Catherine McAuley College students Charlotte Brook and Tania Hutchinson have reflected on the past year ahead of their final Victorian Certificate of Education exams.

Commencing the year, we thought it was going to be "the best year of our lives" like we had been told. Only that was turned upside down.

A normal routine of going to school for six hours a day became only having two contact hours for school some days, all conducted via online platforms.

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There is a mix of emotions as we say goodbye to friends and to the daily schedule of school that we have known for the past thirteen years.

Since returning to face-to-face learning for term four, it has been a roller-coaster of having SACs that were delayed, attempting to juggle exam study, and preparing for next year with university and TAFE applications.

Due to SACs being postponed, it has left us with a shorter time to study.

Yet we are blessed with our school and teachers being available at every turn to help us get ready for our exams, from answering emails and exam questions at all hours, to having evening and weekend classes.

Currently we are in the process of studying for exams, with only days until they begin.

Stress levels are high, yet we are trying to remain calm and enjoy the last memories with friends before parting lives.

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Emotions are all over the place. From questioning "why do I study such a subject?" to wanting to give up, and then thinking "I have this" and just pushing through. It's a repeating cycle.

This year we have faced a flip in life, everything known was changed, yet this has built strength within and allowed us to prepare for the rest of our lives.

We joke now about what we will say to our future children when they complain about school. We will say that we endured school during a global pandemic!

We are grateful to have restrictions easing. That allows graduation to occur, even though it will not be the same as previous years.

It will be a celebration of the year that we have endured and that there can be a return to some kind of normal. 2020 will be a year to remember for the graduating class, their last year of high school and a global pandemic.

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