Farewell Year 12 parents of 2020

The Quay/Miller Family

Over our amazing 14-year journey, being a part of the Carey community has become a part of our family identity. The lifelong friendships and the wealth of shared Carey experiences have made each of us who we are today.

We are a Carey family. We have loved living the Carey value of making the most of your opportunities. It has given us all so many special times – musicals, rowing, plays, debating, soccer, overseas trips – it is overwhelming to even think about trying to list them all. In addition, my involvement with the parent associations has really enhanced my time at the School, I have been able to make so many more friends and connections, and it has given me a greater understanding of the School and my children’s exerience. It has all been so much fun!

As we celebrate Leah finishing Year 12 this year, I know with confidence that we will always feel fortunate to be a part of the Carey community and be grateful for the way in which it has helped to shape our lives.

Loren Miller, John, Patrick (2016) and Leah (2020) Quay

The Adetunji Family

We first came to Carey in 2011. I remember walking into the Mellor Library, a two-storey building filled with books. Our son David loves to read, but our primary school only had a tiny library. When I looked at his face, I knew there was no going back on our decision to send him to Carey.

We started our adventure with Carey by attending the orientation events. I was intimidated by the number of people present in the Ian Wolff Auditorium at our first meeting. I remember thinking to myself, ‘There are so many people here, how will I ever get to meet anyone?’ But the then-president of the MSPA, Rosie Kelly, came up and talked about the parent associations and how they support parents and the community. In our nine years at Carey, I can confirm that Rosie was right, the parent associations have supported us and provided opportunities to serve.

At Carey, David and Daniel had the privilege of a world-class education, in and out of the classroom. They had opportunities to go sailing, camping, international trips, music festivals and ample opportunities to represent the School. They learnt to play brass instruments from accomplished educators and world-class musicians in their own rights. A huge thanks to Roger Schmidli and Daniel Neal for their patience and professionalism and for shaping my boys into the accomplished trombone and trumpet players they are.

I had the privilege of working with the most generous and talented group of parents that Carey has ever had. We organised Middle School Walk-a-thons, Carey Staff Christmas Lunches, Mother’s Day Luncheons and the inaugural Whole School Ball in 2017. My thanks go to Julie Raftopoulos and every member of the Community Engagement department for their support of our many initiatives. A huge thanks goes to my friends, Johann Wilson, Maggie Bassily, Sofie Carfi, Karen Synon and Angela Valentine for being co-conspirators with me on most of these events. Ladies, I am going to miss Carey, and especially our ‘afterwork’ planning meetings.

Titilayo, Phillip, David (2017) and Daniel (2020) Adetunji

The Mezzetti Family

We joined the Carey community in 2018 when our sons, Otto and Finn, made the difficult decision to change schools for their senior years. It was a leap of faith that turned out to be the best decision they could have made.

From the moment they landed on Carey grounds, they felt a school culture that matched who they are and the type of men they want to become. They had a greater connection to their peers, deeper conversations with students and teachers, and revelled in the collaborative, creative culture. While this year presented substantial challenges, the School was determined to make the best of a difficult situation and provide the best outcomes for our boys. The teachers have been genuinely invested in seeing students succeed, not only in academics, but as people.

Our sons tell us that the teachers inspire them to change things for the better. We have found Carey to be a place that cultivates the young person as a whole and places equal value on academics, sports and performing arts. In particular, the performing arts has been the greatest source of fond memories for the boys. They experienced their first professionally directed productions, which challenged and stretched the boundaries of what they thought they could do, into new realms of possibilities.

The sum of Carey experiences has provided them with confidence and faith in themselves, that they can achieve their goals as they set out towards university and beyond. They leave Carey as happy and confident young adults, which is no mean feat in these difficult times. Thank you, Carey.

Bill, Anna, Medbh, Otto (2020) and Finn (2020) Mezzetti

The Valentine Family

It is hard to believe that 17 years have passed since our family first arrived at Carey Baptist Grammar School.

Our journey commenced at Donvale, the perfect place to introduce our two children, Nick (2016) and Olivia (2020), to the caring, supportive and inclusive community that has been the hallmark of our time at Carey. We have treasured memories of House Sports carnivals, assemblies, band and choir recitals, Book Chat and of course the many play dates (both for children and parents) from which long standing and precious friendships have formed.

Graduating from Donvale to Kew meant we moved to a much bigger pond, still with the familiar Carey values, but with a breadth of opportunity and experience which have strongly influenced and shaped our children’s lives. We have fond memories of Saturdays spent at Bulleen for APS netball, footy and cricket.

One of the highlights was the opportunity to spend many a long afternoon in the Graham Yallop Scoreboard – now the Captains Scoreboard – with a group of equally committed and crazy parents during Nick’s final year of cricket.

For me, the pinnacle of Carey community came with the privilege of being involved in planning the Carey Whole School Ball in 2017 and 2019. The success of this event stands as testimony to the vibrancy, strength and unity of the entire Carey parent community.

While I am not going to miss the endless trips to Bob Stewart and the early morning APS starts, I am going to miss the wonderful community of students, teachers and parents who have enriched our family’s life forever.

Angela, Paul, Nicholas (2016) and Olivia (2020) Valentine