Yesterday marked the return to school for thousands of local kids.
At Kelmscott Senior High School, the 250 fresh-faced Year 7 students were welcomed by a high-fiving 200-metre-long guard of honour formed by Year 12 students.
Principal Mark Jeffery said the school’s newest tradition was inspired by a similar gesture for last year’s leavers.
“The entire school came out and formed a guard of honour, and they got quite emotional about that and really loved it – it was a way to recognise six years of their life coming to a close,” he said.
That stirring reaction spawned the idea to bring in the new school year with a special welcome for the Year 7s, to bookend their high school journey.
Kelmscott High has been on a continuous journey of self-improvement over the last couple of years, with a growing interest in the school represented by steadily increasing enrolment numbers. This year, the school has close to its goal of 1400 students – up from 1100 just a few years ago.
“We make sure that every teacher and every student can see that there is something being improved on every day, which gives a sense that we’re on the up and up,” he said.
Those advances are also reflected in the school’s performance reports.
Last year, Kelmscott High achieved an 81-median ATAR – up 11 points on the previous year. And its impressive Year 9 NAPLAN results for 2024 got Kelmscott High an honourable mention as one of the Top 20 schools in Australia punching above its weight.
“We were really thrilled about that,” Mr Jeffery said. “And this year we’re going to expand the agriculture department – we aim to be here for everybody.”
Meanwhile, at the City of Armadale’s most western fringe, Member for Jandakot Yaz Mubarakai welcomed Piara Waters Senior High School’s first cohort of Year 9 students.
The school, which opened to students in 2023, has also attracted its largest number of Year 7s – almost a hundred more than last year.
And with more new students welcomed into the Year 8 cohort this year, the school population is nearing a very healthy 600. This promising growth could see the school begin its staged expansion in the near future.
Principal Carol Daniels said she was delighted to see so many new faces this year, and was keen to continue to build the school’s culture of “positivity, kindness and academic rigour”.
“While we build on our core values, we’ll also be preparing our students for the rapidly changing 21st century by inspiring curiosity and teaching them to work through challenges with real-world solutions,” she said.
