Year 12
A GENUINE REFLECTION, IN A TRUE REFLECTIVE STYLE BY VANESSA AND KRISTEN, TWO YEAR 12 STUDENTS, WHO MADE IT TH ROUGH (ALMOST). THIS IS NOT VERY INFORMATIVE, PURELY REFLECTIVE. THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE TO SAY ABOUT YEAR 12, 2012:
Vanessa: "Well, Miss Calandra, I do believe we should reflect on the school year."
Kristen: "I do believe that is quite appropriate given that we are nearing its end quite soon. Hmmm, what should we say about this year at school?”
Vanessa: "Well well, well what is there not to say?"
Kristen: "I think the first thing to say is: this is the year we broke our 'mind-forg'd manacles', in the words ofWilliam Blake."
Vanessa: "Because when you think about it, that's what this year has come down to. It's been a choice of whether we decided to continue
to conform or say: 'stuff it, let's be individuals and enjoy ourselves. And that's what we did."
Kristen: "We did that. We did break the mind forg'd manacles."
Vanessa: "We never really questioned the school system from Year 7 to Year 12. Blake wants us to question stuff. We have to question conformity and that's what we did. That's what Year 12 was. It was us doing Year 12 and finding ourselves and breaking those mind forg'd manacles.
Kristen: "This year we came to conclusions about all sorts of things that we had been trying to figure out throughout our school life. Everything just fell into place. It just all happened, basically. Everything reached a climax and everything happened all at once."
Vanessa: "It was sort of like we reached a climax and it made
everything more special, because it was our last year and we sort of had to work hard and also make the most of it. I don't think I've remembered
a better year. Even though there's been some yucky stuff, and also some very lovely stuff, but this year, I don't know, I just think it's the best year."
Kristen: "It's definitely a memorable one."
Vanessa: "Hell yeah."
Kristen: "How about Ave Day. Let’s talk about Ave Day. I liked Ave Day."
Vanessa: "I loved Ave Day. We look quite a lew turns around the basketball courts."
Kristen: "We did."
Vanessa: "We were linking arms, it was a lovely day."
Kristen: "We watched the staff and student debate and that was
quite amusing."
Vanessa: "It was. Mr Horne destroyed our side. We had no chance. Once he started talking it was all over." Kristen: "Yeah, hmmm what else can we reflect on? Well there have been a lot ofSACs."
Vanessa: "Loads."
Kristen: "I don't know.. .this year. It has just been mean: a psychological and emotional burden."
Vanessa: "It really has. And you don't think it is until you actually get there. You just think it's like a cliche: 'Oh Year 12, worst year ever, so much stuffto do,' but they're not lying. They're really not."
Kristen: "No. It's the year that counts not only in terms of the work, but everything. It's the last year you're at school, and you reach a certain age where everything starts happening. It's like, "what the!?"The timing is just incredible."
Vanessa:"It really is. It's like, you couldn't waitanother year, you had to happen now?"
Kristen: "Hmmm what else should we talk about..? Our swimming and athletics carnival? Dress-ups."
Vanessa: "That was good. It was exciting to see how excited everyone was for the first time in what... six years? It's funny because you're all excited like that in Year 7 but then you can't be bothered, no point, wanna go home. And then it's like: Year 12, here we are. Oh wow."
Kristen: Flash Mob"
Vanessa: "Yes! That was good, because everybody worked together and it was very full ofschool spirit."
Kristen: "It was and now 'When Love Takes Over' has become our song."
You know what? Let's just say that we can't speak for everyone in our year level, but this how..."
Vanessa: ..we took Year 12."
Kristen: "Yeah. It just felt like Term 1 flew and then Term 2 is like..."
Vanessa:".. .you're walking through mud and it's so long to get through..."
Kristen:".. .and Term 3. It's like oh we’re nearly done butthen there's..."
Vanessa:",.. holidays and two weeks of school after that."
Kristen: “Now Term 4 is coming and we have to enjoy it and we kind of have to start studying and abandon our social lives, but at the same time we don't want to and it's just... ”
Vanessa: "It’s really here right now, it's so close, that we're already thinking about it being over and we haven't even started."
Kristen: "Ooh... life's journey: one chapter of our lives has ended, but the rest hasn't even started."
Vanessa: "Oh wow. We're ready to take on the adult world."
