Earlier this week, Ravenswood captain Sarah Haynes went viral as all hell, when someone uploaded a video of her farewell speech to a school assembly, slamming the institution for having an “image problem”, and placing too-high expectations on students.
While the speech was initially praised, it has since met with a backlash.
Yesterday, Ravenswood made a statement calling the media attention surrounding the speech “unfortunate”, and alluding to an incident of alleged bullying that led to the expulsion of Haynes’ younger sister, which is currently “before the courts.”
Since then, Fairfax have tracked down several former Ravenswood captains, who seemed only too happy to lay into Haynes’ speech, labelling it as “ignorant” and “unfair.”
2013 school captain Georgia Stewart wrote a lengthy rebuttal for the Sydney Morning Herald, saying:
“The characterisation of Ravenswood as a corporate institution with profit as its driving motive, above the consideration of students, is both unfair and an insult to those who work tirelessly for those in their care. I never felt as though I was unable to express myself. In fact, it was almost the complete opposite, as I and others were provided with various platforms in which to discuss issues or concerns with the way the student pastoral care culture had evolved at Ravenswood.”
2010 school captain Sam Wright said that as someone who is not from one of the wealthy, influential families mentioned in the speech, but who nonetheless attained a leadership role, Haynes’ words were “naive” and “unconsidered”:
“I’ve heard from many ex-students over the past few days who feel Sarah’s speech unfairly questioned the school’s loyalty to their values. It is also both naive and ignorant to blame the school for teenage girls’ insecurities. As awful and paralysing as insecurities are, they are by no means exclusively felt by Ravenswood girls and certainly not brought on by the school’s management.”
The original version of Haynes’ speech has since been taken down from YouTube.
Story: Fairfax
Photo: Facebook
