Across the Grampians region, hundreds of school students are heading back to the classroom to start 2017.
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For many of these students, no matter their age, nor their year level, they will be experienced exciting and new challenges.
The youngest of these are the batch of prep students heading to school for their first time.
Their journey through the education system is just beginning.
For some, it is among the teary eyes of parents whose children are marking the first in many steps on the path to their teenage years and adulthood.
This week the Advertiser has spoken with preps from across the district. From the smaller schools at Buangor and Pomonal, to Ararat West and Lake Bolac Collage, all the preps were keen to be at school, although some mixed this with nerves as well.
At these schools were hardworking teachers, who had spent time during the previous week getting everything prepared and in order ahead of the first day back.
For other older students, they will begin their first year at high school.
They have gone from being the biggest fish in a small pond, to a small fish in a huge sea of students.
Year 7 marks the halfway point of their education, but there will be some big changes as they take on new subjects at a new school.
They will continue their journey to their final years as VCE and VCAL students or apprenticeships.
Then there are the year 11 and 12 students themselves.
They are a cohort about to enter their most stressful years of study as they keep one eye on the future and one on the immediate goal of passing exams.
For the year 12 students, a year that might seem like it takes forever will also seem impossibly short.
There are less than 35 weeks left at school for this group, a number that gives the impression there is so little time for them to cram in all the study they need to complete for their final tests.
Thankfully for all these students, from prep to year 12, the year will be marked by milestones and exciting events to keep them motivated along the way.
So to the newest and youngest students, to those entering a big school for the first time, and to students starting their final, most important year of study – good luck for the 2017 school year.