Pupils end school year on high note
Putting in the hard yards has paid off for students in Blenheim at their end-of-year prize-giving.
Top students at Marlborough Girls’ College and Marlborough Boys’ College said the key to their success was not giving up.
Marlborough Girls’ College dux recipient Issy Cowlishaw was thrilled to receive the prestigious academic award.
It came down to ‘‘hard work and going to my teachers for support because all of them were so willing to give me help’’, she said.
Issy did not expect to be named dux of the college, although it was something for which she had aimed.
‘‘It’s been my goal for probably the past three years but I never expected to get it.’’
Proximate accessit (runner up to dux) Emma Gardiner agreed hard work was key.
‘‘Putting in the effort ... You can’t be disappointed if you have done your best,’’ she said.
Both girls were heading to university next year to study engineering with Issy going to the University of Auckland and Gardiner to the University of Canterbury.
Year 11 student Kaylee Metcalfe was named the top student for her year, receiving the ‘excellence award for outstanding achievement’ in NCEA level 1 and year 12 student Milly Burfoot was awarded first place for her year group, receiving the ‘excellence award for outstanding achievement’ in NCEA level 2.
Marlborough Boys’ College dux Jude Kalan said he was half expecting the award.
‘‘It took a lot of hard work and there was a lot of competition but I was still pretty worried about whether I was going to get it or not,’’ he said.
‘‘Putting in the effort ... You can’t be disappointed if you have done your best.’’ Emma Gardiner, MGC proximate accessit
Proxime accessit Mitchell Daubney said trying his best paid off in the end: ’’You have always got to put in your best or you are really not going to get what you truly deserve,’’ he said.
However, Daubney did not expect he would receive the accolade. ‘‘I never actually thought I would take away that kind of prize.’’
Head boy Seth Robinson took away the prestigious Fulton Cup for ‘all round endeavour’, as well as the RSA trophy for leadership and the John Davies memorial award for historical research.
James Hammond was named head boy for 2018, which came as a pleasant surprise to him.
‘‘It was definitely something I have thought about and I thought ... ‘why not put my name forward’. And it has paid off.’’
James was excited for next year and was looking forward to working with the boys to make the college a better place.
‘‘My sort of philosophy behind it all is that we are just one big team and we need to sit down together and work out what we want to do because it is not a oneman band.’’
Queen Charlotte College and Rai Valley Area School had not yet held their senior prize-giving ceremonies. Senior students across Marlborough were now on study leave, hitting the books in preparation for NCEA examinations which begin on November 9.