Welcome to the start of 2023 and I hope your holiday season was both enjoyable and relaxing. As our College continues to grow we find ourselves each year looking at the path ahead with excitement and enthusiasm. This year marks an important milestone for our college with our first cohort of year 12 students who will graduate in November.

Whether our students are on an ATAR pathway, undertaking vocational training at school or with an external provider, participating in our Health Academy or participating in school-based apprenticeships or traineeships, they are afforded opportunities to chase their dreams and passions. These diverse and varied pathways aren’t possible without the countless hours of work completed by teachers and support staff to plan and prepare these classes. As such, a huge thank you must go to all the teachers and staff who have been involved in planning and preparing for this phase of our students’ educational journey.

As I met with our year 11 and 12 students this week, I encouraged them to continue to work on being the best version of themselves. In his book Legacy, James Kerr shares about the simple act of sweeping the sheds performed by the senior All Blacks players. In this, players do not look to others to clean up after them, but rather make sure they leave the change rooms clean and tidy themselves. This principle is about personal discipline and is about not expecting somebody else to do your job for you. My challenge to our students was to decide on the legacy they wanted to leave behind as the senior cohort of Ripley Valley State Secondary College.

As we head in to 2024, I look forward to continuing to work with the year 11 and 12 students and their families to help them leave an inspiring legacy for others to follow.