First Year 12 captains in decades lead the way at St Mary’s

By Billie Davern

May 26, 2025

Deep into Term 2 of the school year, the first St Mary’s Year 12 captains in more than three decades are only looking forward.

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At the end of January, the current St Mary’s VCE cohort became the first of its kind to step on to the school grounds in 34 years, this year marking the first time the school has a Year 12 class in more than three decades.

With that has come an even greater responsibility for Cooper Shearer and Sophie Munro, who assumed their roles as captains earlier this year.

“Everyone is so excited about us being the first Year 12 group, and having the opportunity to be the first Year 12 captains in 34 years is really exciting,” Sophie said.

“Obviously, it’s a really good title to have, but there’s also the role of leading the school for the first time, as well.”

Cooper, who has spent the majority of his school life at St Mary’s, said it’s been a bit overwhelming to lead such a large number of students.

“It’s a bit stressful — especially speaking at assemblies, there’s so many people looking up to you,” he said.

“I’ve been here since Prep, and the school has just gotten so much bigger, we’ve got about 605 students now, and when I was in primary school it was only about 400.”

Having now fully assumed their new positions, Sophie and Cooper are both clear about what impact they hope to have on the school community.

“I’m hoping to encourage people to get involved in school events, and make sure everyone is having a go,” Cooper said.

“I want to bring people closer together... And, just make sure we have the right habits and scenarios in place that sets [the school] up for a good future,” Sophie said.

Looking forward themselves, Sophie said she hoped to attend Monash or La Trobe to study either criminal or corporate law after completing her VCE, while Cooper is wanting to undertake a Bachelor of Agriculture at University of Melbourne.

Despite being part of the first Year 12 cohort in decades, both captains said the VCE students were receiving all the support they needed to thrive this year.

“It was made very clear to us when we became school captains that our school work would always be put first,” Cooper said.

“It’s very easy to get that one-on-one support, which is good,” Sophie said.

“The teachers’ support has been amazing.”