Echuca students learn their ATARs

At St Joseph’s College Echuca, Emma Head was named dux with an ATAR of 94.05.

The high-score hadn’t quite sunk in on the college’s Brigidine Campus, where Emma was joined by other strong achievers and her fellow Year 12 students.

“It’s pretty good ― it doesn’t really feel real right now,” Emma said.

While unsure about the details of her plans next year, Emma said she was planning on taking a gap year and working somewhere outside Echuca.

“Other than that, I’ve got no idea. I’ll just hopefully figure out what career I want to do,” she said.

Other top ATAR scores at St Joseph’s were achieved by Gillian Huggett with 92.65, Bodhi Griffiths with 91.55, Claire Colturi with 91.15 and Bethany McCurdy with 90.6.

All of the students were happy with their results, and described the past year of study as “chaotic and stressful”.

Gillian hopes to study law and political science in Sydney, Claire has her eye on a speech pathology course in Melbourne, and Bodhi is aiming to pursue biomedicine in Melbourne following a gap year, including travel in the United States.

Claire said her pursuit of a career in speech pathology was informed by her love of languages.

“I love learning about the English language, but I also really like biology and science,” she said.

“I feel like speech pathologists have all those elements, and I wanted to do something in the health field. I'm excited.”

The students gave special thanks to school staff, including shout-outs to VCE co-ordinator Nathan Beck, staff member Rhys Leslie and teacher Brenda Auhl.

St Joseph’s principal Anne Marie Cairns said the release of VCE results was always an exciting time for schools.

“I’m really proud of what the students have achieved,” she said.

“It’s not just about the number, it’s about them being able to fulfil their dreams. We’re happy for them ― they do the hard work.”

At Echuca College, Cooper Groves was named dux with an ATAR of 82.05.

While aiming for a slightly higher result, Cooper said he was still happy with the outcome, which makes him eligible for his university preferences.

“RMIT does an aviation course in Bendigo that I was looking at, but now I’ve got the score, maybe I’ll do something in Melbourne,” Cooper said.

“A medicine degree, that’s become possible now, so I’m not sure ― it’s up in the air.”

Cooper will now toss up between getting paid to travel as a pilot, and “getting paid in general”, and the salaries associated with medicine, which are enticing.

Other top ATAR scores at Echuca College included Finn McPherson with 80.9, Lachy Pumpa with 80.15, and Jules Mcloughlan with 78.10.

Finn will head into a double degree of science and commerce in Melbourne, Lachy was considering a bachelor of science in Melbourne as a biomedicine pathway, and Jules had his sights on aerospace engineering in Melbourne.

Jules was particularly excited about his high-achiever status, and found out he had received a top-four score on his way to an appointment.

“I was just like, ‘Whoa, oh my god ― this is awesome,” he said.

“All the teachers and staff were unreal. They made it so much easier, and they were always there with plenty of support.”

Students gave special thanks to school staff, including shout-outs to teachers Jessie Hardess and Isaac Duffy.

Echuca College principal Jessica Sargeant said the release of ATAR results came after built-up pressure throughout the year, and the school looked to focus on the students’ next steps.

“What we try to teach them is that it’s a number ― it’s about what you do with it,” she said.

“I’m very proud of their efforts. They work hard, and trying to get that work-life balance is always a challenge, but they do it.”

In Victoria, the overall VCE completion rate remained stable this year at 97.3 per cent.

Students with questions about their results can call the Post Results and ATAR Service on 1800 653 080.