A video montage of old school photos brought laughter to a formal assembly at Cootamundra High School on Thursday, as Year 12 hung up their school bags for the last time.
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It was also a bittersweet moment for PE teacher and year advisor Brendan Gale, who joined his former students in leaving the school.
“This was a nice swansong, a nice way to finish,” Mr Gale said.
“I’m going to Young to be the head PE teacher there, but it was always my intention to stay and finish with this group of students.”
Like the parents and friends of Year 12, Mr Gale and school principal Neil Reaper wished their former students all the best for their future.
”They’re young adults now,” Mr Reaper said.
“We’ve seen them develop over the past six years, we’ve seen the skills they’ve picked up, the friendships and relationships, and we know when they go out into the big world they’ve got the skills to not just survive but to prosper.”
The rapidly-changing world of technology was sure to open up new opportunities for the Class of 2017 and Mr Reaper was convinced that the future was theirs to seize.
“There are so many choices for them, they could go to uni or TAFE or work, go overseas or stay in town, there are so many options,” he said.
“I hope they take up those options and have a fruitful life whether it’s in our community or another.”
However, Mr Reaper said, graduation wasn’t an end to the relationship with the school, just a change.
“What you find over time is you’ll run into them down town somewhere and they’ll always stop and chat, talk about what they’re doing and you’d be amazed at what they do all around NSW, Australia and even the world,” he said.
“You see kids that just absolutely flourish and they do things they want do, some have it a little more difficult than others but they all come out the other end.
“At the end of the assembly I had a former student come up and have a chat, he left in 2013 and now he’s a carpenter with his own business and he’s flat chat, it’s great to see them and say hello.”
Before Mr Gale packed up his desk, the former year advisor had a few last words of advice for the graduates:
Choose wisely, the world awaits, there’s lots of options, lots of choices for you. Choose wisely and pursue hard what you choose.
- Former year advisor Brendan Gale