Picture: MOLLY TAYLOR
TOP Grant High School students recorded impressive results when Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) scores were released yesterday.
Year 12 graduate Sophie Monkley was named the school’s dux with an ATAR of 98.85.
“I am very proud of myself,” she said.
“I have worked hard not only this year, but throughout all my time at Grant High School.
“I could not have done it without the support from my teachers – the commitment to our learning is extraordinary.”
Sophie received academic excellence awards in all her Year 12 subjects and also earned the UniSA John Petkov award for Excellence in Mathematics Methods.
Sophie will complete a gap year administration traineeship with Grant High School and would then like to transition into secondary education in 2020.
“I will come back next year and it is the perfect place to start my future,” she said.
“I have applied everywhere as I do not know where I want to go, but am looking at specialising in mathematics or science.
“That’s what I like and I feel I am good at it.”
Sophie’s sister and GHS Year 11 student Georgia Monkley received a merit in Year 12 communications products – photography.
GHS Year 12 graduate Cody Lewis was close behind with a ATAR score of 95.15.
“In the end I was happy with how I dealt with Year 12,” she said.
“I was happy with how it all turned out considering I have a fair few ups and downs.
“In the end it was better than actually expected.”
Cody received academic excellence awards for physical education, biology and general mathematics and a merit in Year 12 general mathematics.
Cody shares a passion for sport and hopes to further develop his interest into a career.
“I love sport and helping people, so I put the two together to create a dream job,” she said.
“I am looking to begin university in 2019 to study a double degree of a bachelor in exercise science with a masters of clinical exercise physiology.”
GHS Year 12 graduate Cooper Ferguson hopes to complete a bachelor of science and astrophysics at the University of Adelaide in 2020 with his ATAR of 94.2.
“There were struggles throughout Year 12 that were expected,” he said.
“The majority of us completed the year very well.
“This year I received the school’s academic award for specialist math, UniSA John Petkov Excellence in Specialist Mathematics and/or Mathematical Methods Award and the OneFortyOne Emily Redding memorial for academic excellence.”
GHS year 12 graduate Ella Firth received an ATAR score of 92.6 and is currently completing a 22-week project firefighter course in Dartmoor.
Ella is interested in completing a bachelor of paramedic science.
GHS principal Fleur Roachock said she looked forward to the students achieving great things in the future.
“This year’s top scorers have the world at their feet,” she said.
“The students have worked really hard and have been incredibly committed.
“Their teachers have developed great relationships with the students and have helped the students achieve exactly what they wanted to.”
Ms Roachock believes this year’s ATAR and school achievements are “on par” with previous years.
“They carried themselves with dignity and applied very successful organisation skills,” she said.
“As a group they had some issues that were handled in a very adult type way.
“Although some students did not receive the ATAR they desired, they need to remember they have other qualities that will allow them to do amazing things.”
