Forbes High School is a rural co-educational public 7-12 high school with a tight community of 340 students. Forbes High grabbed the attention of NSW education through their remarkable support of their students and the stories of perseverance displayed by the student leaders as they faced major floods following the COVID-19 pandemic. “The floods coming straight after COVID left very deep psychological impacts across the community and were ongoing and we just had to get back to business as quickly as we could and return to some kind of normality,” Principal Kath Maksymczuk states.
Isabella Brown is an exemplary student leader from Forbes who recounts her journey from struggle to success. Isabella describes the deep sinking feeling she felt coming into year 11 in 2023, feeling as if her situation couldn’t get any worse. COVID was only the beginning, floodwaters sequentially tore through her family property in Bedgerebong on multiple occasions. Resultantly, Isabella was forced to miss her Year 10 exams and 16 weeks of classes. This experience was disorienting and exhausting.
The floodwaters impacted the wider school as well. One student required a rural fire truck to bring them to their final exam on the last day. Nevertheless, the school turned these unfortunate circumstances into a story of resilience and support. Fast forward to today, and Isabella graduated 2024 as School Captain and the dux of her school with an ATAR of 92.7. Looking forward, Isabella has a hopeful future as an aspiring physiotherapist.
It wasn’t just Isabella’s strong spirit that lead to her success, it was the community formed within this school. Isabella states that the teachers “supported [her] in all areas of life, not just school.” Ms. Maksymczuk and PDHPE head teacher Justin Hoy worked closely with the year 12 cohort, forming study plans and taking extra time to individually assisting students. This mentorship increased the results of the entire year 12 cohort, with other students achieving well academically as a result.
So, what is the key factor? Community. Isabella now has a mission to support her community like she was supported and want to lead just as she led in school. Well done to Forbes High School for your supportive community and resilience despite recurring floodwaters.
Information sourced from NSW Education.
