Written by Assunta Di Gregorio, Deputy Head of High School

This week we formally farewell our beloved Year 12s who graduate on Thursday night. Acknowledging milestones is an important cultural function and ceremonies, especially when they are tied to endings, are important markers of time. We wish the Class of 2024 every success as they transition from one phase of life to the next.

This is a coming of age moment that will be punctuated by several formal occasions, high emotion, hyperbole and hugs, many hugs. Like a good play or epic film, it is a week of big emotions – less Tarantino style and more Shakespearian, as they clutch onto the end of an era, and a version of themselves that represents the culmination of childhood innocence and adolescent experimentation. The end of a time where learning who you are with the odd faux par was permissible within the confines and soft curves of the Moriah bubble. And yes, we have the tearjerker photo slides to prove it!

As teachers we know the phrase in loco parentis very well and having watched them grow up into the fine young people who will soon leave the comfort and security of Moriah, we understand the importance of these ceremonial markers. I have to say, the graduation ceremony is one of our best events, where every student is honoured.

As young people entering a rapidly changing world where the boundaries are constantly shifting, we trust in the lessons we’ve taught them. In partnership with you their parents, we believe in the hearts and minds that we have helped to shape over time and importantly, we trust in the young adults we send into an uncertain world knowing that they do so with a solid base. We know that life will bring them many experiences, some more challenging than others, and it is our sincere hope that they always find their ‘true north’ in turbulent times holding firm with values and faith, inner grit and determination – the latter sometimes experienced as chutzpah and always received with a wry smile.

As they stand on the precipice of their future (I mentioned hyperbole, right?) we applaud the group for the way they have come together and embraced the rigours of their HSC year.

Yet, the lessons they have learned have extended far beyond the formal curriculum.

The Moriah graduate is one who stands proud with a strong sense of their Judaism, confident in their ability to articulate who they are and what they stand for, and even if they have not yet chartered a set path for the next leg of life’s journey, they are clear about what their future options could be. The power lies in knowing they have options.

Better still, the Moriah graduate is one who will look beyond their own personal circumstances and find ways to give back to the community—both Jewish and wider Australian—and international communities. If history is anything to go by, many of these young people will soon take their seat at key decision making tables.

We wish the Class of 2024 Mazal Tov for reaching this important educational milestone. To those sitting HSC exams, good luck! We hope you make yourselves, your families, and your teachers proud.

To each of you—go well, stay safe, and as you move through this phase of life and onto greater things, remember where you came from and the experiences that shaped you.