THE world’s at their feet and the future bright for Tamworth’s top HSC course achievers, as they anticipate life outside the classroom.
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Jack Cutler from Carinya Christian School, and Calrossy’s Claudia Neilsen and Sophia Berlyn, were among 116 students across the state who topped HSC courses – Jack in automotive examination, Claudia in primary industries and Sophia in music 1.
Joe Goldsworthy is head of Calrossy’s secondary boys’ campus and was thrilled with the results, believing it to be the first time the school has had two students among such an elite group.
“I think it sends the message that students from country areas can excel and it’s an assurance to people to have faith in country schools,” he said.
“It’s a great encouragement because sometimes the perception is that city schools do better.”
As they yesterday awaited this morning’s release of university entrance scores, the trio reflected on their results and their plans for the future.
Jack has already secured a second-year apprenticeship with Tamworth City Toyota, and hopes to one day move into aircraft maintenance engineering.
He said he’d always had an interest in mechanics, as his father Ian was also in the trade and cars had always been a big part of his life.
Claudia, too, is following in her family’s footsteps at this stage, with both parents teaching agriculture-related subjects at Calrossy.
She is hoping to attend the University of Western Australia to complete a bachelor of science, which could take her into the agricultural field or even medicine.
But uni will have to wait at this point, as the talented teen is taking a year off to pursue her dreams on the sporting field.
Claudia is an accomplished hockey player, having made the combined independent schools NSW side earlier this year, and she’s keen to take her ability as far as she can.
She’s even planning to knock on the Australian Institute of Sport’s door in Canberra, and her choice of Perth for her studies is also deliberate, the city well-known for its passion for hockey.
Claudia’s achievement this week has been some good news for the family in a month that’s certainly tested them.
The Neilsens lost their home in a fire in November and, while that was after the HSC had finished, it certainly added to the stress of waiting for the results.
“It was after the HSC, which was a blessing ... and we’ve just had so much support from everyone,” Claudia said.
“I think that’s one of the good things about living in a smaller community.”
For Sophia Berlyn, the news she’d topped music 1 across the state was beyond her expectations.
“I can’t explain the feeling – it was just complete surprise and so amazing,” she said yesterday.
Sophia is a singer, who also plays guitar and piano, and admits her musical tastes run across all genres.
However, her career dreams lie in the field of environmental science, so she’s applied for university.
“I certainly want to continue music on the side – although after this, I’ve been thinking maybe I should put more effort into it,” she laughed.
“I’d love to form a band at uni.”
Like Claudia, Sophia grew up on the land, from where her love for the environment also grew.
“I’ve always been passionate about it ... and with everything happening in the world now, more people need that passion,” she said.
“In years to come, people are going to have to wake up to themselves a bit ... my dad’s always said, ‘you can’t eat iPods.”
In NSW, about 70,000 students received their HSC results yesterday, with Australian Tertiary Admission Ranks (ATAR) released this morning.
Just over 55,730 students were eligible for an ATAR, and 46 students received the top mark of 99.95. The median ATAR was 68.7.
