Western News: November 14, 2024

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Thursday November 14 2024
2024 Top Achievers
Dux Recipient Celine Pang
The Peter Bryant Memorial Scholarship is awarded to the Dux of the
school.
This is an annual award established by the Board of Trustees to
acknowledge the outstanding contribution to Burnside High School of the
late Dr Peter Bryant, in his role as the chairperson of the Board.
In her junior years at Burnside High School, Celine made an immediate
impression on her teachers with words like conscientious, motivated,
mature and a pleasure to teach being frequently used to describe her
approach to learning. She puts her success down to not just making
the most of her natural ability, but working really hard and enjoying her
successes. She is competitive, but a real team player.
Her quote to get her through the tough hours of study is “Just do it”,
and that is what she has done this year, consistently achieving all internal
credits at Excellence Level, and no fewer than 240 Excellence credits
across her entire NCEA portfolio.
At Burnside High School, Celine has maintained high levels of involvement
in extracurricular activities, especially in Volleyball, where she has
represented the school throughout her time with us. This year she was
awarded the Gary Fuller Cup for most worthy player. To relax, she enjoys
other recreational sports and, while not studying music currently, still
dabbles with this as she is a Grade 8 pianist.
Celine will test herself with
Scholarship exams in all five of
her subjects later in the year
alongside her Level 3 entries
of Calculus, Statistics, Physics,
Chemistry and Accounting.
At Graduation Celine collected
awards including First Place in
Statistics, First Place in Calculus,
First place in Accounting and
Second Place in both Physics and
Chemistry. With that outstanding
record, she can confidently look
ahead to successful studies at
University of Canterbury in the
field of Engineering in 2024 and
whatever career path she might
choose to follow after that.
Proxime Accessit Lucy Uren
Our Proxime Accessit for 2024 is an exceptionally self-motivated student
who is passionate about her learning and the environment.
Beginning at Burnside High School in 2020, Lucy did not disappoint in the
slightest and it was evident during Year 9 and 10 that she was a force to
be reckoned with and in her very own unassuming manner, she went about
accumulating one of the finest academic records we have seen.
Throughout her schooling, Lucy has had involvement in a massive range
of competitions and extra-curricular activities including Volleyball, Tennis,
Library Duty, Athletics, World Scholars Cup, Cantamath, ICAS - the list
goes on! What is more impressive, is that she has diligently stuck with
groups and interests and developed into a fine school leader with a place
this year on the Executive Council, Head of Staff Support and as Library
Leader.
Her academic prowess currently lies in the Sciences and this has made
a major contribution to her NCEA record where she has accumulated an
eye-watering 216 credits at Excellence level, Excellence Endorsements at
both Levels 1 and 2 with all credits this year exclusively in the Excellence
zone.
In 2025, her plans are to go on to
either the University of Canterbury
or Otago where she has been
offered numerous scholarships to
help her along the way.
In her end of year exams, Lucy will
tackle all five of her subjects at
Scholarship level.
Throughout her time at Burnside
High School, Lucy has won
numerous awards including
General Excellence for West
Division in 2023. At Graduation
she collected First in Biology, First
in Chemistry, First in Physics and
Excellence Awards in Calculus and
Statistics, and has won the Hugh
McDougal Rankin prize for Science.
The Peter Rowe Cup for
Musicianship – Will Luhrs
Will is an outstanding musician who has
been a member of the Specialist Music
Programme, and has contributed at the
highest level, for five years.
Will has demonstrated perfectly what
is achievable when individual talent is
supported by a great
work ethic, an insatiable appetite for
self-improvement and new opportunities,
great teaching, a selfless
attitude, listening to and acting upon
advice, and outstanding inter-personal
skills and stage presence.
His natural leadership qualities have
played a role in mentoring younger
students, providing an impressive
amount of service to the department along the way. From the humblest
of musical beginnings, in five years this student has risen to a level
where their potential has been recognised by one of the world’s top
music colleges in the form of a huge undergraduate scholarship; we will
undoubtedly be hearing lots more about Wills successes in the future.
Sports Champions
THOMAS VESTY
Thomas has represented Burnside High this year in Beach Volleyball,
Cricket and Volleyball.
In Beach Volleyball, Thomas and his partner, Ryan Huang (Y12), placed 3rd
in the Senior Boys division of the NZ Secondary Schools’ Championships
at Mt Maunganui in early February. Thomas was Captain of the Boys
Senior A Volleyball team, who placed 1st in Division 2 at the NZ Secondary
Schools Championships in Palmerston North in March this year, after their
team placed 2nd at the Mainland Championships (SISS) in February and
3rd at the Canterbury Secondary Schools’ Championships early March.
Thomas also plays Cricket for Burnside High in the Gillette Cup series, and
also the Northwest Club 1 st XI.
Thomas has represented New Zealand in both Beach Volleyball and
Volleyball this year, in the U19 age group. He made the NZ Mens U19 Beach
Volleyball team, who after qualifying for the World Championships at the
Asian Championships in Thailand last term
with his partner, Thomas was again selected
to travel to China in July, to play in the World
U19 Championships with a different partner.
Thomas is also a member of the NZ Mens
U19 Volleyball (indoor) team, who lost
to Australia 1-2 in the Oceania Play-Off
in Canberra - for a place at the Asian
Championships in July.
In August, Thomas was named in the Senior
Mens’ Volley Blacks Squad.
STACEY MORGAN
Stacey represented Burnside High this year in Swimming, Water Polo Girls
Senior A team, Football Girls 1 st XI and the BHS Road Race team. At the
BHS Athletics Sports, Stacey was 1st in the Over 16 Girls Track. At the BHS
Swimming Sports, Stacey was 1st in the Year 13 Girls, and at the school
Cross Country, Stacey was 1st in the Year 12 and 13 Girls.
However it has been with her Swimming that Stacey has excelled this year,
getting back into it after a year or so off. Earlier this year at the Canterbury
Secondary Schools’ Swimming Championships, Stacey broke a Canterbury
50m Freestyle record, set in 2013, for 17 year old Girls.
Her greatest accomplismentsd achieved this year were at the NZ Short
Course Swimming Championships in
Auckland, in August, where she placed:
1 st – 50m Freestyle Women 17-18 yrs
2nd - 100m Freestyle Women 17-18 yrs
3rd - 50m Butterfly Women 17-18 yrs
After this event, Stacey was selected in the
Tri-Series Squad, which saw two NZ teams
of young NZ pathway swimmers, compete
against two Australian teams, in Hamilton,
in the October holidays.
Office Hours 7am-5pm weekdays. Please telephone (03) 358 8383 for all enquiries. www.burnside.school.nz