Dux combines hard work and caring spirit
Collingwood Area School’s dux, Violet Wells, strives for academic excellence but knows it’s equally important to care for her community.
Named dux last week, the 18-yearold also won the school’s Altruza scholarship, the Network Tasman Year 13 award for sciences and humanities, and an academic achievement award for English.
Wells also took home the Service to School award for her extensive volunteer work as an Enviroschool leader, a student contact, a bus monitor, a gymnastics coach, for her work organising the emergency services day and for her role as head student.
Outside of school, she volunteers for the Rockville Museum and the Rockville pool.
‘‘I just feel like helping out in the community is how I can change something,’’ she said. ‘‘The only way to get your voice heard is if you put it out there.’’
Her caring spirit is taking her to Otago Polytechnic next year to study a Bachelor of Nursing.
‘‘Mum and Dad really inspired me to want to do it because Mum is a support worker and Dad is in the ambulance, so I always knew I wanted to help people in a medical way, but I just didn’t know how,’’ she said.
‘‘Nursing has always appealed to me, just the face-to-face contact, and getting to care for patients as well as learn off them; some older people have so much knowledge to pass on.’’
Wells grew up in Brisbane until she was seven, before moving to Rockville in Golden Bay.
‘‘I really like the idea of a small school like Collingwood because you get so many other opportunities that would normally get passed on to someone else,’’ she said.
‘‘Plus you get to see the little ones looking up to you and teaching them stuff. I’ve seen some of them grow up.’’
Wells is looking forward to working at the Langford Store in Bainham making coffees, having completed a barista course in Brisbane recently.