HSC at MLC School

Congratulations Year 12 HSC students of 2020

At the very outset, we must acknowledge and congratulate every one of our Year 12 girls on completing their final exams in the context of a year that is has not been experienced in virtually any living person’s lifetime and is unlikely to be seen again for generations.

Our girls were undaunted in their focus to carry on with as many things they could within the confines of the prevailing restrictions. They did this with grace and good humour, without ever bemoaning the lot that they had been handed. Having been witness to this gives the School great confidence that our future is in excellent hands.

There is no doubt that these remarkable young women truly reflected the resilience, adaptability and genuine spirit to ‘dare to be more’ that our School always endeavours to build within our students.

In any year, completing the HSC is not easy, to do so this year required every girl to rise to a new level of dedication and demonstrate exceptional strength of character. We are so proud to be able to call these young women MLC School alumnae.

Notwithstanding the limitations on what activities could occur, the Year 12 girls thought creatively and flexibly so they could be involved in as many programs as possible and they shared their leadership and enthusiasm (which never seemed to wane), either face to face or virtually with their fellow students.

Around 60% of our Year 12 students sat for the Higher School Certificate and received their final results on Friday 18 December 2020. Many of the highlights that we report here are just one small measure of their final year, there is no way to measure the true grit these girls have shown.

As we offer both HSC and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme, it is difficult to compare our results with schools which focus only on the HSC, and which are reported in the media. Our IB students’ results will be published on Sunday 3 January 2021 and we will provide you with a further update on the achievements of the Class of 2020 after that date.

Please join us in congratulating and celebrating the HSC Class of 2020 for their achievements this year. Individually and collectively, they have already demonstrated that they are so much more than a number on a page, and we are confident that each of these fine young women is destined to positively shape our world.

Congratulations to the entire cohort! Below we highlight some of the outstanding achievements.

Well done Charlie!

Charlie Kairaitis achieved an ATAR of 99.95, 1 of only 15 girls in NSW to achieve a perfect rank! She also received the Chancellor's Award from The University of Sydney.

Outstanding ATARs

• Samara Tucker – ATAR 98.7
• Olivia Papasavvas – ATAR not for publication
• Ella Woolbank – ATAR 97.7
• Anika Lammers – ATAR 97.15

* Not all ATARs were available at time of publishing.

State Rankings

MLC School girls achieved 5 State rankings:

• 4th in Ancient History and 13th in Modern History – Charlie Kairaitis
• 5th in Science Extension – Veronica Abal
• 10th in Food Technology – Olivia Papasavvas
• 11th in Personal Development, Health and Physical Education – Ella Woolbank

HSC All-Rounders

Four students were placed on the HSC All-Rounders list for those who achieve Band 6 in 10 units of studies. Congratulations to: 

• Charlie Kairaitis
• Jessica MacMaster
• Samara Tucker
• Ella Woolbank

Distinguished Achievers

Congratulations to all the girls who were placed on the HSC Distinguished Achievers list for those who achieved a result in the highest possible Band for one or more courses.

Subject Results

• 66% of the cohort achieved a Band 6 in at least one subject.
• There were 126 instances of students awarded a Band 6 or E4
• MLC School had more band 6s than any other school in NSW in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) subject Entertainment.

Below are percentages of students who achieved a Band 5 or 6 in particular subjects:

• 100% in Ancient History
• 100% in Drama
• 100% in Chinese Continuers
• 100% in Indonesian Continuers
• 100% in Textiles and Design
• 100% in Visual Arts
• 92% in Music 2
• 88% in Design and Technology
• 88% in Music 1
• 88% in VET Entertainment
• 86% in Dance
• 86% in Food Technology
• 80% in Physics
• 76% in English Advanced
• 76% in Personal Development, Health and Physical Education
• 75% in French Continuers
  

Below are the percentages of students who achieved E3 or E4 equivalent:

• 100% in Chinese Extension
• 100% in English Extension 1
• 100% in English Extension 2
• 100% in History Extension
• 100% in Music Extension
• 100% in Science Extension
• 73% in Mathematics Extension 1

Works Selected and Nominated for Showcase

A number of performances and major works from MLC School girls were nominated for recognition as part of the HSC showcase events. To be nominated for any of these showcases is a significant achievement as it acknowledges these projects as best in the State. To be selected into a Showcase event is an outstanding recognition.

OnSTAGE HSC Exhibition Selections

• Grace John for Set Design – The Visit
• Philippa Machin for Promotion and Publicity – Antigone

HSC Exhibition Nominations

• Callback (Dance) – Sofia Costa, Annaliese Konidaris
• Shape (Design and Technology) – Beatrice Drake, Samantha Naayen, Eva Telemachou
• Shape (Textiles and Design) – Amelie Coman, Eva Wright
• Texstyle (Textiles and Design) – Amelie Coman, Eva Wright
• ENCORE (Music) – Joy Xu, Xu (Marie) Yan
• OnStage (Drama) – Zoe Berg, Mia Burjan, Ellena Hartzenberg, Grace John, Annaliese Konidaris, Phillipa Machin

Subject Selection

Subject selection for senior years is given careful consideration for each student at MLC School. When a student reaches Year 10 she will begin to refine her subject selection and Year 12 pathway, in consultation with our academic and careers staff and her family. Our understanding is that a student is more likely to achieve academically when she is studying subjects she enjoys and is well supported in her choices. MLC School works assiduously to build up a comprehensive and well-rounded picture of each student to assist this decision-making process.

In addition to individual interviews with all Year 10 Families, the school offers a number of other opportunities for parents and students to consult with academic and pastoral care staff.

Parent Information Nights

Parent information nights and parent teacher nights are held regularly throughout the high school years. Parents are also encouraged to contact relevant academic staff about subject selection at any time.