Aidan Curtis
THE tense wait has finally ended for Year 12 students after South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) results were announced earlier in the week.
On Monday, December 19, students in the region woke to the news that their results were available online.
Mount Gambier’s schools showed good results, with more than 30 students finishing up with an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) of 90 or above.
Tenison Woods College contributed 17 of those, naming Victoria Sagirov as Dux with an ATAR of 98.35.
Miss Sagirov attained A’s for five of her subjects, and two Merit awards for Integrated Learning A and Research Project B.
“I saw my score, and I was really happy,” she said.
“It didn’t really sink in until after I told my parents. They were really proud of me, they have been my biggest supporters.”
She is moving to Germany and plans to attend the University of Munich and study a Bachelor of Engineering and Technical Mathematics.
“I will be moving in with my sister who is currently studying her PhD in Computational Linguistics,” she said.
“I am really excited, and I leave next week.”
Fellow Tenison student Jess Tresidder was also honoured, receiving a Governor of SA Commendation for her ATAR of 97.85 coupled with starting her own business.
Ms Tresidder said she was not expecting those results, but she was proud of both herself and her fellow students.
“When I got the phone call from the SACE board that I got that award, it was kind of just a shock,” she said.
“Out of all the people who were doing good things, somehow Jess in little old Mount Gambier got [a Commendation], so I’m just really grateful I got the experience and I’m privileged enough to go to a school that does allow me the opportunity to try my best in my education.
“Most of all, I was also proud of lots of the people in my cohort who also got really high grades, so pretty good outcomes for most people.”
Grant High School finished up with 13 students achieving an ATAR over 90, and principal Caroline Wakefield said the results reflected their the outstanding commitment to their studies.
Grant Dux Gemma Ralph said she also did not expect such good results and was a little “overwhelmed” by her 99.05 ATAR.
“It was a big year, a really big year, and I was really stressed for most of it,” Ms Ralph said.
“I never expected that result, but it’s nice to know I have my options open for university.”
She said the best advice she could give to next year’s cohort was to stay consistent with their studies to help stay on top of things.
That was echoed by Mount Gambier High School Dux Tully McShane, who said her ATAR of 92.85 was helped by her ability to prioritise tasks.
“I’m a bit of a stress head, so it’s good for it to be done,” she said.
“Whatever needs to be done, just prioritise and tick it off one thing at a time.
“Don’t overwhelm yourself with it all.”
St Martins Lutheran College also had great results overall, with 26 per cent of their ATAR-eligible students achieving an ATAR over 80.
St Martins principal Alan Connah said the students deserved their good results as they reflect all the work invested in their education.
He also said Dux Paige Hillier deserved to be congratulated on her results after achieving an ATAR of 92.50.
High achievers for each school were:
Tenison Woods College:
Victoria Sagirov – 98.35
Reuben van Eyk – 97.90
Jessica Tresidder – 97.85
Tess Kenseley – 97.25
Sarah Taylor – 96.10
Patrick Brodie – 95.90
Keeva Shepherd – 95-15
Will Vaughan – 95.05
Mia Van Gaans – 94.90
Alexandra Gittins – 94.80
Mariam Kassim – 93.45
Amelie Salmon – 91.65
Alyssa Duncan – 91.50
Grace Ferguson – 91.25
Lilah Lamb – 90.85
Sari Mutton – 90.60
Mercedes Theobald – 90.40
Grant High School:
Gemma Ralph – 99.05
Molly Wild – 98.75
Breeanna Jones – 97.00
Chelsea Ray – 96.70
Niamh Leishman – 94.85
Emily Smith – 93.65
Skarlette Case – 93.30
Elliott Cigognetti – 93.30
Mia Crewe – 93.15
Emily Tzioutziousklaris – 92.35
Aiden Creasey – 91.90
Megan Ruwoldt – 91.25
Dylan McGregor – 90.60
Kobi Barton – 88.55
Maddison Cowland – 87.60
Mount Gambier High School:
Tully McShane – 92.85
Mia Bellinger – 92.15
Brianna Bisnov – 90.65
Hayden Crowe – 89.60
Marni Black – 89.55
St Martins Lutheran College:
Paige Hillier – 92.50
Halle Anderson – 92.05
Bethany Coscarelli – 88.15
