The college has gradually expanded to a P-12 school over the last several years and has taken on a class of Year 12 students for the first time in 2019.

Principal Daniel Weller said the college’s status as a P-12 school had been a number of years in the making.

“It’s very satisfying that we were able to all come together as a school community and celebrate the start of a new year with Year 12 students for the first time. It means we can now offer a complete journey from Foundation all the way through to VCE,” he said.

“This year we welcomed an additional 10 staff members at the school too, so we are growing. Those new teachers have seen what makes us special, and those teachers who have been here through the process are excited to see the journey.”

Related: Holy Trinity Lutheran School gets green light to expand to year 12

The school has 17 students studying Year 12 in 2019.

Mr Weller said the school’s senior school expansion was well on track to open at the start of term two.

“Hopefully it will be completed by the end of March, and ready for us to move into during the Easter break. To accommodate our Year 10, 11 and 12 students, we have six portables that have been placed in the senior school until the new building is ready,” he said.

School captains Oriana Panozo and Josiah Mock said they were thrilled to be the school’s first Year 12 captains. Both students have attended the school since Foundation.

“It has been really exciting seeing the progress all the way up, and leading it through as a captain has been great. Each year we lead, something else stands out to you,” Oriana said.

Josiah said it was a privilege to be one of the first Year 12 school captains.

“We’re quite a small cohort as the first year to go all the way through, but among us is a really tight bond. With that, we have been able to lead the school to a really good standard. Being able to lead each year, we’ve had opportunities to represent the school,” he said.

Sarah Barber and Archie Watt are the school’s vice captains for 2019.

Archie started at the school in Year 10 and said he was looking forward to taking on a leadership role.

“This is all new to me, so it’s a new challenge to be a leader and represent the school,” he said

Sarah has attended the school since Foundation.

“To see it grow and be a leader, especially in our final year, is such a privilege. Also being able to guide the way for students in future years is an awesome thing to be able to do,” she said.

Richard Nagorcka was school council chairman in 2016 when the college’s expansion to Year 12 was approved. 

“I was on the council for 16 years until last year and spent 11 years as chairman,” he said.

“In my early years on council, we did a feasibility study to find our whether we should go up to year 12 and the study proved that it wasn’t the right time. But we did again about a decade later and decided it was time.

“It’s been a very long process. It started by deciding to introduce our first Year 7 students, then we had to gradually develop our senior school.”

Mr Nagorcka has two children who attend the college – Jemma in Year 11 and Joey in Year 8.

“It has been very satisfying being involved with a school that is constantly growing,” he said.

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