By Casey Neill
Schools across Greater Dandenong are celebrating outstanding results from their Year 12 students.
Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) results were released on Monday 12 December.
Noble Park Secondary College principal Pam Dyson said her school’s results showed “an upward trend in our scores”.
“This includes an increased mean score for our overall English results, and an increased amount of students receiving individual scores over 40,” she said.
Ms Dyson said the school’s dux was Kenny Ong who achieved a score of 91.45 and is aspiring to study radiology at Monash University.
“He is currently overseas but I managed to speak with him personally yesterday (Monday 12 December) on the phone to explain how proud we are of him,” she said.
“I am very proud of all our students and staff as they have worked hard to achieve excellent results.”
Minaret College’s Springvale campus principal Sead Omerovic said the school had 86 students in Year 12 this year and all completed VCE.
“I was pleased to see 13 students get an ATAR score above 90, with the highest score of 98.05 achieved by Aamna Hameed,” he said.
“There were also two perfect scores of 50 in health and human development and texts and traditions.
“We celebrated these achievements on Monday with the school community.”
Lyndale Secondary College assistant principal Pam Robinson said Thomas Anderson earned the Dandenong North school’s dux with a 97.1 ATAR.
“All his peers and the staff and principals of Lyndale are very proud of his outstanding achievement,” she said.
“The celebration of this dream coming true will go on at Lyndale for some time.
“It should be mentioned that Tom, as he is known at Lyndale, has always been a very committed high achiever and he has never let his severe visual impairment stand in his way.
“And what a wonderful way for him to bring his senior year as a college captain to a close.”
Ms Robinson said Tom addressed next year’s VCE students at an assembly following the results.
“Everyone was looking forward to the opportunity to share in Tom’s success and learning something from it that will help them to achieve their dreams,” she said.
Thirteen other students received an ATAR above 80, Ms Robinson said, and all the enrolled Year 12s successfully completed their VCE and were now working with the careers counsellor to finalise their transition to further education and training.
At Bangholme’s Cornish College, 19 students completed VCE and VET studies as the school’s second Year 12 cohort.
Thirty per cent of Cornish College’s VCE students were placed in the top 20 per cent of the state with an ATAR score of 80 or above.
“Many of our students have done remarkably well and I am pleased to announce that our 2016 school dux is Sofia Fifield with an ATAR of 96.3,” principal Vicki Steer said.
The school embeds sustainability in the curriculum and co-curricular activities and its mottos is Make a Difference.
Three students already have tertiary placement offers, ahead of the first official offers to be made on 18 January.
“Obtaining an ATAR score is only one part of the overall picture of any individual student,” VCE co-ordinator Nathan Rhodes said.
“Our students will have a successful outcome with the pathway they have chosen.”
Mt Hira principal Sareh Salarzadeh said the school had 28 Year 12 students.
“We’re proud of each and every one of our students,” she said.
“They shouldn’t be defined by an ATAR score by ranking.
“They’ve given it their best.”
At Haileybury, which has a campus in Keysborough, five students achieved the highest possible ATAR of 99.95.
The mark was awarded to only 35 students across the state.
Haileybury students also achieved a record 33 perfect study scores of 50.
The Journal also contacted St John’s Regional College, Dandenong High School, Keysborough College and Carwatha College.
