A boisterous and excited crowd took in as many of the events as they could manage.

Parents, friends and family members packed the grounds around McCaughey House, the centre point of the school grounds on Saturday.

From sheep shearing to junior cattle judging and even a gymkhana, students were able to share the spotlight to demonstrate their knowledge for their parents.

Now in his second year at Yanco Ag, student Mitchell Whyte was excited to see the variety of activities for the students to participate in.

Of the various events, one stood above the rest in his mind.

“Oh the quick shear, that’s the one,” Mitchell said.

“It’s pretty fun.”

The 13 year-old hoped the Gala Day offered some insight on what goes on at the historic grounds.

“It gets the school out there,” Mitchell said.

“The community can come to see how good we are and what we do.”

The Gala Day is the only major fundraiser for the year for the P&C and was the culmination of a logistical challenge in co-ordinating people from far and wide.

Yanco Ag HS P&C secretary Kerrie Johnston was pleased to see so many parents make the effort to get involved in their children's education..

“We are happy with the turnout and it was well supported,” Mrs Johnston said. “The parents come down and see that as an opportunity to have a bit of time with their kids.”

Some of Yanco Ag’s students hail from as far away as Batemans Bay and Broken Hill.

The extreme distances pose a challenge for some families to be involved in their children’s learning.

Yanco Ag appreciate the dedication shown by parents friends and family that are able to make the annual trip to visit the campus.

The school also know the impact a visit from parents can have on the students.

Often students will be doing things the parents don’t always see or understand through conversations,” Mrs Johnston said.

“Number one they can see what their children are doing. It also helps them to support their children in the different activities.”

Promoting parental involvement is easy, but the connection that is made by bringing parents and family members from far off places onto the school campus inspires children to participate in a wide variety of activities in pursuit of their dreams.

“It’s very important that the parents would actually see what the students are actually doing,” Mrs Johnston said.

In a world of endless possibilities and vast horizons, young Mitchell Whyte’s dream is to gain the skills necessary to go to work on a farm.

Walking the campus with his family helps him find the inspiration and support to reach for his dream.