While many students across the Eurobodalla Shire were biting at the bit to open their long-awaited HSC marks and ATARs last week, Narooma High School’s Campbell Allison took a more relaxed approach.
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Local students were among the 77,000 HSC graduates across the state who received their final marks and tertiary admission ranks on Thursday, December 13 and Friday, December 14.
The star performer, who achieved an ATAR of 86.55, said the result was a pleasant surprise, above his desired rank of 85.
“I’ve been pretty relaxed about it. The only reason I opened it (on Friday) was because all my friends went Christmas shopping and they wanted to know,” Campbell said.
“They were pretty happy when they found out; I tried to divert as much attention as possible.
“The ATAR to me wasn’t such a big deal but I needed it for the next step.
“I was really happy and surprised I got that high.”
The Kianga local plans to study aerospace engineering at the Queensland University of Technology.
“Apparently I’ve wanted to do it since Year 6. It just stuck and I enjoy the concept of being able to work on such a complex machine,” he said.
“I’ve always enjoyed the design side and how they get off the ground.”
Also celebrating a stellar HSC result was Narooma High’s Cassidy Ker, who achieved top bands in English Extension 1 and Legal Studies and an ATAR of 85.95.
Cassidy said she was “thrilled” with her performance and was excited to study a double degree in law and psychology at the University of Wollongong.
“I was already accepted into uni so I was just trying to do the best I could without the pressures of getting in,” Cassidy said.
“When I started studying legal studies in Year 11, it sparked an interest straight away for me which I carried throughout my schooling.
“I’m thinking of becoming a prosecution lawyer; I’m definitely interested in debating in the court room.”
After juggling two jobs during her final year of schooling, Cassidy stressed effective time management as one of the keys to her success.
“It meant making sure I was on top of my revision and assignments,” she said.
“I would get an assignment and start it straight away and hand in a few drafts to make sure it was the best I could do before the due date.”
In a first for the school, Rory Spurgeon, who completed an accelerated HSC Mathematics course in Year 11, achieved a remarkable band 6 result.
Narooma High’s relieving deputy principal, Andrew Thomas, said students performed well across the board in this year’s HSC.
“We had quite a number of kids do very well and a whole host of students got high band 5s,” Mr Thomas said.
“They were all very happy with their results and we are all very proud of them.”
Mr Thomas however, encouraged students to keep their Year 12 results in perspective.
“Once kids get into the university courses they want, their ATAR becomes irrelevant,” he said.
“I’m really happy with kids as they exit the place and have a lot of faith as they pursue their chosen fields.
“The HSC itself is a stepping stone, so even if you don’t get the marks you want, there are other paths to your goal.”