Small on ceremony but big on success Students make their mark as they step out into world

• Author: Dean Taylor
• Published date: 25 November 2021
• Publication title: Te Awamutu Courier

The event took place in the school hall and was live-streamed for parents and caregivers, who were not permitted to attend.

Tony praised his staff and the students for making the best of the situation and still producing amazing results in service, cultural, sport and academic pursuits.

He was especially proud of Year 13 students with scholarships to attend universities.

After announcing a record number of scholarships, valued at almost $200,000, Tony congratulated the young men and women who stood on the school stage and said it was testament to the high standards of Te Awamutu Collegethat scholarships were offered to attract Te Awamutu students.

“They have parted with their money because they want you as students at their universities,” he said.

Senior prizegiving is also important to students who have applied for leadership roles in 2022.

Tony says there was an excellent pool of applicants for the four head student roles for next year and it was once again a difficult task to make the final choices.

He announced the head students for 2022 as Elijah Lee, Marnie Gielen, Adam Swney and Brooke Penny.

Te Awamutu College Board of Trustees deputy chairman Jock Ellis reported another successful year of board duties, but was most thankful to students for continuing to apply themselves during the year, and parents and caregivers for taking on the difficult task of bringing up, and helping educate, their teenagers.

Top achiever:

Recipient of the Waipā District Council Service to the Community Award and AG Freeman Medal for Dux Litterarum (Sponsored by Canon) was Megan Walker.

Megan was a capable and reliable chairperson of the 2021 Service Committee, able to not only lead but also to delegate effectively.

The Service Committee selected three humanitarian/charitable causes for Mufti Days in 2021: SPCA; CanTeen; and Loving Arms to raise funds and awareness.

Megan and other members of the Service Committee also gave their time and energy to running a free sausage sizzle for parents/caregivers and students on report evenings.

Academically she was First in Subject Chemistry (McKinnon Cup), Graphics and Design (Noel Cox Cup and Paper Plus Award) and Physics (Rutherford Cup) and received the Mathewson Cup for Excellence in Sciences and, to date, has attained Excellence credits in all 56 Level 3 credits attempted.

Megan also received the University of Waikato Te Paewai o Te Rangi Scholarship for Outstanding Academic Achievement, valued at to $25,000 in the first three...