I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend the Presentation Ceremony at Exmouth District High School for the Year 12 students. Although it was a small group of 11 students, the night was a fabulous celebration of their achievements.
I want to share with all teachers at SIDE an extract from the valedictory speech. This was very heartfelt and genuine. I am sure this is just one example of the impact you have on all students.
While we know a lot of our cohort still attend face-to-face classes while others had abandoned them long ago, we would still like to say a special mention of our online SIDE teachers. Thank you for teaching us for two years - showing us the value of hard work and independence. We have learnt to interact with our teachers as advisors or even as equals rather than as authority figures. We have gotten to know them and have even formed relationships with them; we were always emailing each other about how our days have been, or a new song that one of us would enjoy. We could not have gotten this far without you pushing us every day through the countless Webex’s every week and the amazing memories we’ve made through them. Thank you, for being part of our Senior School career. It was a privilege to know you – and a special thank you to our SIDE teachers who came to visit. It’s crazy to think we will now be leaving our virtual school behind us too.
Leonie Francis
Career and VET Program Coordinator at SIDE
