It was a celebratory afternoon at St Paul's Catholic Secondary College campus as High School Certificate (HSC) students were congratulated on their Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR).
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The college's top achievers were in attendance to celebrate their excellent grades with students Eric Northey and Zoe Ahearn receiving the highest results of their cohort.
Mr Northey received the highest ATAR of the cohort with a score of 90.25 and scored strongly in Mathematics Extension 1 and 2, Physics, and Information Processes and Technology.
Mr Northey said he felt pretty good with his results.
"I wouldn't say I was surprised," he said.
"I'm pretty satisfied with the work I put in."
Mr Northey credits his excellent score to his discipline and the ability to stick with routine.
"I wouldn't say I was the most motivated person but I had a lot of discipline so I would definitely do the work even if I didn't feel like doing it that specific day."
Ms Ahearn received an 89.65 ATAR result and five HSC results in Band 5 and 6.
"I really wanted a high score," she said.
"I wanted at lease one Band 6 and I think that was really what kept me going.
I moved around a lot of things in my life like my social and work life to fit in school work."
Ms Ahearn said that choosing subject she was interested in, taking a break before studying over the holidays, practice and excellent teachers helped her receive her excellent score.
"I'm just really ambitious about my school work," she said.
"I was able to get a band 6 in [Ancient History] so that was really a testament to how much I love these subjects...which I think is really crucial to getting a high score."
Both students have their futures lined up for them with Ms Ahearn already accepted into the University of Sydney for a Bachelor of Education (Secondary), majoring in English and minoring in Ancient History.
The sky is the limit for Mr Northey who will studying an aeronautical engineering course next year at the Australian Defense Force Academy.
Academic achievements
A number of students from St Paul's College received excellent results, including Zoe Delimihalis who's examination results were all at a Band 5 or above.
Assistant Principal of Learning and Teaching Geoff Melville said he was very pleased for the students.
"I taught two Year 12 classes this year so I had some sense of the strength of the group," he said.
"[The cohort] have just been a great leadership group in all areas of the college."
Year 12 students for 2023 have already accelerated in the HSC and some have undertaken HSC courses before siting the HSC for next year.
Ten students from the Year 11 cohort who are in the College's acceleration program also achieved excellent result in the HSC.
"At the moment there's all these opportunities for kids academically to really experience what the rigours of what the HSC course is like and prepare," Mr Melville said.
"We're really pleased with the opportunities all the kids are getting."
Emily Walker
Reporter at Macleay Argus and Port Macquarie News.
Reporter at Macleay Argus and Port Macquarie News.
