Is the traditional Year 10 formal just a diamante dinosaur?
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The mid-teen big bash has lost its sparkle for some, with the leaving age raised to 17 years and the demise of the NSW School Certificate.
Moruya High School principal John Walsh said the school ditched the event this year for several reasons.
“It recognised that expectations and legislation had changed,” Mr Walsh said.
“Traditionally, a lot of young people did leave school at the end of Year 10. I don’t think that is going to happen anymore.
“Education is a continuum; it is not a series of stopping and starting points. The Year 10 benchmark is no longer a symbolic completion of anything.”
Mr Walsh said the effort and expense of organising an event for more than 120 students could no longer be justified.
“A very small number of people did an enormous amount of work to organise these large events,” he said.
“I became quite concerned about the enormous cost for families. Clothing hire, the cost of ticketing, the cost of security and organisation through the clubs are big-ticket items.
“I wondered whether the kids and their families were getting value for money.”
Mr Walsh said this probably explained why one disappointed group’s attempt to organise an independent event had fizzled.
However, Mr Walsh said there was a chance to reinvent Year 10 itself.
“More schools will try to make Year 10 meaningful in the sense that it recognises or marks the beginning of the senior component of their education. We are getting them prepared for the HSC and beyond.”
Meanwhile, they’re still dressing up at St Peter’s Anglican College, albeit for a much smaller event, with no plans to ditch their annual Year 10 “Mocktails” evening.
Thirty-four students gathered in a private room at a restaurant on November 22, with fizzy drinks, finger food, a DJ and photographs.
“I would not call it a formal,” head of school Alan Russell said. “They certainly like to get dressed up. It is still a milestone.”
At Carroll College, Broulee, the school organises a “Spring Fling” for Year 10, rather than a more formal event.
The Bay Post understands Batemans Bay High School has not sponsored a Year 10 formal in recent years.