North Sydney Boys High School and James Ruse Agricultural High school share their secrets
“It could be something as small as being in class, having no idea what the teacher is talking about, and then poking my friend in the ribs and asking her what’s going on. And then having her willing to help me, whispering in my ear, and risking getting yelled at by the teacher,” she said.
School captain Marcus Chu said his team had made a concerted effort to build on the spirit of camaraderie in the previous year’s 12s.
“We did peer-led mentoring, so a successful student can help another student if they are not confident or not performing well in that subject,” Chu said.
North Sydney Boys’ captain Marcus Chu.Credit: Andrew Quilty
More than 20 kilometers separate North Sydney Boys from its closest academic rival, James Ruse Agricultural High School. But on Thursday, the difference between the two selective public schools was just one percentage point.
The pair broke through to become arguably the best schools in the state: North Sydney had an HSC pass rate of 71.6 per cent. James Ruse’s was 70.43 percent.
The next highest-ranked school, Sydney Grammar, had a pass rate of 60.99 percent.
James Ruse Agricultural High School students Nikil Andepalli, Srihaas Komminni, Selina Ma, Nina Chen, Terry Chen and Peter Shan celebrate their success. Credit: Dylan Coker
But while James Ruse students might have been expected to feel some competition, having fought hard over the last three years to regain their long-held top ranking, the mood at the Carlingford school’s own HSC celebration was upbeat.
When the rankings were announced on Thursday, the James Ruse group didn’t even acknowledge them: they were just proud of their school and their grades.
Nine James Ruse students achieved ATAR scores of 99.95; this was three more than North Sydney Boys.
Reflecting on their own years, James Ruse’s two school captains expressed similar sentiments to students celebrating at the other end of the M2.
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“The thing that helped me the most was having a really good network of friends because in high school, especially during the HSC, people often get the idea that all we have to do is study and that’s all we have in our lives,” said school captain Chesandu Hewapathiranage.
“But realistically, you realize that year 12 is actually one of the most fun years you can have.”
Co-captain Cathy Zhang agreed, saying the “most gratifying” part of the HSC year was not the grade at the end, but seeing how the year groups came together.
“I think that’s the most important thing these last two years. It’s about relaxing among each other, finding support from each other, doing things together,” he said.
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“I think real learning happens when you’re all spilling over the whiteboard trying to solve a maths equation, or discussing Shakespeare and things like that. And I think that kind of collaborative learning is what I wish for everyone doing the HSC, to find it among themselves and to find it from your peers, because it really helps.”
Marcus may have led his class to the top spot in North Sydney, but he didn’t want to display an “arrogant attitude” and never felt that first place was guaranteed.
“There are a lot of talented people in this state who can outperform us,” he said, praising James Ruse. “There’s a lot of success at state… I’m happy for them.”
