Charting a Course to Senior School

The anticipation was palpable as Year 6 families gathered in East Commons for one of the School calendar's most poignant occasions.
 
The Year 6 Graduation Ceremony marked not just the end of Junior School, but the beginning of an exciting new chapter, blending celebration with reflection as the girls prepared to ‘set sail’ for Senior School.

Drawing on wisdom from American author John A Shedd, Head of Junior School Justine Lind reminded the students that “a ship in harbour is safe, but that's not what ships are built for”. She quoted his much-loved work Salt from My Attic, to reassure the girls that their journey through Junior School has well prepared them to venture beyond familiar shores. “Trust that as you look to distant horizons, venture beyond what is known and seek bold destinations, the villains and tests that try to deter you will prove to be the mountains that not only amplify your strength but show you incredible vistas,” she said.

Student leader Seina took the audience on a tour through the cohort's shared memories. From their excursion to Hyde Park Barracks in Year 4, where they experienced convict life on hammocks, to their triumphant production of The Music Man JR. in Year 5, each memory illustrated how the girls had grown in confidence and capability. The recent Father-Daughter Dance earned particular mention, with Seina referring to it as a “magical evening full of dancing, singing, laughing and smiling”. She said their Canberra camp, complete with Parliament House visits and fruit-voting role plays at the Democracy Museum, demonstrated the cohort’s engagement with the wider world.

Sophie, who has attended Wenona since Kindergarten, reflected on how even challenging experiences had strengthened their bonds. She spoke candidly about homeschooling during COVID, remembering the “horrors of trying to stay away from your family when they were sick” while maintaining connections with friends through screens. “Out of hardships come the strongest connections we can have”, she observed.

The cohort’s remarkable cohesiveness was a recurring theme. “It does not matter if you began in Kindergarten, or joined in Year 3 or Year 5”, Ms Lind said, echoing sentiments expressed by the students. “You are all together now.”

As these young women prepare to welcome new members into Year 7, they carry with them the Wenona values of Courage, Strength, Grace, Wisdom and Kindness. As Seina put it, quoting Eleanor Roosevelt, they will also take with them an appreciation of the sentiment: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”.