Foundation for long-lasting success
An Ararat school’s focus on building personal character, resilience and maintaining a positive outlook is opening endless pathways for its students.
Marian College leaders acknowledge students will experience challenges at different times in their life and sometimes require additional support to find the positives ‘in the now’.
This focus ties in succinctly with the college’s tailored programs that assist with student development and help them use success as motivation to excel even further.
One family’s experience with the school led to a series of success stories beyond year 12.
Brian and Mandi Hancock are the proud parents of four children who attended the college, who have since gone on to achieve big things.
Mrs Hancock believes the strong bonds her children built with the school played a big part in mapping out their life achievements.
Her eldest daughter Natasha Atkin-smith was the first to start at the college, in 2005.
Achieving strong academic results, Natasha found herself studying radiology at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, RMIT, before she stepped up to managing her own practice in Emerald, Queensland.
Mrs Hancock’s two middle children, Sheridan and Cassandra, both achieved a high Australian Tertiary Admission Rank, ATAR, and are now working in their dream jobs. Cassandra studied Zoology at Deakin University and is now a mammal keeper at Ballarat Wildlife Park.
Sheridan studied health science and physiology and is now working as a physiologist at a health service in North Melbourne.
Mrs Hancock’s youngest child, Cameron, was the last of her four children to attend the college. He is studying engineering with a focus in mechatronics at Monash University.
Cameron made good use of the college’s science programs.
In year 12 he took part in a National Youth Science Forum, NYSF, at the college and went back the year after as a student leader for the program.
The college has a long-term relationship with the NYSF program, which has a proven link between students who display strong leadership qualities and achieve a successful ATAR score.
Mrs Hancock said the college built on interpersonal them succeed.
“The school laid down that foundation for the kids to go to university and strive for what they set out to achieve,” she said.
“It’s been a fabulous school over the years, we certainly wouldn’t have gone anywhere else.”
She said the school’s focus on wellbeing and student connectedness with teachers bolstered her children’s engagement with learning. skills that helped
“The school always had really good leadership – the teachers were always really supportive,” she said.
“The kids came out of Marian with a lot of self-esteem and confidence.”
Mrs Hancock said the connection her family made with the college carried on even after her children graduated.
“Certainly, in years 11 and 12 the teachers have a good rapport with the students,” she said.
“Some of the teachers are still friends with our children now – even though we haven’t been there for a couple of years.
“You might see a teacher in the street and they still inquire into how they’re doing.”
In recent weeks the school has seen tremendous examples of resilience as its students faced the challenges of remote learning.
Principal Carmel Barker said the college’s integrated learning and support programs such as its ‘Oak Program’ had gone a long way to reinforce positive learning outcomes.
The school introduced the program in 2018. It provides students with an understanding of the important link between positive thinking about themselves, their world and others, and their approach to learning.
“We know happy, positive students learn best,” Mrs Barker said.
“Sometimes we can be so focused on the future that we forget to enjoy the present and the great achievements along the way.”