By Jake Beleski
Rathkeale College and St Matthew’s Collegiate have capped off an outstanding academic year with the announcement of several students receiving university scholarships for 2017.
They also named their Dux and Proxime Accessit at last week’s senior prizegiving.
Dux for 2016 went to Bryer Oden, who also received the Senior College Prize and Blackett Cup.
Proxime Accessit was won by Robert Spite who received the Trinity Schools’ Foundation Prize and Ramsay Silver Salver.
Bryer will be studying arts at Victoria University in 2017 after receiving an excellence scholarship, while Robert will head to Auckland University to study engineering and is hoping to major in mechatronics.
Rathkeale’s development manager, Grant Harper, said it was an especially successful year for both schools.
“In schools such as ours, holistic education in terms of academic, sport, social and spiritual aspects is very important. However, the pinnacle is the naming of Proxime and Dux, and it was a really good academic cohort at the top this year. The two winners were exceptional.”
The packed auditorium was addressed by well-known entrepreneur and former St Matthew’s student Melissa Clark-Reynolds.
As well as announcing the schools’ top two students, Mr Harper said a number of others were acknowledged at the event after receiving scholarships to attend universities around the country in 2017.
“We do get a number of these [scholarships] in each year passing, but this year was a large group and reflects the year 13 efforts for this year.”
Students offered university scholarships in 2017:
Claudia Field (University of Canterbury Emerging Leaders’ Scholarship)
Callum Finn Reason (Victoria University Excellence Scholarship)
Lucy Gaskin (Victoria University High Achiever’s Scholarship)
Benjamin McCook-Weir (Otago University Leaders’ Scholarship and VC Scholarship)
Thomas McKay (Lincoln University Sports Scholarship)
Hannah Murdoch (Massey University Vice Chancellor’s Excellence Scholarship)
Bryer Oden (Victoria University Excellence Scholarship)
Shannon Owen (New Zealand Fashion Tech Scholarship)
Tulsi Raman (Otago University Leaders’ Scholarship)
Angus Tylee (Otago University VC and Leaders’ Scholarship and Price Waterhouse Scholarship)
