Knysna’s bright IEB star
KNYSNA – Oakhill School's top learner Shannon Amoils excelled through the trials and tribulations of the 2020 academic year, finishing with an average of over 90% and inside the top 5% in South Africa for more than six subjects.
Born in Johannesburg, Amoils grew up in Plettenberg Bay and attended Oakhill from the start of her high school career in 2016. "Throughout high school, I was consistently on the termly honour roll and achieved awards through Unisa as a result of my piano practical and theory exams," she said. "Maths was one of my favourite subjects. Our teacher, Mr Habib, would never fail to keep everyone awake in class with brief sidetracked life lessons, philosophical concepts and jokes. He also offered motivational messages during online lessons, and would always try to establish students' realisation of their potentials."
While the 2020 academic year held challenges for the matriculants, it was not without its plus-sides for Amoils. "Due to the homebound changes caused by the pandemic, I have recently rediscovered my love of both reading and cooking this past year," she said. "Personally, I enjoyed being able to work at my own pace, to focus on academics, and especially having that extra time to sleep in the morning."
The benefits of this certainly showed in the results Amoils achieved. With an average of 91,7%, she obtained eight distinctions of which six were over 90%. Amoils was in the top 5% of IEB learners in the country in six or more subjects, and achieved a rating of 7 in Life Orientation. She was also in the top 1% of learners in the country for English, life sciences, life orientation, and Unisa practical level 7 music.
Amoils plans on studying actuarial science at the University of Cape Town. "It's difficult to say for sure what I'll be doing after my degree, since life can work in such mysterious ways. However, I would love to spend a few months travelling across Europe and Asia, exploring all that I can."
Amoils also had some special advice for the 2021 matric group. "To the matrics of 2021, and to all other students making their way through school, your education is a marathon, not a sprint. Consistency is vital, but with that, remember to be kind to yourself. It's okay to slow down or take a break, but in the end, to reach the finish line you just have to 'keep on keeping on'."