CLASS OF 2020
School Spirit When Dunithi was appointed School Captain for 2020 she knew she wanted to make her mark on the School. “We’ve got such a tight knit community at Ivanhoe Girls’ and I just wanted to be able to do something that would make that bond stronger.” Along with Vice Captain, Pema, Dunithi wanted to build on the strengths in the School community. “We wanted to explore the concept of love,” she says. “Loving others, and being passionate about what you do, and celebrating your own talents without feeling judgement,” she explains. For Dunithi, the concept behind the slogan “Dare To Love”, stemmed from her own experiences. “I feel like self-doubt and not having the confidence to take on opportunities has been the main thing that has held me back from trying new things,” she explains. “So for me, personally, I knew I definitely had to work on being a bit more confident in myself. I’ve really been trying to work on that.”
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Over the years, Dunithi has found the opportunities at Ivanhoe Girls’ a perfect way to step out of her comfort zone and build confidence, and she’s played an active role in music ensembles, Debating, Student Representative Council (SRC) and Amnesty Club. “I’ve been able to work on my public speaking and express my opinions,” she says. Building self confidence is at the heart of “Dare To Love”. “We wanted to focus on courage and being brave enough to put yourself out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself,” says Dunithi. “You don't have to be afraid that people are going to
judge you because at Ivanhoe Girls’ we have such a strong community.” But when COVID-19 hit Australia in March 2020, that community spirit, courage and confidence to try new things suddenly took on a whole new meaning. As they prepared for their last year of secondary school, the last thing the Year 12s were expecting was a pandemic. The sudden transition to offsite learning required a major pivot for the entire School community, and for the Year 12 Leadership Team it required a major re-evaluation of their goals and strategies. Activities like student-run assemblies in The Centre Ivanhoe were suddenly impossible. “We definitely had to be adaptable and flexible with our thinking,” says Dunithi.
