What are the accomplishments and successes?
By: John Collier
Posted 07 April 2008
We are delighted with the fine results of many of our students despite the impact of the new table on some. 24 of our students (HSC and IB combined) have achieved a UAI above 90. Under the old table, the number would have been 37.
It is difficult to compare our 2007 students’ results with those of past students, due to the imposition from this year of a new, and less advantageous, IB Diploma to UAI conversion table. What was previously, on the old conversion table, a UAI of 98 is now 95, what was 90 is now 85, and what was 78.8 is now 69.65.
Our Dux in 2007, Year 12, is Chamath Ariyasinghe with a UAI of 99.8.
Particularly pleasing in our HSC results was Karina Douglass who gained four band 6s (over 90%) and was only two marks off Band 6 (and the Premier’s all-rounder list) in her other two subjects.Also very pleasing was Zac Abela’s results. Zac gained either Band 6 or was within two marks of Band 6 in five subjects. Zac’s HSC Visual Arts major work is being exhibited as part of ArtExpress, an exhibition of the best works in the state.
Suzanne Lang achieved a splendid 48/50 (96%) in English Extension 2, as well as Band 6 in Drama. The best performing HSC subject in the school was Textiles and Design, closely followed by History Extension, English Extension 2 and Ancient History.The best performing IB Diploma subjects were Geography and Visual Arts. There were 20 ‘perfect scores’ of the maximum grade 7 in IB Diploma subjects, as well as 11 Extended Essay Grade As (up from 5 last year). Unfortunately, these results are not recognised in the Sydney media ‘League Tables’, which ignore the IB Diploma, studied in 2007 by more than half our Year 12 students.
The Year 10 cohort’s performance in English-Literacy is even better than indicated above, as a whole class of accelerants sat the English Test last year (while in Year 9) and achieved very well.
In Computing Skills, 83% of St Paul’s students were judged highly competent, compared with 58% of the whole state.
For the first time in the history of School Certificate tests, a St Paul’s student has achieved a perfect score of 100%. In fact, we have registered this year three such scores. Congratulations to Nicola Parise (100% in Australian History and Australian Geography) and Rhy Starkey (100% in Australian Geography).
Congratulations also to our first place getters:
- English-Literacy Daniela Johns 94
- Mathematics Rhys Starkey 96
- Science Logan Starkey 96 Rhys Starkey 96
- Australian History Nicola Parise 100
- Australian Geography Nicola Parise 100 Rhys Starkey 100
- Computing Skills Matthew Bennett 98 Cameron Silvestrini 98
Across all credentials, it was very pleasing to see that very few were students in the bottom tail of the candidature.Congratulations are due to those students who have performed really well against state and international benchmarks, those who have performed well in terms of personal bests and those many who have gained access to preferred courses at university, TAFE, and private colleges.