Published in The Ararat Advocate, Ararat's weekly newspaper published by West Vic News Pty Ltd.
ARARAT College has celebrated student achievement to culminate one of the most challenging years in education.
The school’s official party gathered last Friday to record a one-hour Virtual Presentation Evening to replace the usual ceremony at the Ararat Town Hall, before it was released to the school community Tuesday.
Ararat College principal, Mrs Ellie McDougall, said it was important to highlight the determination students displayed amidst the pandemic whilst empowering them to further challenge themselves moving forward.
“Despite many interruptions and some adaptive and dynamic shifts in our programs this year, we have still made substantial progress against our school’s Strategic Plan,” she said.
“We’ve seen an important expansion of student leadership, the implementation of professional learning communities, introduction of new programs to support student growth, review and subsequent changes to school uniform and participation in The Resilience Project.”
The one-hour event was recorded and produced by the school’s media students using professional equipment such as video cameras, lighting, and a teleprompter.
Mrs McDougall said it was fantastic to see students at the forefront of the production to ensure the presentation could go ahead.
“Our talented media students have put hours into the end product, using their expertise to create something memorable for the school community,” she said.
“The experience gained from filming, editing, directing and organising this virtual night is invaluable as they move forward with their studies at Ararat College and beyond.”
Students were also heavily involved with the on-screen presentation, undertaking the master of ceremonies role to introduce speakers and guide the night.
“Our presentation night is also an important milestone for our departing Year 12 students who have endured quite the obstacle in 2020 – one that will assist their resilience into the future,” Mrs McDougall said.
The Year 12 students were farewelled with a final roll call at the conclusion of the presentation.