German speaking graduate puts skills to good use while in Europe
An International Grammar School students has topped the state for his German skills — two years on from becoming serious about learning the language.
International Grammar School (IGS) student Davis Evans of Glebe was putting his language skills to good use in Europe when he heard the news he had topped the state in German Beginners.
Davis, who was travelling in Prague and Berlin when he found out, said: “I was shocked.
“I didn’t think the exam went that well, so I was pretty surprised. I guess you never know.
“I’m very grateful to my teachers, who were awesome.
“I didn’t try very hard from Years 7 to 10, and decided I wanted to do better.
“Learning a beginner language gave me a fresh start.”
Davis, who learnt Italian from kindergarten at IGS and decided to expand his language skills from the start of Year 11, is keen to study international relations and languages at Australian National University.
Last year Davis was awarded a number of prizes at IGS for his academic efforts, including first place in German Beginners, Italian Continuers, Italian Extension and Visual Arts, and the Larissa Streeter Languages Prize.
His art work Drag Dictionary (Lavender Linguistics) has been selected for HSC showcase ARTEXPRESS, along with the works of three other IGS students.
“There’s nothing better than human connection and language is the means for that,” Davis said.
He is also travelling in Spain and Italy before returning to Australia.
Davis served as a student leader and has won awards for debating and public speaking.
While at IGS, he organised a charity basketball game for headspace, a youth mental health organisation.
He also organised donations to Westmead Children’s Hospital and a material aid drive for refugees arriving in Australia.
IGS principal Shauna Colnan said: “We’re all absolutely thrilled for Davis. His passion for learning and particularly for learning languages was always evident at IGS. His curiosity and openness will take him far in his life beyond school.”
“This is brilliant,” said IGS Director of Languages Rosalba Genua-Petrovic.
“I knew he could do it.”
Davis had previously told one of his language teachers that learning a language from kindergarten was a life changing experience as it helped him realise that “the things that set us apart — language, culture, identity — are the things that we should celebrate and not hide”.
“When we read such words we can say that as language teachers we have done our job, for this understanding is so much greater than any number,” his teacher said.
Davis’s mother Donna Woodburne, said he was “really lucky” to have had excellent German language teachers at IGS and that he worked “very hard”.
“The main thing is he was incredibly happy and loved it,” she said.
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