The St Leonard’s College Class of 2024 Celebrates Outstanding Academic Results
St Leonard’s College is proud to announce the exceptional academic achievements of the Class of 2024, encompassing both the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) and International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) results.
We congratulate all students on their results, and extend special congratulations to our seven Duces and four Proxime Accessits.
To view the detailed results, including outstanding individual achievements, please click here.
Highlights of 2024 Academic Results
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7 Students Achieved the Highest Possible ATAR of 99.95
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6 Students Achieved a Perfect IBDP Score of 45
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4 Students Achieved a Perfect VCE Study Scores of 50
Combined Results
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Median ATAR: 89.05
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47.4% achieved ATARs 90+
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74.5% achieved ATARs 80+
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89.1% achieved ATARs 70+
IBDP Results
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Median ATAR: 96.60
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81.49% achieved ATARs 90+
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94.44% achieved ATARs 80+
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98.15% achieved ATARs 70+
VCE Results
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Median ATAR: 85.28
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34% achieved ATARs 90+
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66% achieved ATARs 80+
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85.5% achieved ATARs 70+
Principal Peter Clague has expressed his admiration for the students’ achievements and gratitude to the dedicated teachers, staff, and families whose support was instrumental in these results.
The entire St Leonard’s community celebrates these exceptional results and looks forward to the continued success of our graduates.
Principal Peter Clague shares a story that demonstrates how the power of genuinely held expectations can build self-confidence in young people.
St Leonard’s College Principal Peter Clague shares a remarkable example that showcases how sincere belief in a student’s potential can foster self-assurance and personal development.
At this week’s Middle School Prizegiving, I recounted an anecdote involving a school in California, back in the 1960’s.
It was similar to St Leonard’s College in size and composition, but was struggling at the time to achieve positive academic results. This caused concern for the Head of School, not just because students were failing to reach their potential, but also because the school’s funding was based upon its performance in national testing.
So, one day the Head of School called three teachers into her office and sat them down, saying, “Things need to change”. She went on, “I have been going through the IQ scores of the entire Middle School, and I have identified the 60 most able students we have.” Then she said, “I have also gone back over the past twenty years of teaching data and identified that you are the three best teachers in the school. Your performance is consistently better than anybody else in the staffroom.”
The Head of School then outlined her plan. “I have grouped those top 60 students into three classes, separate from the rest of the year level, and I want only you three to teach them next year. The combination of their innate intelligence and your proven passion should bring us the results that we need to lift the school’s performance.”
The teachers were obviously quite excited at the prospect of a class full of only the brightest and most eager students. Probably also a bit chuffed that they had been recognised as being the best educators in the school. So off they went to plan for the term ahead.
A year passed, and at the end, after all the national tests had been sat and marked, the Head of School called the three top teachers back to her office and congratulated them warmly. The experiment had worked. Their three classes had aced every test. In fact, their results were not only the best in the school’s history, they were the best in the whole State.
But then, looking a bit sheepish, the Head of School said to the three teachers, “I have something to confess. I wasn’t entirely honest about the way I selected your classes for the year. You didn’t actually have the students with the highest IQ scores. The truth is, the students I gave you were chosen completely at random.”
The teachers were obviously quite shocked to hear this, and could only assume that the remarkable success must have been entirely due to their great teaching ability. But then the Head of School burst that bubble as well. She said, “Sorry, but I also have to admit that I didn’t rank all of the staff and pick the best either. You three were also chosen completely at random”.
That story is testimony to the power of self-belief. Both the students and the teachers were told that they were special and talented, so they just unconsciously rose to meet those expectations. It shows what we can achieve if we simply have faith in ourselves. But self-confidence originates when others first show confidence in us, and that invariably starts young. My desire, therefore, is to foster an environment in each of our schools where students are genuinely convinced that their teachers believe that they can achieve great things. Where it is simply impossible to swim against a daily tide of optimism and affirmation.
Therefore, as the 2024 academic year draws to a close and we send our students off to revel in a well-earned summer break, I hope that each one of them is able to look back on the year with pride and a quiet sense of personal satisfaction. Whatever else they gained from the College this year, whatever their achievements or accolades, milestones or memories, I hope that their belief in themselves has grown.
I have always been motivated by the motto of the great educator, Kurt Hahn, who believed ‘Plus Est En Vous” – there is more in us than we know. Accordingly, I hope your child has had a little more of their innate potential revealed to them at St Leonard’s College this year, and has grown in confidence as a result.
