Like many senior students across the country,Jaimie,who attends Bradfield Senior College in Sydney's lower north shore,is coming to terms with missing out on one of the greatest final-year traditions β the year 12 formal.
On Monday,the NSW governmentdeclared that as a COVID-19 precaution,school formals would be banned for the rest of term three,and graduation ceremonies would be restricted to students only. Although the directive is for government schools,including Jaimie's,many private schools are expected to follow suit.
For 17-year-old Jaimie,the news about the formal β announced on the same day as the Higher School Certificate (HSC) trial English examβ has been gutting.
At first,she thought reports of the ban were a hoax."I really didn't want to believe it. I have been so excited for it since kindy,"she says.
Jaimie moved to Bradfield in year 11,and her previous school cancelled the year 10 formal in her final year there.
In 2019 she attended Bradfield's formal with her boyfriend,who was then in year 12. But it's not the same as doing it with your year level,she says."The formal was our last hurrah to be with each other and celebrate everything we have experienced and overcome,"she says.