By Contributor
Seventy-six Year 12 graduates from Catholic schools across WA have been recognised as Catholic Education Western Australia Ltd’s (CEWA) high achievers for 2023.
The graduates and their families were this week invited to the annual Academic Excellence Awards ceremony in Leederville, Tuesday 30 January, to celebrate their achievements.
The award recipients included those students who achieved an Australian Tertiary Admission Ranking (ATAR) of 99 and above, as well as those who received a Pinnacle Award from the School Curriculum and Standards Authority in ATAR and VET pathways.
One third of eligible Year 12 students in Catholic schools achieved an ATAR above 90, with 53 students obtaining an ATAR of 99+. Twelve students received Exhibitions; they were:
- Samuel Laing from John XXIII College received a General Exhibition
- Greta Lynch from Iona Presentation College received a General Exhibition
- Murali Nguyen from John XXIII College received a General Exhibition and a Subject Exhibition for Religion and Life
- Samuel Petrovic from Emmanuel Catholic College received a General Exhibition
- Saskia Thomas from John XXIII College received a General Exhibition
- Matthew Gardner from Aquinas College received a Subject Exhibition for Applied Information Technology
- Matthew Vinci from Aquinas College received a Subject Exhibition for Accounting and Finance
- Grace Ivory from Santa Maria College received a Subject Exhibition for Dance
- Noah Smith from Sacred Heart College received a Subject Exhibition for Engineering Studies
- Willem Degli Esposti from Mazenod College received a Subject Exhibition for English
- Amanda Barilla from Newman College received a Subject Exhibition for Outdoor Education
- Nicholas Kelly from St Norbert College received a VET Exhibition for Construction Industries
Two students, Murali Nguyen and Matthew Vinci, received the maximum possible ATAR of 99.95.
CEWA’s Executive Director Wayne Bull said he is delighted to be able to celebrate and acknowledge the 2023 Year 12 high achievers.
“To also recognise their parents, family, teachers and principals for their support and encouragement throughout their learning journey,” Mr Bull said.
“As a former Principal of many years, I know too well how important this is for success,” he said. “As students move into the next stage of their lives, I hope it is with fond memories of their time with their Catholic school. And I hope they found a sense of belonging and were instilled with a spirit of service which they keep with them for the rest of their lives.”