KNYSNA NEWS - Oakhill School’s matrics have done themselves and the school incredibly proud in their final Independent Examination Board (IEB) exams, says the school.
According to academic director Andrew Browne, the Class of 2017 has achieved some extraordinary results "especially in the light of experiencing a tumultuous year with the fires in June”.
Despite the disruptions of delayed exams after the fires, as well as many learners and teachers losing their entire homes, each and every one of them found their strength and resilience to overcome obstacles and achieve some of the best results in Oakhill’s history.
What makes this year’s results even more meaningful, the school says, is that, over and above their studies, the learners found the time to not only support and help each other, but many of them (if not all) were also heavily involved in relief operations for the broader community.
An impressive total of 99 distinctions was achieved by Oakhill’s 42 matriculants. Erin Young (dux scholar), Rebekah Utian, Tamara Foyn and Bergen Pentz achieved six distinctions each, closely followed by four learners with five distinctions each – Christopher Lellyett, Johan Hay, Courteney Wilkinson and Emma Stam. Achieving four distinctions each were Francine Olivier, Michaela Cross, Anna Reid, Kayleigh Packwood, Gérard Beukes and Jia Watts. Several other learners made up the balance of the distinctions.
The head of Oakhill School, Jannie de Villiers, congratulated the Class of 2017 on doing the school, their parents and themselves proud. He commended the teachers at Oakhill Pre-prep, Prep and College on their contribution over many years, which brought this group of learners to the point of leaving school with exceptional matric results and so much more. Says De Villiers, "I am immensely proud to know that these young people walk away with the key to unlock the next door on their academic journey, be it locally or abroad. More importantly, they leave Oakhill empowered with choices, competencies, resilience and adaptability to succeed in a changing, challenging world."
Knysna-Plett Herald had the opportunity to catch up with some of the top learners about their plans for the future, and they also imparted some valuable advice for younger learners:
Erin Young says her favourite subjects at school were history and biology. "History captivated me, and I thoroughly enjoyed the class interaction in biology. I have been provisionally accepted into occupational therapy at UCT in 2018. It is my dream to become an occupational therapist and one day work with children.
"I would love to encourage younger students to always believe in their abilities; your capabilities increase with your age, and as long as you work your personal hardest, you will always manage the new workloads. "
Rebekah Utian plans to study art history, arts management and journalism in the United States. "I dream of having my own articles published in the New York Times and being a curator of an internationally renowned arts gallery, such as Moma or Tate. I also intend to learn Spanish and Italian as soon as possible.
"Something I learned from my grandmother, and I aspire to do the same, is that there is so much good in the worst of us, and so much bad in the best of us, that it ill behoves any of us to speak about ‘the rest of us'.”
"Good results are achieved through a constant effort over the entire year, as well as a continuous push to exceed the goals you have set for yourself. I believe it is vitally important to also participate in other school extramurals, such as sports and cultural activities."
Bergen Pentz says her favourite subject was drama. "The year 2018 is an exciting endeavour for me. I will be studying at the University of Surrey in England. Firstly, attending the foundation year and then starting my degree in food science and microbiology in September.
"To younger students I would like to say, never mistake your success for failure based on the successes of those around you; you can do anything but not everything; and most importantly, hold yourself up to a standard of grace and not perfection."
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