After 13 years of schooling, Gunnedah’s Year 12 students are preparing to farewell their classrooms and teachers.
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Twenty-five students from Gunnedah High School (GHS) and 42 students from St Mary’s College will finish school on Friday and enter into the intense study period for the Higher School Certificate (HSC).
With the first exam less than a month away, St Mary’s’ Annerley Fitzsimmons and GHS’ Jaxon Holbrook and Kustiani Tuckerman have plenty to think about.
“It is a daunting thing realising that I wont be there next year, but I cannot wait to have so much time throughout the day,” Annerley said.
“It’s also very liberating to know that I have finished my education and I now have full control over my future endeavours.”
Jaxon said it was a “very bittersweet” experience.
“It’s very sad but at the same time I’m excited to be finished,” he said.
“It’s going to be hard for everyone because it’s all they’ve ever known.”
Friend and fellow school captain, Kustiani, said it was “the people, not the subjects” that she would miss.
“It’s a very mixed bag of emotions,” she said.
“It’s sad because you're saying goodbye but it’s happy because it’s starting something new.”
The three teens had their first taste of exams in August when they undertook HSC trials over seven days.
Though some exams were “challenging”, the students found they weren’t as difficult as they’d anticipated.
“Everyone said it’s harder than your real HSC, so I’ll be happy if that’s the case,” Jaxon said.
Both Jaxon and Annerley said they would need to focus energy on Maths, while Kustiani said chemistry was her weakest subject.
The trio all have after-school jobs, which they have been juggling with study. Jaxon said he finds it hard to sit for long periods of time, so he studies in “intervals” and uses lists. The girls said they’re “self-motivated”.
“I set mini-goals that are achievable in a set time frame and I give myself rewards on the weekends if I got it all done,” Kustiani said.
Annerley said support from her family helps to drive her.
“I prefer to study in the morning before school,” she said.
“If it’s a good morning, I can squeeze two hours in but I do also study after school.
“On the weekends, I aim to do at least three hours of study broken-up over the day so I don’t get too bored and lose focus.”
Annerley’s last exam is Community and Family Studies on October 31. Jaxon and Kustiani both finish on November 3 with art and mathemetics extension, respectively.