THE outstanding achievements of Kangaroo Inn Area School Year 12 student Ellie Leopold were recognised after she was named as a Governor of South Australia Commendation Excellence Award recipient.
Months of dedication was met with elation as Ellie received the news shortly after being notified of her Australian Tertiary Entrance Ranking (ATAR) score on Tuesday morning.
The high-achieving student was in shock when notified of her university entrance ranking of 96.9 after aiming for a score in the early 90s to enter into her preferred university course.
“I got my grade online because they were up earlier than the ATAR results,” she said.
“My principal sent my mum a message saying I had 96.9 and I was just in total shock.
“I asked if there was a mistake in the score or if she had typed the wrong numbers and when she said no, I started crying.”
The surprise continued shortly after when Ellie received a phone call from the SACE Board chief executive Jan Raymond congratulating her on receiving the Governor’s Commendation.
The prestigious award recognises excellence in Year 12 South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) subjects and in the qualities young people need for community life, citizenship and work.
Nominated by principal Annie Matthews, Ellie is one of 27 South Australian students receiving the commendation.
“She rang when we were on our way to the Mount and I was in complete shock,” she said.
“I’m so grateful for Annie for nominating me.”
Ellie’s long senior year culminated in commendable results across all subjects, with the 17-year-old achieving A-plus grades for research project and nutrition and A Grades for chemistry and English.
The 18-year-old also received an A-minus for agriculture and a B-plus for maths studies, which she completed while in Year 11.
“Chemistry was definitely the hardest and most challenging subject for me,” she said.
“I got an A-plus for the investigations folio, which was probably the most rewarding part, apart from my ATAR.”
Ellie attributed her successful results to discipline, organisational skills and strong support from Kangaroo Inn Area School staff and students.
“I was able to get such a good score because of Kangaroo Inn and the support and education I received,” she said.
“It’s such a great school and all of the teachers are always available if you need to ask for advice.
“It was a good year and I found it was really quick.
“After lessons or studying, I’d always make sure to remind myself it was only one year and it will all be worth it in the end and it was.”
Ellie will receive her Governor of South Australian Commendation at the SACE Merit Ceremony in February next year.
In the meantime, Ellie will undertake a traineeship at Stef’s Transport before deciding on a definitive university course.
“I’m not 100pc sure what I want to study,” she said.
“I was thinking about a double degree in agriculture and the environment, but I’ll need to have a think about it.”
