Thousands of students across Victoria were on the edge of their seats last week as they received news of their ATAR scores.
Over 50,000 students made up the graduating VCE class of 2017: 20,000 of whom were among the state’s highest achievers with a study score of 40 or above.
Oakleigh Grammar was pleased with its cohort’s performance with over 12.5 per cent of Year 12s placed in the top nine per cent across the state. Coming out on top as school dux was Eirini Souli who achieved an ATAR of 93.9.
Eirini’s story is particularly impressive given her trajectory into Year 12. Having moved from Greece to Australia just three years prior, not only did she face the challenges of completing VCE units with her peers, but also moving to a new country, school, and learning a new language while adjusting to Australia. With her impressive result the ambitious student has plans to pursue studies in law and criminology either at the University of Melbourne or in the United Kingdom.
Eirini was closely followed by fellow students Phillip Di Meo (93.05), Periklis Stamatakos (92.25), Christina Katatrioti (90.3), and Sophia Thompson (90.25).
But principal Mark Robertson made a point of extending the school’s congratulations and appreciation to all students in their achievements, and noted there are many pathways to success.
“Although we tend to focus on students who obtain high ATAR scores I wish to recognise all of our VCE students who achieved or exceeded their own goals through the year,” he said.
“As an open entry school of Christian Orthodox faith our objective is to provide a learning environment that will allow our students to follow pathways of their choice to reflect their aptitudes and skills.”
Alphington Grammar School also had high praise for its students, with the highest ATAR achieved by Rajesh Varghese with a score of 99.35, while close to half of their students achieved 80 or above, putting them in the top 20 per cent of the state.
“The results for 2017 are a culmination of hard work over many years,” said principal Dr Vivianne Nikou. “For a non-selective school with a smaller than average cohort, this is a terrific result.”
Meanwhile Alphington student Athanasios Kontogiannidis achieved a perfect study score of 50 in Modern Greek, which will go a long way in qualifying him for his preferred university path. He was followed closely by twins Georgia and Demitra Lazarakis, who, as luck would have it, achieved equal ATAR scores.
The following students of Greek Australian background achieved a study score of 40 or above in 2017:
ART: Maniatis, Estelle, Caulfield Grammar School (47); Vlahiotis, Arielle, Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School (47)
BIOLOGY: Kanterakis, Mary, Ruyton Girls’ School (47)
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT: Gavralas, Peter, Trinity Grammar School (50); Neophitou, Christopher, Ivanhoe Grammar School (48); Asvestas, James, Trinity Grammar School (47); Panayiotidis, Olivia, Overnewton Anglican Community College (47)
CHEMISTRY: Proimos, Eleni, University High School (49); Georgakas, Phoebe, Methodist Ladies College (47); Psomoulis, Hanna, Lighthouse Christian College (47)
DRAMA: Stavrou, Leah, Bayside P-12 College – Paisley Campus (48)
ENGLISH: Karakitsos, Paeton, Presbyterian Ladies’ College (50); Natsioulas, Elena, Mentone Girls’ Grammar School (50); Neophitou, Christopher, Ivanhoe Grammar School (50); Skourletos, Raffaela, Strathcona Baptist Girls’ Grammar School (50); Tzimourtas, Alexandra, Mentone Girls’ Grammar School (50); Ketsakidis, Petros, Xavier College (47); Paikopoulos, Miltiadis, Scotch College (47); Pavlidis, Kostas, Trinity Grammar School (47)
FOOD STUDIES: Bikakis, Mariah, Methodist Ladies College (47)
GEOGRAPHY: Dardis, Lauren, Camberwell Anglican Girls’ Grammar School (47)
HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT: Asmanis, James, Albert Park College (47)
HISTORY REVOLUTIONS: Patralis, Anastasia, Fintona Girls’ School (50); Laskaridis, Lee, McKinnon Secondary College (47)
MODERN GREEK: Chiska, Vasiliki, St John’s Greek Orthodox College (50); Kontogiannidis, Athanasios, Alphington Grammar School (50); Sampani, Ioanna, Greek Orthodox Community of Mentone and Districts (46); Faklari, Anna, St John’s Greek Orthodox College (45); Kouliadelis, Kalliopi, VSL Distance Education (45); Lazarakis, Georgia, Alphington Grammar School (44); Tsiaousidou, Eleftheria, Nestor Greek College (44); Dimitrakas, Eugenia, Protypo Greek Bilingual Education Centre (43); Seimenidou, Maria, VSL – Glen Waverley/Carwatha (43); Faklari, Charalampia, Nestor Greek College (42); Petrakis, Ioannis, Greek Orthodox Community of Mentone and Districts (42); Tasominos, Gabriel, Omiros College (42); Zoi, Agapi, Oakleigh Grammar (42); Karkaletsis, Elana, Parish of St Vasilios Brunswick Greek Language School (41); Konstantopoulos, Konstantinos, Greek Orthodox Community of Mentone and Districts (41); Kourakou, Despina, Greek Orthodox Community Of Mentone And Districts (41); Stavrinou, Elisavet, South Oakleigh Secondary College (41); Batistatos, Filippos, Alphington Grammar School (40); Davarinos, Yvonne, VSL -Westall/South Oakleigh/Mckinnon (40); Kouskouris, Leo, Pythagoras Greek School (40); Mazi, Athanasia, VSL Distance Education (40)
LEGAL STUDIES: Christopoulos, Dionisia, Thornbury High School (50); Nikitas, Peter, De La Salle College (50); Kostas, Sebastian, Norwood Secondary College (47); Neophitou, Christopher, Ivanhoe Grammar School (47)
LITERATURE: Preovolos, Christos, Scotch College (47)
FURTHER MATHEMATICS: Bloumis, Jordan, The King David School – Senior School (50); Lindros, Penelope, Kardinia International College (50); Moukas, Apostolos, Glen Waverley Secondary College (50); Petridis, Ross, Nazareth College (50); Sakalis, Asterios, Glen Waverley Secondary College (49); Kyriakoullakis, Jonathan, Caulfield Grammar School (48); Apostolakos, Nathan, Marcellin College (47); Drakos, Adam, Carey Baptist Grammar School (47); Gioulekas, Katherine, Methodist Ladies’ College (47); Sitzoukis, Paris, Brighton Grammar School (47)
MEDIA: Sakellaridis, Stefan, Huntingtower School (50); Bloumis, Jordan, The King David School – Senior School (49)
MUSIC PERFORMANCE: Kyriacopoulos, Demetria, Korowa Anglican Girls’ School (48)
PHYSICAL EDUCATION: Kyranakis, Mara, Presbyterian Ladies’ College (50)
PHYSICS: Georgakas, Phoebe, Methodist Ladies College (47)
PSYCHOLOGY: Karamoutzas, Anjelica, Ivanhoe Grammar School (50); Sarantopoulos, Laura, Santa Maria College (49); Mavros, Alexander, Catholic College Sale (48); Konstantinidis, Nicola, Caulfield Grammar School – Caulfield Campus (47)
SOCIOLOGY: Charalambous, Noah, Maranatha Christian School (50)
SPORT AND RECREATION (VCE VET): Frangalas, Chloe, St Francis Xavier College (48); Matsas, Maryellen, Northcote High School (48)
STUDIO ARTS: Avramidis, Zoe, Canterbury Girls Secondary College (50); Dimitrakopoulos, Mia, Canterbury Girls Secondary College (47)
THEATRE STUDIES: Vlahiotis, Arielle, Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School (50)