May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14 (NIV)
This verse was the conclusion to my prayer of dedication for the Year 12s at their Valedictory Dinner on Tuesday night. The dinner brought to a conclusion a short season of celebration and reflection of Year 12 2016. During these events, there were times of worship, times of entertainment, times of serious reflection and dedication, times of prayer, times of celebration, some tears, many laughs, lots of memories, and a sense of anticipation – initially for the imminent exams, but then a strong sense that these years have been a preparation for what God has in store for each of the eighty-eight young men and women who have led our student body this school as the “senior class of 2016”.
I felt deeply honoured to be included, so soon after my arrival, in a number of significant moments in the concluding days of Year 12s schooling here at Donvale. It was touching for me to be asked to pray with them and for them, and to be included so openly in each of their concluding events.
There is one particular legacy that our Year 12 class of 2016 have left us that I want to share with you, as for me it epitomises the generosity of this year group, and their strong desire to honour God in their leaving the College. I was made aware, in the last 24 hours, that around the middle of Term 3, a group of Year 12s, decided that they wanted to dedicate the short time they had left at school, by beginning each morning in prayer. And so, every day since the first prayer meeting on that day in Term 3, until their last day of school on Friday last week, they met each morning at 7:30 and prayed for our school.
They prayed for people, events and other things on their heart, in faith and with a strong sense of God’s call to hand all this over to Him in obedience. They have prayed for each other, for the staff, for their parents and families, and for school and other events as they came up. They have been praying for strength and wisdom, for guidance and focus on God and his call. I have felt personally impacted by the humility of our Year 12s in their selflessness, and want to honour their example in this and other actions they have undertaken in recent times.
At this time, I also want to record my deep gratitude to the commitment our Year 12 parents have had to their children and their education; yours has been a long term commitment of love, sacrifice and service to your children and the College thanks you for this dedication. The role that classroom teachers, other staff and school leadership have played in the daily lives of each of the Year 12s during their thirteen years of schooling cannot be underestimated either. As partners in this education, we trust that the role-modelling and service we have been called to in this place has honoured God and served the Year 12s well.
As a community, I ask that we commit to God in prayer the final days of study and preparation for Year 12 as they get ready for their VCE exams. If you have the time and space, grab the details of one or more students’ actual exam timetables and pause for a moment and pray for them at the times of their exams. It will be a great encouragement to them.
educating 4 life, too 
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