MILLICENT’S Year 12 students are celebrating some of their highest end of year results, with Tenison Woods College student Chloe Futcher receiving an incredible Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) of 99.35.
The 18-year-old received a perfect score – 20 out of 20 – in three subjects and was named as one of just 28 students to receive a Governor’s award for her academic excellence.
Expecting an ATAR of 95, Ms Futcher was shocked when she logged on and discovered her near-perfect ATAR.
“I was actually having dreams of me not getting what I wanted not and just missing out not long ago,” Ms Futcher said.
“I was just saying to mum last night about imagining if I achieved something above a 99.
“When we found out we started jumping up and down and mum started crying so I think we were all pretty over the moon.”
Ms Futcher said her score, which is understood to be the highest in the Limestone Coast, was a culmination of hard work, dedication and sacrifice.
Combining a part-time job and sporting commitments, Ms Futcher said she was motivated to push through the “long and tiring days” to achieve a score high enough for medicine.
“I would get up at six to get ready, catch the bus and not get home until 4.15pm,” she said.
“I also had a job so I had to get off the bus, go straight home and then to work.
“I would finish at 10pm to then get up and do it all over again.
“There were a few times where I thought maybe it was too hard and maybe I would not go to school because I was too tired and wanted to sleep in.”
Her persistence paid of dividends and has received merit awards in English, Research Project B and Biology, which she completed in Year 11.
“Year 12 is as stressful as you make it and because I had the desire to really achieve and get good results, it was quite stressful in some parts of the year,” Ms Futcher said.
Ms Futcher said the main advice she would pass on to future Year 12 students was to “not stress because it will all work out in the end”.
“The biggest thing for me, was having people and teachers I could always talk to and who really actually want to see me achieve.”
College principal David Mezinec said Ms Futcher had worked hard and received the result she deserved at the highest level.
“Chloe is great example of somebody who made some great decisions and decided she was going to have to sweat a bit during Year 12,” he said.
Mr Mezinec said four Millicent-based students – Luke Janssen, James Lucas, Clare Davey and Lara MacGregor – achieved ATAR’s over 90.
“I am really delighted we have a great representation from Millicent which is lovely to see our regional students are able to achieve given some of the challenges of bus runs and other contributing factors,” he said.
“The Millicent community needs to be proud of these students too because they have achieved at the highest level.”
