South Australian Indigenous boarding school celebrates record number of year 12 graduates

[fruxodaily]

[QUOTE][B]An innovative Indigenous boarding school in Adelaide has had its biggest ever graduating class with eight students from remote communities finishing year 12.
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Getting children to school has been at the centre of the Federal Government's Indigenous policy, however for children of the remote APY Lands in South Australia's outback there have been a number of obstacles to getting an education.

Truancy officers in the region have had a mixed impact, with school attendance rates actually falling in some schools.

It has been a different story for the Wiltja School in Adelaide, which has worked at keeping connections to home while getting a secondary school education for about 80 students from the APY Lands and around Alice Springs that attend the school.

Kieren Van Horon from Kenmore Park and Adrian Peel from Indulka were among this year's year 12 graduates.

Kieren said he did not think he would have finished school without coming to Wiltja.

"Sometimes I didn't like it because I was getting homesick, but now I'm graduating and I don't want to leave now," he said.

Adrian had to miss some school when he was initiated and became a man.

He said it was difficult to come back to school afterwards.

"That was the hardest part - doing this here and that there," he said.

"Being away from family, but they're the ones that wanted me to come here. Now I'm so proud."

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[url]http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-23/sa-indigenous-boarding-school-celebrates-year12-graduates/5985034[/url]