A huge thank you to our newest Honorary Moderator

[Joseph41]

Hi all,

Some moderator changes require their own threads, such are their importance. This is most certainly one of those changes: elysepopplewell has decided to transition into an Honorary Moderator role. 🙌

🎉 ELYSEPOPPLEWELL 🎉

Many people on these forums would be aware of the impact Elyse has made on ATAR Notes. With Jake and Jamon, she is one of the original NSW trio who, in conjunction with Brenden, literally (well, figuratively) gave birth to the New South Wales community. The NSW sections of ATAR Notes are thriving so much today that it's very easy to forget that, just a few years ago, they didn't exist. At all. ATAR Notes was exclusively Victorian. Seriously, think about that. Just a few years ago, ATAR Notes NSW didn't exist. Elyse's role in making it what it is today simply cannot be overstated.

From her very first post back in 2015, Elyse has brought to ATAR Notes true compassion, wisdom and positivity. Some of the most popular threads of all time, Elyse started. Some of the longest, most thought-provoking posts, Elyse posted. Of her more than 3,000 posts, I honestly don't think I've ever seen a post where I haven't thought, "wow, that's a great post". She has made 150+ posts in each of the English Advanced, Marking Thread, Legal Studies, Area of Study, English Extension 1 and SOR boards. Genuinely amazing contributions.

I think a lot of Elyse's personality has rubbed off on the forums, too. The forums are the most supportive I've ever seen them, and that's a very special culture we've developed. It is and always will be much larger than any individual, but Elyse well and truly encapsulates that culture. She's patient, kind, and genuinely wants the best for others - and those are the traits we want ATAR Notes to offer every single day. I honestly don't know where ATAR Notes NSW, and ATAR Notes more broadly, would be without her influence.

Thank you elysepopplewell: Honorary Moderator #23

Of course, despite all this, Elyse's impact on ATAR Notes extends well beyond the forum side of things - and this is where her efforts will be focused in the future. One of our very first and most experienced lecturers, Elyse has lectured literally thousands of HSC students across New South Wales. She authored or co-authored our Complete Course Notes for English Advanced, English Standard, Legal Studies and Studies of Religion, and is currently co-authoring the University Survival Guide. She's also written countless HSC articles (further to managing that part of the website), helping students all across Australia with study tips and general advice on how to get through their final years of secondary education.

And it's funny what sort of domino effect genuinely brilliant people like Elyse have. National Moderator sudodds, for example, went to Elyse's lectures when she (Susie) was in Year 12, and now is a lecturer and huge part of the ATAR Notes team herself. Stuff like this shows how strong the ATAR Notes Family is. As Elyse transitions into her new, obviously much-deserved Honorary Moderator position, somebody else will eventually move into her previous National Moderator position - and so the cycle goes.

Just to be clear, this is by no means a "bye, Elyse!" sort of post. Elyse will, we hope (haha), still be around - she just won't be focusing on the forums side of things as she once did.

So, I'd like to personally thank Elyse for being such an incredibly supportive and influential member of the AN Fam. Folks, feel free to add to the gratitude below. 👇 It's not every day a forum legend becomes an Honorary Moderator.

Thank you elysepopplewell: Honorary Moderator #23

P.S. I think there might be a new Hall of Fame member coming!

[Aaron]

Welcome to the club 

[jamonwindeyer]

To see that Elyse is shifting to Hon Mod honestly tugs at the heart strings.

It takes someone really special to turn an online community like ATAR Notes into something that fosters real world, meaningful relationships. Elyse is the person who I think, perhaps more than anyone else, turned the NSW community into the tightly-knit group we are today.

Thanks for everything El <3

[Bri MT]

Elyse's presence has been of great benefit not just to New South Wales but to the whole AN family,  and as a member of the Victorian side I want to sat a huge thank you for the role you played,  and the role you will be playing in AN's development.

I, like many of the other members,  don't remember an atarnotes without you - but I have no hesitation in saying that the community has vastly benefited from your involvement. 

Thank you so very much

[Joseph41]

Definitely agree with the sentiments above. Elyse really has been incredible for ATAR Notes. 💪

I, like many of the other members,  don't remember an atarnotes without you

It just wasn't the same.

[vox nihili]

Genuinely very sad to hear you're moving on, Elyse.

Has been an enormous pleasure to see all of the hard work you, and the other guys up in NSW, have done to establish a really amazing online community in Australia's second best state. I hope that you're stepping back from NatMod with a hell of a lot of pride, because we're all very proud of you!

[Joseph41]

Australia's second best state

That's not fair.

WA, QLD, SA and TAS are really very nice.

[Mada438]

Australia's second best state.

NSW Is #1 

But seriously, like holy crap. Congratulations Elyse!!!! I remember when i first came onto the forums and you were one of the first people to help me, to really show me how cool AN is!

You and Jamon are honestly legends
Thankyou so much for the support you've given me!

Very well deserved! 
Hope to still see you around.
I think your name will look pretty cool with a purple banner underneath it 

[Joseph41]

I think your name will look pretty cool with a purple banner underneath it 

It already does.

[dancing phalanges]

I've been that busy recently that this 12am-2am slot is usually when I am most free to pop back online (thank god I am on holidays for nearly 2 months from next Thursday!) so I will quickly chuck on now before I forget:

I only joined AN mid last year but Elyse was incredibly supportive in helping me, particularly with Extension English and I could tell that she genuinely cared.
And I mean this is epitomised by the fact she is still giving me amazing advice about journalism as I start my degree at UTS - the cycle just keeps going on.

