Towards the end of the 2021 academic year and continuing on this week, we have been overwhelmed with enrolments for all year groups across the college. Whilst preference will still be given to siblings and children of alumni, we have now reached full capacity in most year groups and encourage families that are considering enrolling their children at our college to do so by the end of March, by the latest.
Ï have fought a good fight; I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.- 2 Timothy 4:7-8
Indeed through the grace of God as well as the blessings of our Patron Saints, St Mary The Theotokos and St Mina, our Solider and protector; we, the management and staff of St Mary and St Mina's Coptic Orthodox College, are very pleased and proud to report the most wonderful and genuinely well-deserved achievements of our Year 12 Cohort, Class of 2021. Despite the many challenges and tribulations this particular group of students faced, they all most definitely and perseveringly "fought a good fight... leading to a crown of righteousness."
After 13 years of Primary and Secondary education, leading up to their Final HSC Examinations in October 2021, our senior students faced 24 months of unprecedented challenges, changes, uncertainty, and confusion. At the same time that COVID was at our doorstep, our senior students also had to leave the comfort of their senior campus; yes, it was small and very dishevelled, but it was the place they called home for years, and now these students had to move back to their primary campus, sharing classes, resources, and playground with our primary students. All in a year that matters the most! For our Year 12 students to get through another hurdle, and with short notice, our boys and girls needed to demonstrate grit and perseverance, becoming mature and understanding young MEN and WOMEN. Indeed, they did not disappoint; in the true spirit of St Mary and St Mina's College, they exceeded our every expectation, leading the way and role modeling to their younger peers through acts of humility and selflessness.
The transition to Bexley, our Primary School Campus, was seamless; they embraced the changes with open arms; as the student leaders of our College, they took every opportunity to serve all staff as well as all the younger children, and in doing so, LEFT THEIR MARK, a legacy that has opened a new chapter in the history of our College. Under the Year 12 exemplary leadership, the College's spirit and unity continued to grow, leading to a 98% attendance rate at school events, including carnivals and liturgies. The College atmosphere was electrifying.
Nevertheless, all was not easy sailing; to the contrary. First, face-to-face learning, followed by online learning, then return to school, followed by mandatory vaccinations at ACER arena... no wait, change of mind, HSC Trial examinations on, followed by Trials called off, then on-again, but how will it all work? Deliveries, phone holders, cameras…oh no, internet down! How does a teenager deal with all this and still focus on the task at hand?
As they say, "It takes a village to raise a child," and we are blessed to have an amazing community that consists of supportive families, dedicated teachers, selfless clergy, and hard-working students that make up our SMSM village.
Our students and families simply needed to TRUST, which is much easier said than done. They needed to trust in the governance, management, staff, systems, and clergy, but the truth be told, no student has ever been or will ever be just a number at a Coptic College. Our teachers are more than just educators; they are the most dedicated, hard-working, selfless, and academically equipped with professional standards to assist our students with every challenge they face, enabling every student to achieve their full potential.
And now, like all incredible journeys, we end with a HERO...many HERO's in this case.
THE 2021 HSC RESULTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
- Ranked 67th in the State
- Highest performing comprehensive, coeducational College in the St George LGA
- 33 Band 6 (90 and Above) - 22%
- 56 Band 5 & 6 (80 and Above) - 37%
- Mathematics Extension 1 and Extension 2 Ranked 15th in State
- Advanced English 32% Band 6 success rate - Top 70 in the State
- 3 All-Round Students - Ban6 in all HSC courses - 10% of the cohort
- Double the state average Band 6 in English Advanced, Chemistry, Physics, Studies of Religion 1.
To the class of 2021, we congratulate you on all your wonderful achievements but more importantly, for who you have become. You are the finest young adults who will undoubtedly achieve even greater accolades. You will be great leaders, parents, and servants. But today you are our children and friends and regardless of what the world continues to throw your way, that will never change.
God bless
