On Wednesday evening, 20 October, our Year 12 students celebrated their final chapter at the College. Students, family, and friends gathered at the beautiful St. Patrick’s Cathedral for the Graduation Liturgy, Awards Presentations and Graduation Ceremony.
The liturgy commenced with Father Con and a selection of the students leading in prayer. They asked God to guide them and their peers to use their gifts and talents to achieve their goals, and to have the strength to overcome any obstacles that they may face in the future. The liturgy concluded with Father Con blessing all of the Year 12 students.
Our Lady of Mercy College Choir, led by Mrs Sinead Forster, sang An African Blessing, arrangement by Andrew Chihn, after which the official Presentation of Awards Ceremony commenced.
Please find here an overview of the awards presented during the evening and their recipients:
Year 12 Awards
Daniel Godwin Mercy Values Award
Joshua Jacob Christian Service Award
Emily Coutts Long Tan
Academic Excellence Awards
Emily Coutts Certificate II Sport and Recreation
Human Biology General
Jack Cross Chemistry ATAR
Literature ATAR
Mathematics Methods
Modern History ATAR
Religion and Life General
Sophie Hart Psychology General
Lewis Italiano Building and Construction General
English General
Materials Design and Technology – Metals General
Materials Design and Technology – Woods General
Mathematics Essentials General
Joshua Jacob Drama ATAR
Human Biology ATAR
Psychology ATAR
Quinn Kenyon Certificate II Outdoor Education
Xiaomeng Liu Physics ATAR
Nicola Mberi Certificate II Creative Industries
Clara O’Donovan English ATAR
Jenna Shields Certificate II Hospitality
Maddison Thackray Physical Education Studies ATAR
Mary Whiteley Religion and Life ATAR
Thomas Zappia Biology ATAR
Economics ATAR
Mathematics Applications ATAR
Major College Awards
Academic Distinction
Presented to Year 12 students who have achieved 14 or more A grades across Year 11 and 12 or their equivalent in General Courses.
The recipients of Academic Distinctions are:
Jack Cross
Lewis Italiano
Joshua Jacob
Thomas Zappia
Proxime Accessit
Awarded to the student who has achieved the second highest academic result in
Year 12, in the General and ATAR pathways.
The student receiving the Proxime Accessit for the General Pathway is:
Emily Coutts
The student receiving the Proxime Accessit for the ATAR Pathway is:
Joshua Jacob
Dux
Awarded to the student who has achieved the highest final academic results in Year 12 in General and ATAR pathways.
The Dux for the General pathway is: Lewis Italiano
The Dux for the ATAR pathway is:
Jack Cross
Marcellin Champagnat
This award is given to one student, from any year group across the College, in recognition of their resilience and endeavour to be the best they can be despite the many challenges they have faced.
The winner of this award is:
Hudson White
Mercy Education
Presented to a Year 12 student who has demonstrated leadership in the Mercy tradition and espoused the core values of Mercy Education. This recipient is an excellent example of what it means to follow The Mercy Way. They have been an active member of the Ministry Team, reading at various liturgies throughout the year. This person has embraced many opportunities to assist younger students through The Smith Family Buddy Reading program, the MaqLit reading program and as a Peer Support Leader in Year 10. They consistently treat all members of the College community with respect and compassion and contribute regularly to the fundraising activities held at the College, such as Give a Damn, Give a Can and St Vinnies Christmas Appeals. This person has also been an excellent leader as College Captain.
This award is presented to:
Mikela Faries
Ursula Frayne
This award is given to a Year 12 student who has displayed leadership qualities and contributed to the College’s co-curricular programme.
This award is given to a Year 12 student who has displayed leadership qualities and contributed to the College’s co-curricular programme. The recipient tonight, has represented the College in Debating, Tournament of the Minds, Philosothons, Ethics Olympiads and Engineering challenges. They were also part of the Green Team, an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion and a Peer Support Leader. However, it is this person’s contribution to the area of Performing Arts that is most notable. They have been involved in all musical productions since their time at the College and participated in a variety of instrumental and vocal ensembles. They have also held the position of Arts Captain for 2021.
