Principal Kimberly Tempest said the graduating cohort have done incredibly well given the challenges and experiences of the past year.
“We’ve watched them go through the highs and the lows and see them come out the other side,” she said.
“Really, they’ve grown into the adults they were always going to be.”
Mrs Tempest also congratulated the students on their continuing resilience through educational challenges, including persistent remote learning.
“I did myself distance ed through one of my masters and it’s bloody hard ... so for children to do remote learning and the fact that they’ve successfully done it, they’ve all passed, so the only thing to do is get through the exam period,’’ she said.
“They’ve just had to face a little bit more. They’ve had to face some real turmoil and uncertainty and survive through it and find strategies you or I will have had from our lifetime, but they haven’t.
“A lot of kids don’t face things that are really tough until they leave school, and these guys have faced it now.”
As a teaching and learning community, the school has also seen the group band together positively and create a unique community united by experience.
“They’ve gone around and thanked their teachers and you know there’s a real spirit of gratitude and appreciation,” Mrs Tempest said.
“I just think these kids are grateful for what they can get now.”
Thank you to Rhonda Doyle from Cobram Photographics for providing all photos of the event.