Secondary schools in Byron shire are celebrating the end of the year with extra fanfare after a great round of HSC results.
Byron Bay High School
Principal Peter King told The Echo he was very proud of the Higher School Certificate (HSC) results by his students.
‘There was a lot of hard work put in by the students and it paid off,’ he said.
Of note, dux of the school was Tom McMahon with 99.1 per cent, while other students performed extremely well – Jessica Buhagiar 98.3 per cent (also second in the state in biology), Carl Ashworth 97.15 per cent, Cameron Nuttall 96.85 per cent and Henry Newton 96.35 per cent.
According to Sven Wright from the NSW education department, Jessica made this year’s ‘all rounders’ list, ie she scored 90 or more in ten or more units. ‘It’s a pretty rare achievement,’ he said.
Mullumbimby High School
Relieving Mullumbimby High School principal Cameron Johnson said, ‘Once again, as a school community, we are very proud of their excellent achievements.’
‘Thirty-two students out of a total of 91 scored above 80 per cent in one or more subjects.
‘Eleven students scored above eighty per cent in three or more subjects.
‘Special congratulations to the following students who received above 80 per cent in all their courses: Azlan Currie, Ellen Carson, Oskar Fletcher, Zane Van Gramberg and Quinn Jones.
‘The following subjects also deserve special mention and the percentage next to the subjects indicates the percentage of students who scored above 80: history extension 60, visual art 60, entertainment 40, hospitality 33, extension English 75, extension English two 100, maths extension 50, industrial tech 33 and drama 40.’
Cape Byron Steiner School
Meanwhile Cape Byron Steiner School students and staff say they are thrilled with the wonderful results achieved in the 2016 HSC.
Principal Nerrida Johnson said there was an exceptional result of a 50/50 (100 per cent) for English extension 2, which is a ‘perfect testament to a wonderful poetry submission by Jasmine Pierce, our top English student.’
‘In a cohort of 25 students, there were 14 band six results (over 90 per cent) and 61 band five (over 80 per cent) results.
‘Cape Byron students demonstrated outstanding results in drama, with eight out of the 12 students receiving scores of over 90 per cent.
‘This was not surprising, with a group selected for OnStage for 2016.
‘Visual art results were extremely strong with two band six results on top of three nominations to Art Express earlier this term.
‘Students also received band six results in English extension one and two, D&T and PDHPE.
‘Most satisfying are the very many strong results in band five across all subjects.
‘This demonstrates a strong cohort and excellent teaching and learning throughout the school, from K to 12.’
Shearwater Steiner School Mullumbimby
Results were sought from Shearwater but were unavailable as of going to press.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