This award is presented to: Joshua Jacob
O’Meara Shield
This award is named after the foundation principal of our College, Ms Denise O’Meara and recognises a Year 12 student who is characterised by their overall commitment to the College pillars of Embracing Life, Nurturing Faith and Inspiring Learning.
This year’s recipient has represented the College in a range of co-curricular activities including: debating, philosothons, ethics Olympiads, Hackathon and Pedal Prix. They have been involved in the Ministry Team as an Extraordinary Minister and assisted at numerous liturgies. This student has been recognised for their outstanding results across a range of learning areas by attaining numerous awards for Academic Excellence and Certificates of Merit. They have participated in Maths, Humanities and Drama competitions on behalf of the College. Finally, this person has demonstrated strong leadership skills by being elected to a range of roles culminating in their appointment as College Vice-Captain for 2021.
The winner of this award is: Jack Cross
Congratulations to all Award recipients.
After the Award ceremony the evening continued with the Graduation Ceremony.
Principal, Mr Rob Crothers welcomed all the guests and spoke to the students for the last time. His speech can be read here.
Students Clara O'Donovan and Quinn Kenyon shared their reflection on their Mercy Journey with all.
Clara said; " This year I embraced the opportunity to participate in the MacqLit reading programme, coordinated by Mr Mazza. This involves helping students in the younger years to practice their reading skills. I had the best partner ever, even though she always asked to stop reading after every two pages. I can tell you now that girl put up some really good arguments. Volunteering for this reading program was one of the best decisions I have made and I’m incredibly grateful I got to be part of such a wonderful and self-fulfilling experience.'
She concluded with;" Overall, my journey at Our Lady of Mercy College was the most wonderful, crazy, and inspiring experience and I wouldn’t change it for the world. It has shaped me into the person I am today, and I can honestly say I have never been more proud of myself and what I have achieved."
Quin said; "Year 12 life has been the light at the end of the tunnel. My role in Ministry helped me form many new skills in leadership and faith. The Ball was a stressful process and the first time it was postponed was frightful but, in the end, completely worth it. The Starry Starry Night was amazing and everybody looked spectacular. The Retreat was a time full of emotion, new friendships were formed and old ones strengthened. "
College Captains Mikela Faries and Daniel Godwin took the opportunity during their address to thank the staff and teachers; " On behalf of the Graduating Class of 2021, we would like to take this opportunity to thank every staff member at the College who has helped us in one way or another to reach our full potential and guide us through our high school lives. The dedication and passion that has been shown over the years in helping us to learn and shape us into the people that we are today is a debt we can never repay. We are forever grateful."
A special thank you for Mrs Cronin was shared; " To Mrs Cronin, our Head of Year from day dot, we say thank you. She has always been there to help us when needed and been a mentor to us all. Mrs Cronin, you have had a larger impact on each of our lives than you will ever realise, from helping us settle into high school and calming the emotional storm surrounding the uncertainty of the Ball to surprising us on our last day as a full year group, and every day in the middle. Thank you for all you have done. "
Mikela and Daniel invited their peers to stand up and recite a commitment to following The Mercy Way together:
" As graduates of Our Lady of Mercy College, we are part of a long tradition of Mercy Education, which has at its core, the teachings of Jesus Christ.
We promise to be ever mindful of The Mercy Way, in the many settings in which we find ourselves.
May the values of respect, compassion, hospitality, justice, service and courage be reflected in our words and actions.
May we follow Catherine McAuley’s example of a living faith, burning brightly.
May we endeavor to embrace life, nurture our faith and be inspired to become life-long learners.
Finally, in the words of Catherine, may we “resolve to do good today and be better tomorrow”.
CONGRATULATIONS to all graduating students. The entire College community is extremely proud of all your efforts and achievements throughout your learning journey at Our Lady of Mercy College.
We wish you every success in the future and the best of luck.
All photos of the event have been shared with the Year 12 families via email.
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