Making a positive difference

September 1, 2023  

At ‘The Works’ Exhibition last week, members of our community came together to celebrate the creative talents of our Year 12 students. For me, this annual event is a bittersweet highlight of the School calendar. Each year, the exhibition showcases the finished product of our students’ HSC Major Works from a diverse range of subjects. The imagination, quality, commitment and sustained effort is clear from the moment one enters the IGC, with finely detailed pieces constructed from wood and aluminum, striking artworks rendered in photography, canvas and clay and moving musical and dramatic performances born of countless hours of rehearsal and practice all contributing to a sense of inspirational wonder.

But as the exhibits are carefully packed away during the next day, there is a twinge of sadness for what it means – with pieces resituated and presented in readiness for external assessors’ visits during the coming weeks, or carefully packaged to be sent off for marking, it is quite evident that our Year 12 students are fast approaching the end of their time at TIGS.

With the Year 12 Trial Examinations already completed, the cohort have now concluded all of their internal assessments in the knowledge that all that remains are their final HSC examinations commencing early in Term IV. Last week, Trudy Noller  from the Universities Admission Centre addressed senior students and parents to provide valuable information and answer questions pertaining to scaling of HSC marks and university entry. Our Year 12s (as well as our accelerated Year 11 students) will be hearing more from UAC during Week 9.

As the term advances, more and more Year 12 lessons, having covered all necessary content, are now focusing on reviewing content and developing revision skills. In recent weeks we have also been putting the finishing touches to our plans for the 2023 Year 12 Graduation and Formal.

Whilst all of these activities remind us of the passage of time, I have been heartened in recent weeks by the visits of two alumni who have gone on to achieve exceptional things in their chosen careers. Dr Meganne Christian (currently serving as a reserve astronaut with the European Space Agency), and Mrs Nicola Crowe (an internationally renowned musician who has performed with prestigious orchestras around the world). Visits from alumni such as these remind our community that the culmination of a TIGS education is merely the ending of an opening chapter in the lives of our students – a chapter that equips our graduates to go forward with purpose, to serve and make a positive difference in whatever lies ahead.