Ten of Officer Secondary College’s up-and-coming leaders recently visited China as part of a prestigious young leaders program.
The Year 9 students participated in the Victorian Young Leaders to China Program, a six-week tour of China’s largest cities and education providers.
Officer Secondary College School Council president Kerri Sherry said the basis for program was a deeper understanding of the Chinese language and the culture that are being taught at this school.
“But more importantly, it’s about developing leadership and interpersonal skills, and for students to realise that there’s more to the world than just what we live in,” Ms Sherry said.
The tour proved popular with students, with a flood of applications for the program.
The cost was covered in part by fund-raising, as well as a donation of $10,000 by the Satterley Property Group, developers of Arcadia estate in Officer.
Ms Sherry said without the donation the trip would have been “out of reach” for many families.
“Obviously, trips like this don’t come cheaply … we’re very thankful for the funds [they] put in, which helped make this trip possible for the families,” she said.
Ms Sherry said feedback from attendees, including her own daughter, was positive.
“I just spoke to [my daughter] via chat this morning and she said ‘its gone way too quickly; I wish it was going for longer,” she said.
