Berry Street School “second chance” for graduating student

Last year, Oscar* graduated from the Berry Street School's Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) program. He chose to make a speech at the graduation ceremony and has granted permission for us to share excerpts from it.

“I came to the Berry Street School in the second term of its opening,” said Oscar.

“I was scared to start at a new school, as my old school was not a good one and I nearly dropped out – but the Berry Street School welcomed me with open arms.

“I will always think of the Berry Street School as my second chance.”

Oscar said he was motivated to speak, as he wanted to share how grateful he is to his teachers.

“Over the years, teachers have come and gone, but I will never forget the things they did for me while they worked at the Berry Street School,” he said.

He made special mention of many staff in his speech, including:

• Damian – “You helped me get a Myki card so I could travel to and from school.”
• Meredith – “You gave me so many options that I could do in my next chapter of life.”
• Leisel – “You are a great teacher; you made sure everyone knows what they are doing with their work and gave us so many ideas for projects.”
• Kane – “Thank you so much for making maths so much more fun.”
• Paul – “I’m thankful to you for always cracking jokes to lighten the mood.”
• Susanne – “I will never forget the sausage roll recipe you taught us; I still make them sometimes!”
• Cam – “Thank you for always cracking jokes…it was funnier because you sounded so serious!”
• Sam – “You were always so bubbly.”
• Kirsten – “You have helped me much more than you know. You let me talk your ear off when I needed to and gave me advice.”

Oscar also acknowledged past Berry Street teachers.

“I’ll never forget them…they have all made such a positive impact on my life.”

Friends also played an important role in Oscar’s school years, as they pushed him to do his best and offered a supportive shoulder to lean on.

Oscar made a special mention of another original student, Jayden*, of who he is proud:

“I remember in the first year of school, you always said you would drop out but look at you now – you have a job and you’re graduating!”

“So basically, I’m saying a big thank you to everyone who has helped me get to the end of this chapter. I hope that you’re all proud of yourselves!”

Congratulations to Oscar and all graduating students - we wish you the very best in the next chapter of your lives.

The Berry Street School is a specialist independent school for students from years 7 to 12. Our vision is for all students to have a high-quality education where students thrive, achieve and belong.

Learn more about the Berry Street School.

*Names changed