By Jed Lanyon
Healesville High School have treated their senior students by sending them care packages as they continue their studies from home.
Each VCE and VCAL student was surprised with a package from Healesville’s Watts River Cafe with a delicious treat inside, while also receiving a letter of motivation and positivity from principal Allan Rennick.
Mr Rennick said he is proud of what his students had achieved this year and had shown resilience and flexibility under the circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We purchased these beautiful little packages from Watts River Cafe and they sent them to all our VCAL and VCE students,” he said.
“It really does strike home to me that Year 12 is meant to be the culmination of 13 years of schooling and one of the best years of these student’s lives. They’re missing out on a rite of passage and are coping with horrendous stress. So we thought, here’s a little symbol to let them know they’re doing a fantastic job.”
But one student and their family got quite a shock when Mr Rennick showed up at their doorstop to hand deliver the gift himself. The student lives in Croydon North, but in close proximity to Mr Rennick for him to drop off the package.
“His face just lit up. It was just outstanding, and the parents who were there for other students said the same thing.”
Mr Rennick said there are three age groups of students who had been impacted the most by the strains the pandemic has placed on the education system.
“Those are the Year 12’s who are finishing up their time at school, there’s the Year 7’s, who have just started, who at the end of the year will have spent just 10 weeks out of 32 on site at their new school, which is just cruel to them. The third is the preps, who are just starting out.
“Even though these are tough times, there are people out there doing it far tougher than any of us.”
Healesville High School students have been giving back to their community by writing letters to local aged care residents and health care workers in a tough time.
The idea was assistant principal Laura Mitchell’s, which saw 120 letters delivered in the area.
“I’m really aware of how much the local community does for us as the local high school. So we’re trying to do a little bit for our local community as well,” Mr Rennick said.
“Everyone’s going through tough times, but the people who are even more impacted are the elderly and the health care workers who support them. I think it’s a good thing for our students to be aware of that and it’s good for us to look beyond ourselves and acknowledge there are others who are having a difficult time.”
