Below is a message from our School Principal, Simon Shepherd, sharing the results of our Class of 2018.

Westminster Class of 2018 SACE Results Overview

It is a great pleasure to share with you an overview of the excellent results achieved in the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) by Westminster’s Class of 2018.

The median ATAR for the Class of 2018 was 84.85, slightly higher than 2017 and reflective of another strong cohort of Westminster students.

Of all SACE (Stage 2) grades achieved in 2018, 46% were As, compared to a State result of 26% while 88% of grades were As and Bs, compared to a State result of 70%. This is a similar outcome to the high standard recorded in 2017.

All students achieved SACE and of the 141 students eligible for an ATAR:

• 16% of students achieved an ATAR above 95
• 36% of students achieved an ATAR above 90
• 58% of students achieved an ATAR above 80

I am delighted to announce that our 2018 Dux is Emily Jaarsma who achieved an outstanding ATAR of 99.9. Emily also received two SACE Merits, one in English and the other in her Research Project (2017) . Our Proxime Accessit is Bonita Hammond-Brown with another outstanding ATAR of 99.8 and two SACE Merits, one each in Physics and Mathematical Methods.

Every student in the cohort is to be congratulated for their efforts and, in particular, we can all be proud of the following students who join our Dux and Proxime Accessit in rounding out our top ten ATARs:

• Heidi Collins (two Merits) achieved an ATAR of 98.85 and also received the prestigious Governor of South Australia Commendation for 2018
• Luca Sardelis (one Merit) achieved an ATAR of 98.75
• Daniel Cropley (two Merits) and Katerina Hand, each with an ATAR of 98.45
• Thomas Taplin (two Merits) and Dimitrios Nikos, each with an ATAR of 98.35
• Daniel McArthur achieved an ATAR of 97.9
• Lily Brice-Marwood (one Merit) achieved an ATAR of 97.75
• Olivia Pieck (two Merits) achieved an ATAR 97.5
• Jessica Johnson (one Merit) and Alexander Lam, each with an ATAR of 97.05.

Westminster’s Class of 2018 was awarded 25 Merits for ‘perfect’ subject scores, and an additional four Merits were awarded to Year 11 students undertaking Stage 2 subjects this year. Merits have been achieved across 13 different subject areas, proving again that Westminster gives students every opportunity to excel in their areas of interest within their exceptional education:

• Agricultural Production – one Merit
• Business and Enterprise – one Merit
• Creative Arts – one Merit
• English – three Merits
• English Studies – one Merit
• Mathematical Methods – one Merit
• Material Products – two Merits
• Outdoor Education – five Merits
• Physics – one Merit
• Psychology – three Merits (including one awarded in 2017)
• Research Project B – seven Merits (including three awarded in 2017 and three to students in the Class of 2019)
• Visual Arts – Design – one Merit
• Workplace Practices – two Merits (one awarded to a student in the Class of 2019).

Academic results like these are the outcome of a lot of hard work by students, parents and teachers alike. Thank you to our Director of Learning, Andrea Sherwood, our Faculty leaders and all of our teachers and support staff throughout the whole School, who commit and contribute to the exceptional education we offer students from Early Learning through to Year 12.

We acknowledge our Head of Senior School, David Wallage and Head of Senior Students Tony Ritson (’93) for their dedicated support and guidance of our Year 12 cohort. We pay tribute also to parents, caregivers and families for their wonderful support of their sons and daughters throughout their education. Thank you and congratulations to you all.

A comprehensive analysis of academic and co-curricular achievements for this cohort will be provided in our Class of 2018 Achievements publication to be released early in 2019. This will be shared through our website, our eNews and with the wider School community in the next edition of Westminster News, to be published late autumn 2019.

To the Class of 2018, we wish you all the very best for the exciting times ahead. We look forward to welcoming you back to Westminster and celebrating your achievements in the years to come.

Warm regards

Simon Shepherd
Principal