Attendees claimed that the day, organised by Neil Moon and Janelle Kemp was poorly planned and not to the standard of previous years. Instead of being a showcase of student's achievements, the presentation day ceremony was a chance for the school and its staff to spin and attempt to talk up a very troubled school. Attendees claimed the order of the ceremony, the reduction in the number of musical items and lack of time management showed the complete incompetence of Mr Moon and Ms Kemp with organising such a function.
Attendees were given a sticker saying "Friends of Carenne" made by the education department's disability programs officer Linda Cormack, which they were encouraged to put on their cars to show support for the school. Ms Cormack claimed that she thought of the stickers during a dream and went on to speak of her fondness for the school.A number of parents were disgusted with the stickers, with one parent saying they were 'demeaning' - "What sort of idiot would make a sticker that looks like it was created by a pre-school child. It's pathetic and demeaning, most students at the school would be capable of making something far better but of course arrogant b****es like Linda Cormack wouldn't be able to see that, they think disabled kids are incapable."
Another parent told Carenne Gate that he thought the bumper stickers showed the desperation of the education department. "Obviously when you have to hand out a sticker to get from free advertisement you are in trouble," said the parent.
Attendees also attacked Neil Moon's 'principal's report', which ran for almost half an hour. Staff and parents complained about how his speech was long, boring, drawn out and full of spin. He spoke of what he considered to be the school's achievements this year, which staff criticised as an attempt to make himself look as though he was in control. Nedkelly told Carenne Gate that Mr Moon spoke about achievements that wouldn't normally be considered achievements because he had nothing else to speak about.
Moon's speech also mentioned how the school had valuable partnerships with corrupt organisations Carenne Support and the Riding for the Disabled Association and of partnerships he claims to have built with the community.
The musical piece by Carenne's guitar teacher, Steve Minshull was another segment which drew criticism from attendees, with many claiming it was 'atrocious' and 'appalling'. The students, despite being taught by Mr Minshull all year were unable to play the guitar with Mr Minshull stealing the limelight with his performance. One staff member complained that the choice of song - Under the Boardwalk was inappropriate for a function for a school where students from pre-school to Year 12 attended.
Another staff member claimed that the song was a poor choice as it was far too complicated for the students in the group to be able to play -
"For someone with years of experience as a music teacher you would think that he would be able to pick an appropriate song for the students to play. Instead, he chose something that was too complicated for them to be able to play and used it as an opportunity to make himself look good while making the students look bad. One parent commented to me about how the students looked out of their depth and how some in the audience made fun of them. You should celebrate what these students can do, not make them look bad."Once again, staff at Carenne Special School forgot about the true purpose of the day and used it to further their own agenda.
