James Ruse Agricultural High School 2016 HSC results places the school first in the state

JAMES Ruse Agricultural High School can proudly proclaim its students have topped the HSC for 2016.

Justin Wu is one of many that landed James Ruse Agricultural High School top of the list for its 2016 HSC results. Pictures: Peter Kelly

JAMES Ruse Agricultural High School can proudly proclaim its students have topped the HSC for 2016.

A total of 73.1 per cent of exams taken at the score scored a mark of 90 or above.

It is a great achievement for the Felton Rd school, which has claimed the honour for the past 21 years.

But for principal Megan Connors, the year was like any other.

“I think the only thing different this year is we usually have a better mix of boys and girls in the high achievers,” she said. “But that’s because we had more male students this year.”

Ms Connors said the “fabulous students” thrived at the Carlingford school because the focus was not just on academia but on a holistic approach to create productive members of society.

She also believed the school’s motto, emphasising deeds and not words, was what made this cohort so successful.

The high achievers in the graduating class of 2016 came back to the school for one last celebration.

“They’re flourishing here because they’re like-minded students,” Ms Connors said. “Many are competitive but they’re also incredibly helpful to one another and making sure they all perform well.”

A total of four students at James Ruse achieved first in their course — Rohan Krishnaswamy, Spencer Hu, Year 10 student Albert Fung and Kevin Xian.

Justin Wu already knew the pressures of the HSC after acing the HSC music course while he was still in Year 11.

“It did put less pressure on me because I already knew what was required and how I could manage my studies,” he said.

Justin, who discovered he had achieved an ATAR score of 99.95 along with eight other of his peers on Friday, said he aimed to pursue a career in medicine.

“I placed fifth in the state for mathematics extension 2, eighth for mathematics extension 1, 15th in chemistry,” he said.

And he had some handy advice for the current crop of Year 12 students bracing themselves for the 2017 HSC exams.

Success! The former students received their ATAR scores today with nine celebrating a mark of 99.95.

“It’s very important to keep looking to the future,” he said. “Learn from failures and past mistakes to improve.

“Don’t lose touch with friends and family because it’s important to keep your sanity during this time.”

The school held a celebratory barbecue for its high achievers on Friday.

Ms Connors also had some final advice for the graduating class of 2016.

“Enjoy your success but practice making mistakes,” she said.

Baulkham Hills High School ranked second in the state, with 62.3 per cent of all exams completed scoring 90 and above.

Stay tuned for more of the Hills Shire Times’ HSC stories, celebrating the success of other high achievers in the Hills, including more on James Ruse’s first in their course success Kevin Xian and Spencer Hu.