My message to our departing year 6 students for 2016.

Welcome students, staff, family members, distinguished guests and graduands for 2016.

This morning I stand before you to acknowledge a group of students who began their educational journeys 8 years ago. As you will see in the short video presentation later this morning, they have changed a lot, however, I hope that they will always look back on their primary school years and think of their time at West Beechboro.

I am very fortunate to be surrounded by an amazingly extraordinary group of people who are prepared, and have committed, to a journey of excellence that these students are the beneficiaries of. This incredible unit that I am a part of, is truly becoming something exceptional and I was reminded of this last week while I sat in my office working.

Late last Thursday afternoon, 4 boys entered my office, all currently in year 9. They were polite, respectful and were developing into strapping young men. Shayan Abdullah, who won a scholarship to Perth Modern, spoke warmly and fondly of his time at the school stating that “I should thank the teachers for giving me the skills to get accepted into Perth Modern.”. Phillip Kenyon, who gave Mr Hagarty such a hard time listed him as his favourite teacher, then went on to say that he aspired to be like Mr D and was hoping to do further study in human biology, and while he did not want to be a personal trainer as there was no money in it, he hoped to work as a physiotherapist or a chiropractor, possibly even looking at going into pharmacy. He also spoke of Mr Francis in “LOTE” where he said “We would count to 10 in Italian then build a boat.”   Ali Latifi was moving from the Islamic College back to Hampton and asked after Mr Horn, a teacher he said ROCKED!. Lester, now a giant of a lad, smiled and said he remember Mr Sullivan and wished he could still be in his room. Two of the boys were proudly wearing their old WBPS school shirts, one of which was signed.

These boys, despite going to different high schools, and coming from very different cultural backgrounds had one thing in common, a bond that seemed to hold them together. They were all from West Beechboro Primary, and they were proud to be associated with the school. I hope, in years to come, that you will also share this bond.

A few of weeks ago I started to look for inspiration that I could draw on to sculpture a graduation speech around. This inspiration came from a very unlikely place. A book written by Matthew Reilly titled “The Seven Ancient Wonders” The main Character, Jack West Junior, was somewhat of a modern day archaeologist who reads and deciphers codes which act as keys to open secret chambers into lost ancient tombs, thus enabling him and his team to be highly successful.

Year 6 graduands, you are all Jack West Juniors, because I realised, while reflecting on the book, that you have solved the code, you all have been given the key.

Let me explain.

There is a great deal of debate about education, a lot of it which is a waste of air. This is simply because its debate about things that have absolutely no impact on your ability to be successful. Our school focuses on two things that provide the keys to being successful. As the school’s principal I make no apologies for these foci. I am open about it and some may even argue, and correctly so, that I am driven in regards to it.

I drive the staff in this school to ensure that they understand what they are doing in regards to these two foci, because without this, we can’t give you the keys. We can’t give you the power to open doors to be successful. In ancient times the wealthy understood the power of these keys, they understood that once the poor had the keys to solve the code to being successful, that they would no longer have the power.

Year 6 graduands, it’s not about being in a small class that gives you the key to the code, it’s not about working in a flipped room or being engaged in discovery learning, it’s not about being the best on the sporting field, despite the fact that so many of you have contributed to our huge victories in football, cricket, netball and basketball. It’s not about having access to a computer, as again, the research is pretty clear that this has no impact at all on your ability to be successful

Quite simply, it’s about having an outstanding teacher in front of you who can provide you with the skills that enable you to be literate and numerate. My foci for the school is, naturally,  literacy and numeracy. These two domains are the codes that need to be cracked to be successful and without these keys life is pretty damn hard. Graduands I want you, your teachers want you and your parents want you to use these keys to open as many doors as you can. We want you to say that my school, West Beechboro Primary School, knew what was important and because of that, I have the keys.

I am not suggesting the other things are not important, because they are, BUT, without the two keys they become redundant

 Students, now that you have the key you need to make a promise to me, to your parents, to your teachers and to yourself.   

 You need to promise that you will work hard for what you want. That you will chase your dreams with unbridled passion, because the cold hard fact is that while so many people in society nowadays think the world owes them something, it doesn’t. If you want something you will need to work hard to get it. Unlike primary school, in life there are no “thank you for trying stickers,” not everyone gets a trophy simply for turning up and a lot of the time you won’t even get a pat on the back for simply doing a good job. You need to be intrinsically motivated and you need to use your keys to make your mark. 

Students, I want to leave you with the knowledge that you have been the most outstanding group of senior students we have had leave the school. Last year the group were incredible, this year you have raised the bar to a new height. I applaud you for this effort and I thank you for setting an example of how to lead for the year 5 group coming through the school in 2017.

I hope that in 3 years’ time, you are the students who are coming back to the school to talk to me about your fondest memories and that I am then using your conversations in my speech to the students who leave the school in 2019.

I’ll leave you with a quote from the movie The Mechanic

“Good judgement comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgement”

I wish you every success and hope that you get to use your keys to make your mark on this most incredible planet and remember; you can fail at what you don’t really want to do, so you may as well take a chance on doing what you love.