FOUNDATION YEAR 12 GRADUATION Mr Kris Naiker | Assistant Principal: Teaching & Learning Senior
Mary MacKillop Catholic College celebrated the graduation of their foundation Year 12 students this year. Founded in 2003, the Mary MacKillop is the youngest P-12 College in Toowoomba and the diocese, and in a year of firsts, this cohort are no exception! They were the first to commence Year 7 as part of the state government initiative into high school in 2015 and now are the first to undertake ATAR and external exams in Queensland. In addition to this, these foundation graduates at Mary MacKillop were some of the first to step onto the new Senior Campus when it opened in 2016. Amongst this small graduating cohort is Holly Hutchison, the first student at Mary MacKillop to complete her entire education from Prep to Year 12 at the College. Holly recalls her early years in the junior school with a small number of classrooms, a library and an open assembly hall that was very cold in winter! Reminiscing on her time at the College, Holly says “the
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senior school was once a grassy paddock, but I remember in Year 6, Mrs [Donaugh] Shirley (founding Principal) telling us and our parents to have faith in the growth and direction of the College”! Holly joined her small founding cohort of 7 Year 12 students to celebrate their graduation. It was a privilege to see the first ever Year 12 graduation ceremony. I really believe as a community, we honoured Nadia, Caitlin, Grace, Holly, Daniel, Josh and Connor. Here is a quick overview of some of the key elements of the graduation ceremony. The Year 12 students walked into the MacKillop Centre lead by stirring sound of the bagpipes. The Scottish bagpipe has become synonymous with strength, courage and perseverance. This was a fitting description for our students. Furthermore, the bagpipes were a nod to Mary MacKillop’s Scottish heritage. During the graduation ceremony, the parents
