20 Sep 2017 Mansfield Courier, Mansfield VIC (General News) SECONDARY schooling in Mansfield sets you up well for life, according to Mansfield Secondary College (MSC) 2017 school captains Amy Dixon-Rielly and Fergus Patterson. With year 12 exams set to commence next term, Amy and Fergus are at the pointy end of their secondary school journey. Amy came to Mansfield Secondary College from St Marys, and Fergus from Steiner School. Both Amy and Fergus have grasped the many opportunities on offer to them through their school life to develop their leadership skills. In return, Amy and Fergus have contributed back to their school community in a myriad of ways. Now that they are soon to leave MSC, Amy and Fergus hope they will have left the school a better place for the future. A big part of that future one that Fergus and Amy have had an active role in shaping are the redevelopments that will soon begin at MSC. Its a shame for us that the new school facilities will be happening once we are gone, but its great for the younger students, said Amy. The school will benefit so much by having new science classrooms, and the Language Centre is definitely a better place for learning than the old B Block, said Fergus. While thankful for the upcoming upgrades, Amy and Fergus have thrown support behind their principals plea to the government to finish the schools master plan with further funding. Hopefully stage two of funding will not be that far off after stage one, as we desperately need an indoor sporting area with modern change rooms and toilets, said Amy. I recently got to meet with Jaclyn Symes, one of our local politicians, and she was very supportive of our masterplan and hopefully we soon get some good news, Fergus said. Both Amy and Fergus say that being part of this process and working closely with principal Tim Hall, the school committee and other students, has been a great learning experience. Its been interesting with the recent project work on our masterplan and stage one building, the way our school always involves the students, said Fergus. It helps us have a voice and helps us develop skills. And its definitely noticed by others even the Premier commented on how involved, mature and confident our students are. Apparently not many other schools take the time and value the student input like we do, said Amy. Reflecting on their journey through secondary school, both point to the programs that enable each and every student to get to where they want to go in life. From the Mt Buller Annex, agribusiness, the school based apprenticeships there are loads of programs here and lots of ways to extend your leadership skills and achieve your goals, said Fergus. Recently Amy was blown away by the facilities at one of the big private schools in Melbourne where she went for her music performance exams. But Amy said she wouldnt trade that in for what she experiences growing up in the Mansfield community. While I was envious of the infrastructure, Im really glad I stayed in Mansfield, said Amy. I get supported in my learning and have already received early admission acceptance for university for next year. Both Fergus and I went on the World Challenge excursion to Laos and had to fundraise for our community project. Weve also attended leadership camps and been able to work locally and play a wide range of sports. Ive represented the school in skiing, swimming and athletics and competed in regional netball and horse-riding. Theres never a dull moment, living in Mansfield, she added. Fergus and Amy both wished their fellow students good luck as MSC heads into the home stretch of their VCE and VCAL studies. Caption Text: CHAMPION CHANGE: Mansfield Secondary College 2017 school captains Amy Dixon-Rielly and Fergus Patterson have backed their schools bid to receive more funding from the State Government to complete their school. Licensed by Copyright Agency. You may only copy or communicate this work with a licence.