Academic Excellence 2023
The significant leadership and commitment to academic excellence of our Year 12 students has been a proud and uplifting narrative for St Catherine’s School.
“And suddenly you know. It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of new beginnings” – Meister Eckhart
VCE Results
We are thrilled to acknowledge the outstanding academic achievements of our Class of 2023.
This year, our Year 12 students have shown resilience, determination, and an unwavering commitment to excellence in all aspects of their schooling. As a cohort they have led our School with kindness and a sense of cohesion, displaying empathy and compassion towards each other, and their younger peers.
The 2023 Year 12 cohort has achieved outstanding academic results across a broad range of subjects. The Median ATAR for the School is an exemplary 93.40; this is the highest Median ATAR of our School records. The Median Study Score of 36 is also impressive, noting 29% of all Study Scores were above 40, placing the School, once again, among the best in the State.
The following students are also to be congratulated for achieving an outstanding ATAR above 99:
Freya Cantwell, Amanda Shen, Emma Gregory, Scarlett Song, Caitlin Wang, Flora Du, Leanne Hiew, Katharine Carter, Keyue (Karen) Deng and Tahlia Guzzardi.
These outstanding VCE results are testament to the dedication, passion, and expertise of our teaching staff, particularly our VCE teachers over the past year. I thank them for their commitment to the educational profession and their loyalty shown each day in supporting the girls throughout this important year.
Through the implementation of our Strategic Plan, Towards 2025, the School has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to cultivating the ‘thinking classroom’ at St Catherine’s. This key component of the Strategy is purposefully shaped in conjunction with the University of Queensland’s ‘Teaching for Thinking Program’ and is designed to place meaningful learning and intellectual endeavour at the core of all teaching experiences.
Our Class of 2023 is the first cohort to graduate from our bespoke Senior Years Learning Model, a key innovation of our School in recent years. Many students have commented on the benefit of this Model, with the provision of a regular online Masterclass for each subject across Years 10 and 11. The Senior Years Learning Model is intentionally designed to enhance our students’ independence and agency, and will serve the 2023 graduates well as they commence their post-school pathways.
2023 Dux
Congratulations to our 2023 St Catherine’s School Dux, Christina Wu who achieved an impressive 99.9 ATAR.
Christina is looking to study Commerce and Law. Christina was, notably, the Dux of Specialist Mathematics this year and in 2022, the Dux of Chinese as a Second Language as a Year 11 student. Christina has demonstrated significant engagement in the School’s Co-curricular activities with a particular emphasis on her involvement in the Music Program.
As a highly talented musician, Christina was a member of both the Year 12 Quartet and Senior Strings, in addition to being a member of the Melbourne Youth Orchestra as the Sectional Leader of Second Violins.
Christina shared her excitement upon receiving her results “I am very shocked but so grateful. I am so grateful to my teachers for all their support. They helped me academically with constant communication and advice, but they also helped me emotionally, helping me believe in myself.”
Sharing some advice to our future Year 12 students, Christina reminds them to “take every opportunity that arises, no matter how daunting or unachievable it seems. More often than not, you will regret not taking the opportunity because it seemed challenging at the time. You may have just passed on an extremely valuable chance just because you did not want to step outside your comfort zone.”
Proxime Accessit to the Dux
We also extend our congratulations to St Catherine’s School’s Proxime Accessit to the Dux, Xiaoying (Selina) Weng, who achieved a remarkable ATAR of 99.85. Selina is the Dux of English as a Second Language this year and in 2022 was the Dux of Mathematical Methods as a Year 11 student. Selina is looking forward to studying Commerce and Economics.
Meet our Top Performers
Meet some of our Top Performers who achieved outstanding results in Year 12 with ATARs above 99, placing them in the top 1% of the State.
Past Dux of School
2022 | Angela Yu |
2021 | Emily Ryan and Jessica Yang |
2020 | Romy Cantwell |
2019 | Gabriella Tymms |
2018 | Isabel Gray |
2017 | Zeyi (Zoe) Yu |
2016 | Katherine Yuan |
2015 | Zhihui (Jennifer) Wang |
2014 | Georgia Sexton |
2013 | Saskia Holloway |
2012 | Isabella McNamara |
2011 | Amelia Hamer |
2010 | Sarah Lang |
2009 | Susannah Guthrie |
2008 | Asha Bonney |
2007 | Becky Wood Sophie Kearney |
2006 | Iris Lee Tessa Hawthron |
2005 | Betty Shao |
2004 | Jennifer Qu |
2003 | Natasha Chiam |
2002 | Catherine Lee |
2001 | Lucy Gowdie |
2000 | Sarah Yong |
1999 | Laura Hines (Douglas ’99) |
1998 | Annabel Martin (Ogilvy ’98) |
1997 | Caroline Goulden |