Bunbury Catholic College celebrates high achievers within class of 2023, with ex-students sharing wisdom

Bunbury Catholic College’s class of 2023 have passed on their tips for success to current students as they are recognised for their academic achievements. More than a dozen recent graduates returned to the school on Friday, with last year’s top achievers being honoured in front of college pupils and staff. The Kelderman Award was presented to Ebonee Griffin for being the highest ranking student in university-pathway studies last year. She achieved an ATAR score of 98.75, just nudging out fellow graduates Zoe Parker (98.45) and Zavier Noonan (98.20). In her speech to current pupils, Griffin noted the importance of finding the balance between study and other commitments. “I always strived to find that little zone between achieving the results that I am proud of and finding the time to spend looking after myself and spending time with friends,” she said. “I kept on piano lessons every week, I kept my part-time job and also had to make time for volleyball as well as much needed warmth and debrief with friends.” Griffin encouraged students to make studying as appealing as possible and said she focused her energy on subjects she felt the weakest in rather than revising information she was comfortable with. “I also discovered I had to constantly remind myself I couldn’t do everything,” she said. While currently on a gap year, Griffin hopes to study biomedical science but is keeping open what area she wants to major in. “You definitely don’t have to have your whole future mapped out before you graduate,” she said. The Vocational Education and Training Award was jointly given to Logan Turner and Abbie Field. Turner told attendees he first got interested in electro-technology during Year 7 drama class. “One day, (the teacher) asked ‘who would like to have a go at doing the lighting for the performances’,” he said. “I jumped at the chance because I didn’t want to do the acting part of the drama class.” Turner said it started him on a pathway towards studying electro-technology, which saw him study at South Regional TAFE and participate in last year’s WorldSkills Australia competition in Melbourne. “The competition was tough and at times stressful, but it was an amazing experience,” he said. A number of other students were honoured, including Brooke Edwards for receiving a SCSA Certificate of Excellence after ranking in the top 0.5 per cent of pupils across the State in ATAR English.