On Wednesday, 15 February, the College gathered to recognise and celebrate the academic achievements of their peers and the departing Year 12 cohort of 2016.

It was a valuable time for the community to acknowledge not only the great academic results of 2016, but as put by Mr Trent Driver, Deputy Head of Stanmore (Academic), to “celebrate the energy and commitment that brought each of these young men to this point.”

Mr Driver reminded the boys how important it is to recognise the countless unseen hours of diligent hard work, the steadfast commitment to learning and the willingness to go the extra mile that goes into these outstanding final marks. These years of persistent hard work are an outstanding achievement more than worthy of celebration.

Special guest Mr Bradley Smith (ON 2011), offered a word of counsel to the award recipients and school leavers as they begin the transition into the “real world”. He recalled that while at school, involved in a great variety of co-curricular activities and leadership positions, he felt highly capable and ready to tackle anything beyond school.

Once he left however, he said, “I soon discovered that you really need to make things happen for yourself, rather than the timetable and the rules determining your day for you.” He left the boys with the final advice, “Life is very different in the ‘real world’; exciting, but, as I recall it, daunting. The experiences you have had here will serve you well, but there is a long way to go. To recognise that before you leave is the best advice I could give you.”

Congratulations to all the boys who were acknowledged on the day and to all of the boys in the 2016 cohort. The school is proud of each of their individual efforts, whatever path they chose to take through Year 12.

To read the address from Bradley Smith (ON 2011) click here.