by Celestina Soares, Year 12 

On Wednesday 19 June, halfway into the final year and nearly having to confront the real world, the Year 12s sat down with guest speaker, Glenn Manton, to discuss ‘being real’.

As a year 12 myself, like all guest speakers, we were expecting helpful advice and friendly pointers to guide us through the struggles of year 12 and organise our thoughts for the future. We would sit for almost 2 hours, listen, and then leave with fortified morals.

However, last week’s guest speaker gave us an unforgettable experience - a deep conversation. An emotional, raw, and authentic discussion, ending with pondering minds and heavy hearts. Thus acquiring a new introspective lens for the harsh reality, and the valuable lesson of being ‘true to oneself’.

The success of the event left students as well as staff with the following thoughts:

A student remarked it as “incredible…”, as “...unlike other speakers, he was not trying to sell us a message through slides and anecdotes. All he was doing was speaking about his life and giving us the chance to use our minds to interpret what these stories meant to us as individuals…,” thus creating a “connection between him and the year 12 cohort.”  - (Glenna Martin Yr12)

Another student also “loved” how it was “so upfront and relatable”, and when discussing the reality, “...even if it sounded harsh, it seemed to open up some people’s minds and hearts about how reality is, and if you are destined to live that way you can change it - it’s about embracing yourself and finding yourself after the setbacks in life.” - (Samreet Walia Yr12)

Year 12 Level Leader, Ms Relf, also shares her satisfaction: “I’ve worked with Glenn for many years and was excited to have him come to Kolbe. I love how he opens the floor to the students, allowing them to ‘ask me anything’, making the session totally student-driven. He shares deeply personal events such as relationship breakdowns and challenges, the death of family members, making poor choices as a young person and how he has, or is continuing to, work through these issues.”

This session allowed students to listen and connect emotionally, allowing the perfect segue for interesting chatter accompanied by the subsequent pizza party and movie break. Recognising the pent-up and added pressures of senior life, this served as a time for relaxation and congratulations after a successful first semester. Welcoming a final push into their last school term, students circled pizza boxes, shared drinks with friends and enjoyed a movie together to ‘reconnect and chill’.

Kolbe’s Year 12s of 2024 have been fortunate enough to enjoy the unprecedented events of the inaugural Colour Run, a Year 12 Common Room with a kitchenette, and the Cultural Week events to celebrate our differences. Now, with this new event, the class of 2024 will once again prove to be the most fortunate and well-equipped of valuable lessons and prized memories for the real world ahead.