Starting off by thanking her teachers and fellow pupils, head girl Sarah Haynes’ speech began just like any normal and standard end of year speech would.

 

However, as she continued, the 18-year-old  shared “one of the greatest lessons” she has learned at Ravenswood School for Girls – to be honest.

 

“I’ve spent a lot of this year speaking about the achievements and successes of Ravo, but I’m going to do something a little different this year – be honest,” she said.

 

Speaking at the private school in Australia, which charges Year 12 students AUS$S28,600 a year, she went on to say that the school was trying to sell the image of a “wonderous perfection”, which she believes it doesn’t have.

 

Explaining how she thought her job was to big up the school after being told that “no parent wants to hear the school isn’t perfect”, Sarah felt the need to speak openingly and honestly about the place she has spent 72% of her life.

 

“I don’t know how to run a school, but it seems to me that today’s schools are being run more and more like businesses where everything becomes financially motivated, where more value is placed on those who provide good publicity or financial benefits,” Miss Haynes said.

 

Mark Webb, chairman of Ravenswood's school council, has spoken out about the video and Sarah's claim her speech was censored, saying: "Ravenswood has an overriding obligation to provide a safe and respectful learning environment for every student—and all our girls have the right to feel valued."

 

“This applies not only to the way girls behave towards one another but also to allowing their freedom to express individual opinions in speeches or otherwise,”

 

Not surprisingly, the clip has been viewed nearly 70,000 times on YouTube.

 

 

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