We were pleased to welcome back staff and students to learning on site. It was a welcome back like none I have seen before with celebratory balloons tied to school gates and the volume of noise in the school grounds appreciated in a whole new way. I believe their time away will be the longest absence from school students have experienced since beginning their school journey, and one they won’t forget.
All our students and staff deserve to be congratulated for the resilience they have shown while COVID19 caused the closure of schools. The learning curve of what worked and what didn’t work when teaching and learning remotely was steep, and everyone has come together and supported one another wonderfully.
Now with our return, and just as winter reminds us how wonderful spring growth and summer warmth can be, learning from home has prompted a renewed vigour and value in learning at school.
In December 2019 we celebrated with some of our highest achieving students and the most consistent workers of 2019 at the annual Awards Night. In total, 163 Year 12 students undertook VCE, VCAL, VET or a combination of the three with 100 percent achieving satisfactory completion.
All our students and staff deserve to be congratulated for the resilience they have shown while COVID19 caused the closure of schools. - Peter Morgan
We congratulate Finn Laidler, Dux of the year level with an astonishing ATAR of 99.55. He was in good company with Emily Reid scoring an ATAR of 99.25 and Hannah Crouch- Loveday gaining an ATAR of 99. They were joined by a further 10 students, or close to nine percent of the cohort, achieving ATARS above 90. I believe it is unprecedented to have three Emmanuel students gain an ATAR of 99 or higher. In addition, the number of study scores above 40 increased again. Students who receive study scores of 40 or more for a subject are in the top nine percent of students Victoria wide. There were 47 study scores above 40 in 2019, compared with 36 last year. The highest possible study score is 50 and we congratulate Dux Finn Laidler who received this perfect score for English and has been awarded a Victorian Premier’s Award. Across the year level there were many excellent outcomes and the students, their families and their teachers all have good reason to be pleased and proud.
A new trend was observed in 2019. The number of students accessing Study Hall at the Rice Campus Library two nights per week increased markedly and there is a noticeable correlation between the number of students who made good use of Study Hall and the growth in outcomes. I encourage those undertaking VCE in 2020 to avail themselves of this structured and supported study environment. The final word on VCE results is that hard work pays dividends. It is important to have balance in your VCE years combining school work with out of school activities and a little part time work. However, prioritising school work and working consistently hard is the recipe for success.
Our Awards Night recognised students from all year levels. Students received awards for academic excellence including the male and female dux of each year level, for success in vocational and trade subjects, in the arts and sports, for social justice activities and community service and for consistent effort and application. I felt extremely proud of the many ways in which Emmanuel students have taken advantage of the broad range of opportunities available to them, excelling in whatever they choose. Among so many I congratulate Year 10 students Benjamin Pennington and Holly Klem who have gained recognition as Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars providing them with expert mentoring and a pathway to the University of Melbourne once they complete Year 12.
The September school holidays last year saw the launch of the Crystal Lee Foundation.
Crystal Johnson completed her secondary education at Emmanuel College while living with a rare form of cancer. She graduated to the joyous cheers of her friends and teachers at the end of 2018, but very sadly died just a few weeks later. Crystal was an exceptional young woman, someone who truly knew how to enjoy life despite the extraordinary odds against her.
Established by her parents Jo and Trevor, the Crystal Lee Foundation has as its mission: “To meet the living needs of a young person facing end of life, whilst providing support, education, well-being and memories for their family and community.”
In honour of their daughter, the Foundation aims to be a pillar of support for families, educate communities to help understand the young person’s life and act as a driving force for change in palliative care services to young adults. I wish to congratulate Jo and Trevor on their work to establish the Crystal Lee Foundation. The Foundation’s website, www.crystallee.org provides additional information.
Adjacent to the St. Ann’s Chapel at Emmanuel is a small garden with a beautiful marble statue of St. Ann donated by old collegians in 1958.
Over the years the garden surrounding St. Ann had become neglected and in fact most of the original garden was lost. With thanks to former St. Ann’s girls and a grant from Danihers’ Facility Management, the garden and paving has recently been revitalised.
While developing the plan the discovery was made that local identity Sir Fletcher Jones donated the original garden. I believe we lost something of importance with the loss of the garden, however the new garden, while not an attempt to recreate the old, will as it grows, provide a lovely welcoming space in the grounds for our students once more and perhaps a favoured space for photographs following weddings held in the Chapel.
New signage in the garden carries the message:
Mother Philomene Maguire, Sisters Catherine McQuillan, Agnes and Philomene Graham, Stanislaus Aldridge, Xavier Flood, Joseph Howard and Bridget Cousens endured the long sea voyage from Dublin arriving on the coastal steamer “Edina” at the Warrnambool wharf in 1872. Wasting no time, they announced the opening of a day and boarding school at the Convent of Mercy, “Wyton”, on 1st July, 1872.
Known originally as St. Mary’s, the school became St. Ann’s College around 1888 at the time of construction of the St. Ann’s Chapel. It continued as St. Ann’s College until 1991, combining with Christian Brothers College to form Emmanuel College.
The marble statue of St. Ann, the mother of Mary and the maternal grandmother of Jesus, was donated by St. Ann’s College old collegians in 1958, and was originally surrounded by garden donated by Sir Fletcher Jones.
In 2020, just two years short of the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the Sisters of Mercy in Warrnambool, the garden was reinstated creating a beautiful space in the school grounds once more.
