Some 70,000 students across NSW, including more than 7000 in St George and Sutherland Shire, are done with high school.
Friday is the final day of HSC 2018, as tests come to a close with Design and Technology and Drama.
Students were all smiles at Menai High School, where year 12 students breathed a sigh of relief at the end of the three-week written examination period.
It is a double celebration for Cailtin Williams, who is turning 18 this month. The Bangor student is looking forward to a family holiday in the US, before university kicks off.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but after making a video about suicide awareness for one of my major projects, I’m now hoping to study social work at Wollongong,” she said. “It’s inspired me to want to work in mental health.”
Aspiring interior designer Jordan Vasquez hopes to use her skills to forge a career in the creative industry. “I’m the first one in my family to follow a path like this,” she said.
At Caringbah High School, a group of friends are gearing up for Schoolies in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast.
Rhys Halkidis, of Sans Souci, is relieved he’ll never have to solve another maths equation – in the classrom at least.
“I’m now hopefully going to study commerce and then take a look at doing something business-related,” he said.
Caringbah’s Adam Travis is waiting on his ATAR results to decide what’s next, while Lucas Jeff, of Bexley, is keen to become a sports coach.
Menai High School’s relieving principal Ekbal Sayed-Rich says this year’s HSC was a success.
“Everything went really well in terms of organisation,” she said.
“It’s been great to see students doing subjects they love, even though they are at all different stages of knowing what they want to do after school.
“About 70 per cent of our group will go on to university, and we maintain that pathway, but we also have those who go on to do traineeships, or go straight into work.”
She says teachers will still be on-hand to support students, before results are released on December 13.
