23 February 2018
On Wednesday 14 February we celebrated the achievements of our 2017 Year 12 class with the annual Academic Muster. This year we welcomed back nine of our highest achieving students, including our joint Young Exhibition winners for the Dux of the School. The Muster also coincided with the publication of our Achieve brochure, which provides the community with an overview of our extraordinary results.
Top Achievers
What I think is special about Saints is that we are not an academically selective school – we welcome all boys, with different strengths. We welcome boys from all language and cultural backgrounds, some with a range of learning needs. Some students join us only in Year 10 or 11, from a wide variety of other schools and backgrounds. It is amazing that as a School we can assist boys to achieve results which are among the very best in the entire country. That speaks volumes for what we do here and what Saints offers to our students.
In our Academic Muster, we acknowledged our top 13 students who all earned an ATAR of 99.30 or more, placing them in the top 0.7% of students nationally. Despite having all studied different subjects, been involved in different ways at School, and all going on to do different things this year, they share some things in common which serve as a motivator for other students:
- These students have spent many, many years being dedicated to their studies. They did not wake up on the morning of their first exam, or even the beginning of Year 12 and decide now was the time to begin working. For students in Years 7 to 10, now is the time to start applying yourself. Effort now is absolutely not wasted.
- These young men have enjoyed their studies. It may have been stressful at times, but they chose subjects they enjoyed and they were willing to make some sacrifices along the way to focus on their study. Those subjects have guided them in their career choices – which you’ll see are hugely varied.
- These young men formed excellent relationships with their teachers – it was a team effort. They trusted their teachers, responded well to their support, and remained open and honest with them.
I have provided a little information below about each of them, including the subjects they studied and noted any Merits they received. It is worth pointing out what a Merit is. In the IB, a Merit is awarded for a maximum grade of seven in a subject. In the SACE, a student may receive a maximum A+ grade, but not all A+ grades are a Merit. Merits are given sparingly to only the very highest achievers of those A+ students, hand-selected by the SACE Board.
So, congratulations to our top students:
Daniel Binks (SACE) 99.30
Subjects: Chemistry, English Literary Studies, Mathematical Methods, Legal Studies (Merit), Biology (Merit).
Daniel is moving to Melbourne this year, where he has gained a place in University College at the University of Melbourne. He will be studying a Bachelor of Biomedicine.
Will Proudman (IB) 42 = 99.40
Subjects: English A SL, German B HL, Economics HL (Merit), Chemistry HL (Merit), Physics SL (Merit), Mathematics SL (Merit)
Daniel Munro (IB) 42 = 99.40
Subjects: English A HL, Chinese B SL, Mathematics SL, History HL (Merit), Chemistry HL (Merit), Physics SL (Merit),
Daniel has been accepted into the Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery at Adelaide University, so he will be commencing his 15 years of medical study!
Laurie Brown (IB) 42 = 99.40
Subjects: English A HL, Chemistry SL, History HL, Economics HL (Merit), Mathematical Studies SL (Merit), Spanish ab initio SL (Merit)
Laurie is deferring his university course for six months to gain some work experience. He will be taking up a course at the Australian National University in a Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics.
Oliver Marshall (IB) 42 = 99.40
Subjects: English A SL, German B SL, Economics HL (Merit), Physics HL (Merit), Chemistry HL (Merit), Mathematics SL (Merit)
He is staying in Adelaide this year and we congratulate Oliver on his place in the Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery at Adelaide University.
Deon Mai (SACE) 99.75
Subjects: Biology, English, Mathematical Methods, Specialist Mathematics (Merit), Physics (Merit), Accounting (Merit)
Deon will be studying a Bachelor of Computer Science (Advanced) at Adelaide University. Good luck Deon!
Tristan Hall (SACE) 99.75
Subjects: Chemistry, English Literary Studies, Specialist Mathematics, Integrated Learning, Music Ensemble Performance, Mathematical Methods (Merit), Physics (Merit), Research Project B (Merit)
We commend Tristan on his entry into Adelaide University to study a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
Caleb Bem (SACE) 99.80
Subjects: Chemistry, Mathematical Methods, Specialist Mathematics, Physics, Biology (Merit), Research Project B (Merit)
Reuben Symon (IB) 43 = 99.7
Subjects: English A HL, Geography SL, Spanish ab initio SL (Merit), Chemistry HL (Merit), Physics SL (Merit), Mathematics HL (Merit)
Reuben has already commenced his study in Canberra at the Australian National University to study a double degree in Engineering and Science (Physics/Chemistry)
Atacan Ertugrul (SACE) 99.85
Subjects: English Literary Studies, Mathematical Methods, Specialist Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry (Merit), Physics (Merit),
Atacan will moving to Melbourne to study Medicine at Monash University.
Christopher Burton (SACE) 99.85
Subjects: English Literary Studies, Music Solo Performance, , Specialist Mathematics, Music Ensemble Performance (Merit), Mathematical Methods (Merit), Physics (Merit), Research Project B (Merit)
Christopher has been accepted into the Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery at Adelaide University and we wish him well
Young Exhibition for Dux of the School
The historical prize is named after Henry Fox Young, the namesake of Young House, the fifth Governor of South Australia and a generous benefactor of the School.
Andrew Zhang (SACE) 99.85
Subjects: English Literary Studies, Biology (Merit), Chemistry (Merit), Mathematical Methods (Merit), Physics (Merit)
Andrew arrived at Saints in Year 8 and was in MacDermott House. During last year alone he was awarded House Colours, was the Senior Chess Champion, played in the Senior C Badminton, Senior C Basketball, and was awarded Colours for Chess. Andrew is a fitting example of a student who found lots of activities he loved and stuck with them throughout his years in the Senior School. He was clearly a dedicated student but also had a reputation among boys and staff for being an absolute gentleman.
Andrew has accepted an offer from Monash University in Melbourne to study Medicine. He is a worthy recipient of the Young Exhibition.
Isaac Tennant (IB) 44 =99.85
Subjects: English A SL, German B SL (Merit), Geography HL (Merit), Biology HL (Merit), Mathematics SL (Merit), Chemistry HL (Merit).
Isaac has been at Saints since Year 7 and was an active member of Hawkes House. In 2017 he was a House Prefect, the recipient of the JS Thomson Prize for Chemistry, Old Collegians Biology Prize and Old Collegians Geography Prize. Notably, Isaac’s skills in Geography saw him represent Australia at the International Geography Olympiad in Serbia last year. He was also in the First XI Soccer, the Senior A Debating Team, was awarded symbols for Debating, and was also a member of the Historical Society. So his interests are incredibly varied. I also have it on good authority that anyone who has been part of a conversation where Isaac is present will always learn something new and interesting from him.
Isaac has gained entry to Medicine at Adelaide University. So, he will proudly be one of nine Saints boys starting Medicine (six IB students and three SACE). He is a true all-rounder and another worthy recipient of the Young Exhibition.
Emily FitzSimons, Director of Learning and Teaching Excellence