting schedules with enough time to wind down and wake up, planning meals and gatherings to celebrate being together in community
- Filling up lots of water bottles
- Checking in with themselves and others: What do I/you need right now?
- Generating and participating in a playful, joyous, relaxing, and sometimes raucously pleasurable activities.
Fourthly, they have learnt to modify their standard of success and expectations of self:
They see that all is new. They and their world are changing. They have learnt to be adaptive, agile and thus successful women. They have chosen to adapt their own expectations of themselves and others. They understand how Change has a way of making us all beginners again; throwing us right back into the awkward stage of figuring things out all over again. This cohort understands that old standards and expectations might not help them adapt to what a moment of change calls for, which is often lots and lots of flexibility and grace.
What has adapting to change looked like for the Class of 2023:
- Gentle, positive self talk: We did it, we made it through
- Letting go of some things on the to do list.
- Taking breaks from hard things and then coming back to them with resilience.
- Validation of feelings, and just letting them be, be true, and be valid.
- Celebrating the small things!
Lastly, they have learnt to talk about it, reach out and see that they are not alone!
This cohort knows that they aren’t meant to do it alone all the time. They know when to ask for help, when to loop in a trusted person who can offer a listening ear, a sounding board, a comforting hug, or soothing words.
What reaching out looks like with the Class of 2023:
- Asking a friend to listen without giving advice and actively listening themselves.
- Texting a friend and spending face-to-face time with people who know them well.
- Asking for hugs, being vulnerable and accepting the vulnerability of others
- Certainly asking for what they need directly.
- Setting up regular get-togethers with different people, building community and a true sense of belonging and safety at Merici College.
I believe that the Class of 2023 greatest characteristic as a group is their ability to draw strength from their diverse ways of being and seeing the world. They know how to navigate change, support each other through various transitions and how to successfully “be” when in a state of flux.
Thank God we have had this precious and small gem of a Year 12 cohort – they exhibit a myriad of talents, personalities, gifts and achievements. I am especially proud to acknowledge what they have achieved as a power packed pocket rocket of a year group. We have been the audience for many sublime musical and dramatic performances; impressed viewers of creative artworks and design innovations, excited fans cheering exceptional efforts in various sporting arenas and, proud educators thrilled to be giving feedback to learners working together to solve real world problems.
Year 12 2023 have not been able to develop adaptability, flexibility and wisdom without the support and loving nurture of so many.
Thank you parents and loved ones for allowing your daughters to emerge as individuals as well as helping them to connect with their peers so powerfully.
I must recognize the staff of Merici College, many of whom are here this evening. Over many years, they have been inspiring as they partnered with parents and the students themselves to arrive at this wonderful moment in time. You have cared for this cohort with wisdom, intelligence, love, style, creativity and impeccable organization.
To the Class of 2023. Congratulations. You have shown us all what can be achieved when individuals can adapt and work in community to navigate complex change. In doing so, you have created so much that is strong and good.
I am proud of you.
What do I hope for you?
I hope that you take with you the talent for being in the moment, navigating change and caring for self and others into the rest of your lives. I expect you to continue to live the great tradition established by our wisdom women who faced into a complex world with faith and courage. They went into that world, unique in their differences and founded, together, international communities that are still a force for good for so many.
I hope that you use your diverse talents to form effective human and humane environments in whatever field of endeavor you pursue, be it at the most personal level as family or globally with the United Nations or a multi-national NGO or corporation. I want you to be confident, to have faith in your capacity to work with different people to achieve goals, overcome challenges and change the world for the better. I want you to be the change you want to be and see.
I call on you, challenge you, to take the skills and understandings you have exhibited as a cohort into the world. Be confident in using them. You are adept at negotiating complexity and being in the state of flux; you show mature inter-personal and trans-cultural ways of being and doing. As a group, you know how to find strength in community, unity in diversity.
You will help shape our future as collaborators, connectors, communicators and, as unique souls. You are ready to enter a world that is defined by fluidity and challenge. Know that you go into life beyond Merici College as a Child of God, deeply loved and with a solid foundation of care, tradition and compassion as your support.
I totally relate to Ruth Handley who said to Barbie “We mothers stand still so our daughters can look back and see how far they have come”.
Go, knowing that we are all immensely proud of what you have achieved, of who you are and of who you will evolve to become.
Go with our confidence in you, your community and with this blessing:
Deep peace of the running wave to you,
Deep peace of the flowing air to you,
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you,
Deep peace of the shining stars to you,
Deep peace of the Son of Peace to you.
Mrs Anna Masters, Principal
SPECIFIC ACADEMIC AWARD RECIPIENTS
We would like to congratulate all Year 12 students on their outstanding academic achievements.
Congratulations to the following students who have received specific academic awards:
ANU Psychology Award
This award goes to the student who places first in the Psychology course after two years of study. The recipient of this award is: Jasmine Evans
Australian Mathematics Trust Award
This award goes to the student who places first in the highest Mathematics course after two years of study. The recipient of this award is: Keely Balind
ADFA Future Innovators Award
This award goes to the student who shows motivation, achievement and innovation in the areas of Science, Mathematics and other STEM areas. The student receiving this award has achieved highly in Specialist Mathematics and Specialist Methods. The recipient of this award is: Keely Balind
Long Tan Leadership Award
This Defence Force award goes to a student who demonstrates leadership traits in all that they do throughout the college. The student does not necessarily need to be a student leader; however, this year’s recipient is. This person is respected and held in high regard by all staff. She has been involved in many different events and represented the college with pride. She has been a role model to many junior students throughout this year. The recipient of this award is: Raechel McKinnon
IB Overall Awards
This year we introduce IB Diploma Core program awards, given to students who have demonstrated outstanding efforts across the three components of the core areas.
IB Theory of Knowledge
Awarded to a student for their critical thinking and frequent contributions in the two-year Theory of Knowledge course. The recipient of this award is: Matilda Hanley
IB Extended Essay
Awarded to a student for their dedication, reflection and perseverance with the Extended Essay process across the Year 11 and 12 years. The recipient of this award is: Aryana Niyakan-Safy
IB CAS Award
Awarded to a student who has consistently demonstrated outstanding involvement in Creativity, Activity and Service in the IB Diploma Programme and outstanding embodiment of the IB Mission statement. The recipient is being awarded for her balanced approach to all three strands of CAS. The recipient of this award is: Matilda Hanley
It is normally at this time that we would award the Merici Dux and runner up. As the IB Diploma results are not released until January, we will award these two highly prestigious awards once we have both the BSSS and IB Diploma results.
We will announce the recipients with a phone call to the families, then via our social media accounts and more formally next February at school via our Opening Assembly, where the recipients and their families will attend the crowning of these prestigious titles.
To conclude the evening’s ceremony, parents and carers presented their daughters with their Merici rose and alumni pin signifying their graduation and transition to the next phase of their lives.
Full gallery of images here:
https://merici.news/view-galleries/year-12-graduation-mass-and-awards-ce…
https://merici.news/view-galleries/2023-year-12-graduation-mass-and-awar…,
