Thursday was likely to be the one weekday morning where Victorian VCE students didn’t reach for the snooze button on their morning alarms, awake early to receive their ATAR results at 7.00 am sharp.
This year 49,324 students are graduating with their VCE, a record completion rate of 98.1 per cent, and nearly 21,969 study scores of 40 and above.
Christina Vakkas from Melbourne Girls’ Grammar was among the highest achievers in the state. She received a close to perfect ATAR of 99.90 and was awarded the University of Melbourne Chancellor’s Scholarship. Christina was also named school Dux, as was Alexander Savvas from Alphington Grammar, who scored an ATAR of 99.55.
Kew High School Captain, Dean Damevski (Makantassis) says he was shaking when he logged in and saw his ATAR of 99.85, and four perfect study scores of 50.
“I really couldn’t believe it was beyond my wildest expectations,” Dean told Neos Kosmos.
He had his sights set high from early on, his first tertiary preference a Bachelor of Commerce with a Juris Doc at the University of Melbourne, for which he secured his entry having surpassed the minimum criteria of 99.8.
Dean puts his success down to being proactive and ensuring he was a little bit ahead in his studies, but says maintaining a balance was also important.
“You have to keep up your other hobbies so that you don’t lose motivation, and you’re not just spending all your time doing homework,” he advises future VCE students.
But the result didn’t come easily. Dean’s mother Helen Makantassis admits they hardly saw him all year.
“He was in his room all the time. It felt strange once it was all over that the four of us as a family could sit in the lounge room again in the evenings. So it was almost like life was put on hold a little bit for us,” she said.
Aside from his own hard work, Dean also recognised the important role of his family – his older brother having just finished a Law degree was a positive role model – as well as his teachers.
“I have to attribute a lot of my achievements and success to my family who have been really supportive during the last two years, and friends, and teachers who worked tirelessly for us and always pushed me to do my best,” he said.
At Oakleigh Grammar, John Lelekakis was named school Dux, with an ATAR of 95.4.
Both surprised and pleased to have achieved a score higher than he needed for his first preference of a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) and Bachelor of Science at Monash University, he says all of the positive attention he has received has come as a shock.
John agrees that consistently working hard and maintaining a balanced routine are important, as well as choosing subjects he enjoyed most, which for John are maths and science – passions that he would bring home with him.
“He was annoying at times when he wanted to explain to us theoretical physics for hours!” says his father Nick.
Stavroula Lampropoulou from Presentation College Windsor says she was also surprised by her ATAR result of 86.80.
The Year 12 student moved to Australia from Greece six years ago, where she was faced with a language barrier and navigating an entirely new education system.
“I struggled so much with school as I’m a bit of a perfectionist, so I’m definitely relieved that it’s come to an end,” she says. “And I’m proud of everything that I’ve achieved for sure. Coming from a different country, it was definitely harder.”
With a passion for photography, Stavroula successfully received an offer for her first preference at RMIT. While entry was folio based, she still worked hard to achieve an impressive ATAR.
“I tried to meet all my deadlines because I did two folio subjects, so it was really hard to balance everything. But I just tried to do a little bit every day and I’m not the best at studying, but I did try hard,” she says, demonstrating that perseverance pays off.
On Thursday morning, John Rerakis says he was more anxious than his son, Sotiris about the VCE results.
“I’d already had my three cups of coffee trying to calm my nerves and walked into his room and he had his phone ready and logged in, and he was cool as a cucumber. I saw he had a bit of a smile of appreciation, so he was happy with what he saw,” John says of the 87.65 ATAR.
But admits he was surprised by his son’s response when he asked him if he wanted to share the news with his grandparents.
“He said ‘I want to speak to my teachers first, like they deserve to hear it first because of their dedication and commitment. They’re like the unsung heroes aren’t they? No-one talks about the teachers today, it’s all about the students, and I thought that was a really nice reaction,” John says.
Sotiris has been a student at Alphington Grammar for 14 years since pre-prep, accounting for more than half of his life. Over the years the father says he witnessed the special relationships the school has fostered amongst its teachers and students, creating a tight knit community.
While proud of his son’s academic achievements and the future that awaits him, John highlights that it’s not the results that define people.
“One thing we’ve always tried to tell all our kids, and what we should tell all kids, is at the end of the day it’s not all about the results, it’s about giving it your best shot. Study’s not everything; you could get the brilliant 100 per cent but be socially inept. You’ve got to be out there, and that’s what we were really proud of,” he says. “And it comes back, I think, to the school environment that many of my generation missed out on. Being at Alphington Grammar, it’s cool to be Greek.”
Students with questions about their results and change of preference (open until 4.00 pm on Saturday 14 December) can contact the Post Results and ATAR enquiry service on 1800 653 080.