THEY weren’t even in Year 12, yet Georgia Craig-Neal and Isabella Gilchrist were named among the state’s best- performing VCE students.
The two St Mary MacKillop College students were recognised in the Premier’s 2022 VCE Awards for achieving perfect scores in sport and recreation (VCE VET) studies.
A total of 298 Victorian students received 324 awards across 90 subjects, including 296 study awards, 25 Top All-Round VCE High Achiever Awards and three Top International Student Awards.
The Top All-Round VCE High Achiever awards recognise those students who achieved study scores of 46 or higher out of 50 in at least five VCE subjects, while study awards recognise the best performers in individual VCE subjects.
Georgia told The Guardian she was honoured to have her efforts acknowledged at such a prestigious event.
“I was very grateful to be invited and recognised at such a high standard as it was something that felt so out of reach at the beginning of 2021,” she said.
Since I only did one Year 12 subject last year, I spent a lot of time concentrating on only that subject, which allowed me to learn all the content extremely thoroughly.
“I did as many practice questions and previous exams as I could so I could be very well prepared when my exam came.
“I also studied frequently with Isabella, who also received a 50 study score in sport and rec.
“This motivated me even more to ensure that I maintained the high standard that we set for ourselves at the beginning of the year.”
Georgia’s class went through multiple bouts of online learning in 2020 and 2021, which she described as a “challenge”.
“Keeping motivated was my biggest struggle as I discovered that I rely on teacher feedback and face-to-face learning very heavily,” she said.
Georgia is studying English, maths methods, biology, health and human development and physical education this year.
Isabella said she was proud to be recognised for her hard work.
“It felt good that all my effort had paid off and I was able to celebrate with my friend Georgia, principal and my parents,” she said.
“I prepared by regularly revising content and completing exam questions throughout the year.
“Closer to exams, I completed a number of practice exams in order to apply knowledge rather than just remembering the content.
“I engaged in regular study sessions with my peers, including Georgia.”
Isabella described the challenges of online learning during the pandemic.
“Lockdowns made it difficult to seek help from my teachers but luckily my teacher, Mr Hirst, was great at providing support and checking in with us all regularly,” she said.
“Motivation was also a struggle during lockdowns but, with support from my friends and family, I was able to persevere.”
Isabella has just four subjects to worry about in her final year of schooling – English, math methods, further maths and chemistry. She also completed biology in 2021.
St Mary MacKillop College principal Michelle Haeusler said the entire school community was proud of the pair.
