My story as a senior student in 2020 – By Tara

Year 12, 2020 – The invisible cohort

Year twelve. It’s the year that all students look forward to. It’s the year where we get our school jerseys, the year where we dress up in crazy costumes and allow ourselves to look the fool, the year that we get to go to OUR formal. It is our year to enjoy all the rites of passage that come with being in our final year of school. It may seem to some that it is just a loss of some school events, but it is far more than that. These school events, sporting events and excursions are the highlights that intersperse the stress, hard work and non-stop study that is the reality of year 12. History may very well reflect 2020’s year 12’s, as the invisible cohort.

I sit and reflect what our yearbook will look like and accept that it will look very different from my older siblings’ yearbook. Photos depicting sporting wins, debating victories, participation in science nights, liturgies, our formal, candid shots with peers, these may be blank pages in the yearbook of 2020.

Year 12 is traditionally a stressful year; that is not new. What is new is the uncertainty surrounding our studies. With uncertainty comes panic. We have the privilege of being the first cohort in Queensland to go through the new assessment system. With Covid-19, another level of stress and uncertainty has been introduced.

Our way forward and prospects seem very unsure. How do I stay motivated and don’t become complacent and fall down the rabbit hole? I chat to my friends and our conversation always seem to revolve around the changes to our assessments, weighting towards our external exams, will they use our year 11 results for entry to University, will we get in, will we fall short, what will we do if we don’t get accepted, are we learning sufficient content whilst at home. So many questions. So much to think about.

Don’t get me wrong, I love being at home with my family, and it has provided an opportunity to work alongside and connect with my parents and siblings in a way that would otherwise be impossible. As my mum likes to consistently remind me, “this is all just a moment in time, take the wins and look to create new opportunities with the losses”.

I suppose reflecting on this statement I now realise we as a collective have the opportunity to become Year 12, 2020 – The innovative cohort. As I write this, I see new initiatives by the school captains to engage and connect the college community. I hear about fellow schools delivering jerseys to year 12 students at home. Maybe our yearbook won’t look the same as all the previous years, maybe we won’t physically compete at our athletics carnival, maybe I won’t get to attend Model United Nations and maybe I will still struggle to understand how my future will unfold.

Regardless, I will strive to search for the new opportunities in our losses.

Tara 

#ITAINTWEAKTOSPEAK

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