WHSPA principal Kylie Wood with two of the school’s high achieving students, Chenoa Barratt and Chloe Wilkinson. Photos: Keeli Dyson.
A collective sigh of relief spread over the Illawarra as thousands of students received their HSC results, with many excelling and excited about the marks that represent years of hard work and dedication to schooling.
Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts (WHSPA) student Chenoa Barratt was already at work when her HSC results were released on Thursday morning (18 December).
“I work at a florist and was making bunches and just checking the time really obsessively, freaking out; I was really, really anxious,” Chenoa said.
When the marks finally came through, she saw figures in the top band for Drama, Modern History, English Advanced and English Extension 1, with her two other subjects not far behind, scoring her an ATAR of 97.05.
“I don’t know if I was expecting it but I was really, really hoping for it,” she said.
“I worked so hard over the last two years, sometimes to my detriment, but I’m really happy.”
She’s looking to head to the University of Sydney next year to study a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in cultural studies, and although the required mark was 80, Chenoa was determined to give it her all.
“I just wanted it because I knew I was capable of doing it,” she said.
“As stressful as it was I’m just really grateful to have done that; I have really amazing teachers that have helped me so much; my parents are really great, they are very supportive – they never cared about my marks – but because I want to do well they want me to do well.”
Another WHSPA student whose effort was rewarded with impressive scores was school captain Chloe Wilkinson, who earned three band 6s and an ATAR of 92.15.
“I’m really relieved,” she said.
“It’s such a good feeling to have a reflection of all the hard work I’ve put in.
“I was just ecstatic about it and just really happy that I was able to do well across the board.”
Students came back to the school to celebrate their results with each other and their teachers.
Through her duties as captain and participating in events such as Southern Stars, she found a way to balance extracurricular activities while still dedicating enough time to her studies.
“Obviously it is a big commitment to have a bunch of different aspects come into play in Year 12 which is a big year itself, but I think for me having that balance was an important thing to make the juggle of Year 12 more manageable,” Chloe said.
“And I think having that outlet of performing and doing something I love really allowed me to have a sense of balance but also find joy.”
The joy that Chloe has found in performing arts and through her schooling has inspired her to study primary teaching at the University of Wollongong, while also returning to WHSPA next year to work as a student learning support officer.
“All my teachers have been so supportive and it’s really nice to be able to give back to that and become one of those supportive teachers and create a space for new students coming up,” she said.
Chloe and Chenoa are two of the 194 students from the Illawarra’s 14 public schools to be named on the HSC Distinguished Achiever list for earning the highest band in at least one subject, with some who achieved this level in at least 10 units also named on the All-round Achievers list.
Among the top achievers in the state, who claimed some of the highest marks in a particular subject, were students from St Mary’s Star of the Sea College, Smith’s Hill High School, St Joseph’s Catholic High School, Holy Spirit College, Bulli High School, The Illawarra Grammar School, Illawarra Christian School, WHSPA, Edmund Rice College, Warilla High School and Keira High School.
St Mary’s student Maddison McCrae was top in the state in Dance, Finn Carson from St Joseph’s came first in Electrotechnology Examination, while from the Secondary College of Languages Smiths Hill Campus, Vera Bosancic was top for Serbian Continuers and Harrison Herrman for Macedonian Continuers.
And as many students are celebrating impressive results, their teachers are just as thrilled.
“I’m so happy for our staff as well because they invest so much; they just go above and beyond for our students; it’s just really rewarding for everyone,” WHSPA relieving principal Kylie Wood said.
“They’re just so excited for our children; they’re just as excited and hopeful for them as our parents.”
But while many might focus on a number, the skills and experiences they gained from school extend beyond a simple score.
“As much as it sounds like it’s about the results, it’s actually not,” Kylie said.
“I’ve been saying to them all morning, ‘What’s more important is that you’re confident with your next step, you’re happy with your next step’ and they’re good humans, so we have done our job.
“All we want is for them to be kind, thoughtful and make good decisions.”
The full lists of First in Course, Top Achievers in Course, Distinguished Achievers and All-round Achievers for 2025 is available through the NSW Department of Education website.