Elyse did so much before I was even on AN and it is incredible to think that given she helped and inspired me so much during the time I've known her so far! I definitely know we'll be seeing her as the next Walkley Award winner soon because her passion for human rights is insane and will definitely take her places in the journalism industry! 

[elysepopplewell]

Hey everyone!

So I read this yesterday and weeped a little and then I didn't know what to say so here I am, with a bowl of pumpkin soup doing this whole Sunday night reflection thing.

ATAR Notes has been honestly incredible for me. It's one of those "you never know where life is going to take you" situations because I couldn't grow up wanting to work for ATAR Notes because it didn't exist growing up. And then in my HSC, AN started to trickle into my life. Then the opportunity came up very randomly to work for AN as a lecturer. I applied, then never got back to Brenden with my resume, he followed me up, I was in COMPLETE PANIC AND STRESS MODE ABOUT MY ENTIRE LIFE AND ITS DIRECTION in this immediate-post-hsc-exam period, I sent Brenden the TEMPLATE resume rather than my completed resume. He assured me at the time he would forget the template resume, but a year or so later revealed he pulled the two up side by side to scrunitise the two to see where I made the adjustments (tres embarrassing and very questioning of Brenden's use of time.. )

Then I wrote the legal notes (to this day, my favourite set of notes) and then did my first lecture. My first lecture was genuinely the most proud day of my life up until that point. I spilt coke on myself on the train home and tried to dip my chip into my phone instead of the aioli sauce because I was SO EXHAUSTED and just completely in a world of bliss. I truly felt like I had made a difference to the students in the room, academically and otherwise. I remember at one lecture, and it wasn't the first lecture, that a very soft-natured girl came up to me in the break (or at the end) of a lecture and waited in line to say,

"Thank you so much for standing up the front and being unapologetically outspoken and still kind. A lot of people say girls can't be funny, and girls can't be as clever or as confident, but you showed me you can be."

Then she literally scurried away before I could even question her "WHO SAYS THIS GHASTLY THINGS ABOUT GIRLS HUH BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL WRONG" and instead I was completely gobsmacked and then probably went on to answer a question about the division of powers or mandatory sentencing. So I suppose this is one tiny tiny tiny example of how I've fully recognised the platform ATAR Notes has given me to make a difference, in all kinds of ways. I've received such supportive feedback about lectures, content explaining, creative writing feedback, the notes, lecture intermission banter... I'm so thankful.

Online has been something else. In my first year online the forums I experienced all kinds of disruptions - it was my first year at uni, I was commuting further than I ever had before, I'd taken on an internship, a new role at ATAR Notes, had several significant personal issues, and a house renovation. ATAR Notes was a place I quite literally visited every single day, bar maybe four or five days, for an 8 month period. Some days extensive essay marking, some days just reading and upvoting (a lot of what I do now - you all make me smile and upvote until the cows come home). Then in my second year, I went overseas. In retrospect, I realise how lonely my first few weeks were in Italy. But don't think of lonely as a bad thing, think of lonely as time very much needed to be spent in solitude. I'd gone through a break up of an almost-five year relationship a few months before, then promptly managed to single handedly and disastrously dismantle the new relationship I'd formed (spoiler: we're together now and very very very happy. Hello Jake, if you're reading this, because I'm about to send you the link to this thread so you can see the nice things people said about me). I didn't speak Italian, it was COLD, and I was jetlagged. But every single day at the beginning I spent a few hours on ATAR Notes - it felt like home. Home I could take with me. And I did, I took ATAR Notes to Italy, France, Croatia, Spain, Germany, UK, Ireland, Prague, Amsterdam, Belgium...

And then this year: a time for change. I've started packing my room to move out of home, I'm coming towards the end of my degree (and holy shit I feel the burn), I've left my job at woolworths (6 YEARS OF CATCHING THIEVES LATER) and it's time to take on new roles and challenges. The time is now. My pumpkin soup is making me sombre. I'm eating liquid for dinner.

Thank you ATAR Notes. This thread says a lot about how I've helped people, and the reality is that ATAR Notes has helped me even more. I'm so incredibly bloody honoured to be able to help, love, laugh, talk, banter, and grow with you all. The magic of seeing new vibrant cohorts come through and still get to learn from the AN legends.

So to some forum members...
Jake and Jamon - thank you for doing less than raise me, teach me, laugh with me, and grow with me.

Brenden - thank you for writing me a handful of amazingly solid job/scholarship references. You believe in me a million more times than I do myself and how lucky I am to have you as a mentor. And for the record - I got an internship of Brenden's reference, and I've also been awarded a full scholarship for a media tour of South Korea in July thanks to another solid letter. You have inspired me from the very beginning. Now you're literally walking across three countries and that's mental.

The Nat, Vic, and NSW mods: You are the most intelligent people I've ever had the pleasure of working alongside. This community wouldn't be anything without your intellect, celebrations, opinions, diligence and kindness. Nick especially, I've begun to work closely with you over the last year. Your patient nature, kind heart, clever thoughts and humour are especially what I value, and what I learn from you.

NSW Lecturers around: I love you guys.

Everyone else: thank you for being fantastic. Imagine I'm Oprah giving you all badges for your amazingness. YOU GET A BADGE, AND YOUUUU GET A BADGE


Anyway. I'm crying. Not even a little, like a complete snotty blubbery mess and my heart feels so full. But this definitely isn't a goodbye. I'm still here. I'm so thankful for your kind words above, and I'm also going to take happiness in the upvotes to Nick's OP - I LOVE YOU, YOU UPVOTERS!

Thanks family. <3

[elysepopplewell]

Just saw the purple next to my username. Crying more. So symbolic.

[elysepopplewell]

Hi me again an hour later still sobbing