Year 12 students at the college will not come under the banner of special consideration, despite being forced to spend a week away from school in the lead-up to last week’s exams.
They had no direct access to school services and many staff members were busy either defending their homes or were cut off by road from the college.
Miller, who was matter-of-fact in his explanation of the situation, which was brought on by the impact of flood events in Shepparton, Moroopna, Echuca and Rochester, said 32 VCE students were sitting their exams.
“We had a week to go at school when the floods hit,” Miller said.
“The plan was to conduct study sessions during that week and consolidate our knowledge.
“It was pretty devastating to miss that week and to lose that last week of school.”
VCE students are traditionally able to celebrate the last week of school with a shirt-signing and muck-up day, along with a final assembly and graduation event.
The final assembly at the college has been moved to November 16 and the graduation event is at the Moama Bowling Club on November 18.
He said news of school being called off for the week was “draining’’.
“I know it knocked a of people’s motivation about,” he said.
Miller said the students were also unable to access school chaplain Liz Spicer, who was regularly used as a point of reference in stressful times.
Mrs Spicer spent much of the lead-up week to the exams offering her services to the Echuca Relief Centre for flood victims.
Miller said there were a couple of “little things”, like students being able to sign each others’ shirts as keepsakes and being able to say goodbye to teachers at the final assembly that had “been missed’’.
“We did have our scavenger hunt and a bit of a celebration,” he said.
“But it was easy to see there were a few stressed people.
“I suppose that was going to happen anyway before a three-hour English exam.”
Miller sat his further maths exams in two sections on Friday and Monday, then followed up with health and human development and physical education exams.
“I fast tracked two subjects during Year 10-12, outdoor education and sport and recreation, which makes the exam period a little less daunting,” he said.
Miller said the students had offered each other support through the school Facebook group and teachers like Lousie Mellington had also maintained contact with the Year 12 class.
KYABRAM P-12 FAST FACTS
– None of Kyabram P-12 College’s 32 VCE students will be given special consideration as they were not directly affected by recent flood activity in the region.
– 32 Kyabram P-12 College Year 12 students are sitting exams in 2022.
– Along with English, further maths and health and human development are the two most common subjects with the P-12 VCE students.
– Several students have four exams in a four-day period — a two hour and 45 minute biology exam in the morning before part one of the further maths exam (1.45 hours) in the afternoon (October 28), then many of those same students face psychology (2.45 hours) and part two of further maths exam on October 30.
– One student is tackling the difficult combination of English, chemistry, biology and maths methods.
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