By PETER DOUGLAS
FORMER Cire Community School student Corey Everitt has been rewarded for his dedication, winning the Most Outstanding Senior VCAL (Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning) Student in 2015.
Corey, who is from Monbulk and attended the school’s Mount Evelyn campus, recently received the award at a special presentation at Federation Square.
Victorian Education Minister, James Merlino, presented the awards at the ceremony, in which the attendees included Corey’s parents and staff from the community school.
Corey has continued to progress and is now studying media and communications at Deakin College.
But it was a long journey for Corey, who had been disengaged from education for more than 12 months before beginning his VCAL studies last year.
Early on it proved tough going.
Though, by term two, he improved dramatically; then, by term three, he was a leading member of the Senior VCAL class.
Corey said he was glad to have started VCAL.
VCAL provides an alternative secondary education pathway for students attracted to applied learning.
“The transformation I went through – from an absent and reclusive kid, to an inspired student … was a pretty substantial change,” he said.
“Unbeknown to me, it was supposedly significant enough for a group of judges to think I deserve such an award.”
He encouraged other students to keep persisting, particularly with VCAL.
“What some don’t see is that the program gives freedom for an active student to prosper and succeed, and also an alternative for the few that just need a helping hand,” he said.
Corey hopes to continue studying at Deakin and begin his Bachelor of Arts (Journalism) next year.
