We are very proud of our ex-students and have enjoyed having these wonderful children as part of our school.
Heather Stock
From day one in 2015 when our grandson began at Yeronga State High School in Year 8, it felt like he had been accepted into an extended family. I saw pride, I saw passion, I saw love and care, I saw people going out of their way to take action. Here was a school where people listened and cared about each other. Everyone seemed to absorb differences and pause to take time to respond to what they saw happening. Yeronga State High School has won an award for being a school that supported individual pathways for students and somehow the school has managed to arrange resources and classes within and outside the school to meet their needs. YSHS is a school that provides opportunities and links to real life experiences within our local community.
Yeronga is a relatively small school where staff get to know each student. It is normal at Yeronga for teachers to give extra time and provide frameworks for individuals to progress in the most positive ways. The 5Ps are practiced and encouraged:- being positive, punctual, prepared, productive and proud. The parent/teacher evenings are amazing – open, friendly and informative by not only reporting on our young man's achievements but also touching on ways he could improve.
There have been several times when my husband and I, as grandparent/guardians, have felt it was important to talk with administrators or teachers and we have always found that people at Yeronga made time to listen to our worries and/or find solutions to a problem. Sometimes it has been a teacher who has phoned us with concerns and checking to see that our grandson was doing okay.
There have been many opportunities for our young man to shine. He has had opportunities to take on a new musical instrument through YSHS instrumental music program and was able to consolidate these experiences by participating in the school's Concert Band. He was also encouraged to join the Corinda Youth Orchestra and the Brisbane Regional Youth Orchestra and the Brisbane Regional Youth Jazz Ensemble. YSHS tries hard to notice student achievements and acknowledge them in many small ways. On awards evenings, many students receive awards not only for high academic achievements but also for demonstrated excellence in behaviour and effort. My husband and I have felt that even though our young man will not be "dux of the school" his personal sense of achievement and expectation for future successes have been nurtured.
Here we are today with only two weeks of Year 12 to go. We can see that YSHS has indeed prepared our grandson to go forth and fully participate in the big wide world. He has several different pathways he could take and find pleasure in any one of them.
For me, I am happy to relinquish my roles in the YSHS P&C, the School Council and the Performing Arts Support Group. I recommend you take the opportunities as parents/carers to get to know and become part of your child's school community. Should you choose Yeronga State High School for your young person you will not be disappointed.
Heather Stock
Gary Lobley
I have had the honour of being invited to the book launch and the opening of the Yeronga Community Centre. These events to me have been very emotional and I was so lucky to talk to your students on both occasions. They bring warmth, understanding and love to people such as me.
You can be so proud of the way in which they conducted themselves, I am 65 years old and found their conversational skills excellent, understanding and manor tremendous.
Their proud sense of wearing the Yeronga State High School’s uniform brought a tear to my eye.
May I wish all the students at your school all the success in the future, you may not be the best academic in the school, but it is the way in which you conduct yourself in and out of uniform.
Thanking you for my privilege in meeting your students.
Cheers
Gary Lobley
David Wrigley
One of the things which attracted us to Yeronga SHS was the fact it is a smaller school. For us the school environment is critical to a student's holistic development and the staff at Yeronga work diligently to provide a supportive school community.
While academic achievement is important we believe the greatest achievement is for a student to leave school with 'life tools' which equip them for the challenges ahead. The various programs in place at YSHS helped our girls develop their social/leadership skills while also achieving academically.
We had no hesitations in sending our girls to Yeronga SHS and looking back we're happy to say it's proved to be a wise choice.
David Wrigley
Helmut & Geri Geschke
Both our children attended Yeronga State High School, ranging from 1996 to 2011. We deliberated over what school to enrol them in, but decided on our local state high school. Yeronga SHS did not let us down.
The facilities, teaching staff and opportunities that we came across are equal to any. The Administration was always very approachable and concerned for individual students’ success. The harmony between the multicultural groups is quite amazing. Our children have graduated with a very broad understanding of so much more than school work. We are very glad we made the decision to send our children to Yeronga State High School.
Helmut & Geri Geschke
Liz and Graham Preston
We are very grateful that our children have the opportunity to attend Yeronga State High School. Yeronga is big enough to offer a wide range of study options and extra curricula activities, but small enough for each student to feel they are known and a valued member of the school community. As parents too, we also have appreciated being known and welcomed at school functions on a first name basis. Such friendliness is a characteristic of the culture of the school.
Our children’s academic results have been a combination of their own effort and the great support they receive from a very professional school staff. As we have met teachers, we have been impressed with the interest and effort they put into their students’ lives. Academically our children have achieved an OP1, 3 and two OP6s.
Our children have also had the privilege of serving as leaders in the school and have personally gained tremendously from the added opportunities that being a School Captain or a Vice- Captain bring.
Although not noted athletes our children have had the opportunity to participate in a range of sporting events and enjoy the camaraderie of supporting their friends in events. They have been members of the school band and thoroughly enjoyed the cultural experiences of the school musical either on the stage or in the sound and lighting crew. Speaking of friends, our children all have friends from such diverse backgrounds and this has brought a richness to their lives that will enable them to live well in today’s ‘small’ world.
We have a large family and some of our children are yet to arrive at high school, so it is important to us that Yeronga has a bright future. We feel very positive about the partnership that we have between ourselves, our children and the teachers and other staff at Yeronga State High School.
Liz and Graham Preston