WITH only two VCE exams left to sit, Jem Sibley says there has been “a few mixed emotions” about finally reaching the culmination of his schooling.
“I’m excited,” he told The Guardian.
“I’ve worked really hard over the year, so to get them out of the way would be really good – it will be a big weight lifted off my shoulders, that’s for sure.
“It is a bit scary too at the same time, especially finishing school, it makes you realise how fast everything is going.
“But there is also an element of excitement in that too, because you’re getting to adulthood and not having to worry about teachers on your back or anything like that.”
The St Mary Mackillop College student is hoping to achieve a high ATAR and believed the good study habits he picked up throughout his schooling kept him motivated to reach that goal, as well as his laidback demeanour.
“I’m generally a pretty positive guy, like I don’t try to worry about anything too much, and I think that has helped me,” Jem said.
“Obviously there is a lot of pressure and a lot of stress, but if I can manage it all, it will be the best for me and means I will get the best results, so I have been trying to do that.”
While Jem hadn’t been directly impacted by the rising flood situation, some of his classmates had not been so fortunate.
St Mary Mackillop College principal Michelle Haeusler said four of their VCE students live in Kerang and had been forced to find alternative ways to sit their exams as the town became isolated from floodwaters.
“They initially stayed out of Kerang so they could get to their first exam, but three of the four are now travelling to Bendigo for their exams, so given that Kerang can now get to Bendigo, we have now been able to move their exams there,” Ms Haeusler said.
“They have got a bit further to travel but at least they can actually sit in an exam centre. It is just one of those moving targets at the moment and we are just taking it day-by-day.”
Ms Haeusler believed most of the college’s other VCE students were managing quite well.
“We obviously have a little bit of anxiety in the community as some of our families perhaps live near the river and there will just be some family anxiety around that,” she said.
“We are just supporting the students as we become aware of any challenges that they have, as we would do in any other exam time as well – you always have a sick student or someone that has had some other circumstance that happens around their exam, so we just support them like we normally do.”
The VCE exam period officially finishes on November 16.
