There was a sense of happiness and relief in the room as Benalla P-12 College’s Year 12s celebrated graduation on Wednesday, December 13.
The Year 12 cohort dressed up, donned academic robes and partied the evening away.
Year 12 co-ordinator Alysha Hocking said the ceremony went off without a hitch, even though it was a stormy afternoon with the threat of power outages.
“Graduates, staff, family and friends gathered to celebrate the culmination of 13 years of education and the achievements of the 2023 cohort,” she said.
“Benalla businesses and organisations donated over $8500 to sponsor the futures, further educations and adult journeys of Benalla P-12 College students.”
Ms Hocking said the school would like to thank all its sponsors.
“Thank you to Benalla Rotary, the ADF, Benalla Lions, Tomorrow Today, Ampol, LLEN, Campion Education, MSP Photography, Blooms on Bridge, Mitre 10, Benalla Glass, Benalla Bus Lines, Next Office Tech, the Weary Dunlop Medical Foundation, Mark Pollard Pest Control, Aldous and Hill, Milner Pharmacy, Terry White Pharmacy, Foott Waste, Schneider Electric and No Roads Expeditions,” she said.
“The current 2023 college captains spoke about their schooling careers.
“We heard speeches reflecting on the Kokoda trek with an accompanying photo story and were granted a musical performance by Year 12 graduate Lachlan Squires.
“We celebrated the students’ successes with multiple scholarships and awards as well as recognising students’ academic excellence in their VCE and VCE Vocational Major subjects.
“The 2022 dux, Harry Drury, returned to give the graduating class words of wisdom for life outside of school.
“We acknowledged our VCE Vocational Major student of the year, Zoe Horsfall, and our runner-up dux, Ebony Armstrong.
“Our 2023 VCE dux Oliver Hall spoke about the ATAR process and the importance of looking out for each other.
“Congratulations to the class of 2023 for completing your schooling. It’s been a pleasure to be your co-ordinator.”