I wish them, and all members of our school family, a very Merry Christmas and a joyful New Year.
By Mr Peter Clague, Principal
Our Director of Cocurriculum, Sally Northcroft, recently represented St Leonard’s College at the Association of Experiential Education International Conference in America.
Our Director of Cocurriculum, shares insights into the transformative impact of reflection and resilience in experiential learning, drawing on the poignant example of Year 12 student Owen’s poetry.
Recently I had the privilege of representing St Leonard’s College at the annual Association of Experiential Education (AEE) Conference held in Colorado. At the conference, I presented on the review of experiential education programs offered at St Leonard’s College. The AEE conference attracted over 750 delegates from around the world.
As is the case after a conference of this magnitude, I found myself reflecting on the many workshops and presentations I attended. Over 150 presenters gave workshops and presented findings on the latest research and best practices across a range of experiential education programs. The most resounding and applicable message from this conference was that of the power of reflection and resilience. These intangible characteristics are highly valued and promoted, however, they are also very difficult to measure.
One presenter shared how important it is to find “magic in the mundane” whilst traipsing through his familiar city streets. Too often, the dopamine-like effect of planning ‘Instagram-worthy’ walks to beautiful places and signing up for high-octane activities can lead us to believe that magic only happens when we view or participate in these heavily marketed experiences. Sometimes, enjoying the simple moment, or taking the time to appreciate the beauty around us on a mundane Monday afternoon walk home from school can provide the same reflective power if we choose to do so.
Another presenter shared the way in which we perceive what it means to be resilient. Often, we picture the victorious super(wo)man stance atop some insurmountable peak, hands held high and chest puffed out like Rocky Balboa at the top of the stairs to the Philadelphia Museum of Art (parents, please explain who Rocky is to your children!). To really understand and implement what being resilient means we have to go back a few steps in the resilience journey and discover the moment we chose to ‘be’ resilient.
It happens at a moment when something has stopped us from progressing (an injury, an illness, not being selected or elected for a role or position) and we have to make a choice about how to respond. Picture a ball being bounced to the ground and when it hits the ground, it literally hits ‘rock bottom’ with nowhere else to go. In that moment – the moment the ball has nowhere to go, the ball changes direction (thanks to all the physics laws in place) and starts to move in another direction…up, up, up.
It is in this moment that the determination to be resilient comes into effect. When we find that there seems nowhere else to go, we take up the champion (Rocky!!!) stance, we raise our hands high, perhaps in pain or in sadness or in sheer determination, we choose to be resilient and change direction – to rise up, up, up and discover what it takes to overcome whatever it was that first stopped us.
As we come ever so close to the end of the year and with so many opportunities experienced to reflect upon, I am drawn with gratitude to one of the poems that Year 12 student Owen kindly shared with me. Owen collaborated with Mr Armstrong to put a collection of poems together to thank his teachers and in his words:
“I admire the ways which you have helped me to follow my own passions – it has turned me into an authentic version of who I am today. I look up to each and every one of you.”
Owen has found that through his reflections and his ability to find magic in the ‘everyday’, the resilience he discovered has been manifested in his poetry.
Experiential education does not have a linear learning path for either skill acquisition or character development. The learner and their journey are both singularly constructed and collaboratively curated. But we know it when we see it!
Owen’s poetry provided a platform to reflect and explore his resilience across so many areas in his time here at St Leonard’s College. When he went on the Year 10 hike and again on the Senior School hike, Owen used his love of poetry to help him through the challenging moments, focusing on the simple pleasures like the rain, the mist and a little tent to protect him. In many ways, the value of reflection allows us to consider how we can prepare ourselves for the next challenge.
For all our students, as they prepare to enter another year of exciting adventures and their inevitable challenges, it is the experiences that they have had, the resilience they have developed and the reflections on how to learn from these challenges that gives them the reasons to continue on their lifelong journey of learning.
By Sally Northcroft, Director of Cocurriculum
With Owen’s permission, please enjoy this gorgeous piece from Owen’s anthology:
Nightstorm
Nearby thunder interrupts the rain’s roar.
I lay with my tent door open,
holding the rain, mud and trees in my palm,
as if they were plasticine.
Nature cannot escape my grip.
An ant seeks refuge from the relentless rain outside,
and stomps over the mud into my tent.
It is a vine to my finger,
wrapping itself around, before injecting fire,
turning my skin red and swollen.
My darkness turns white:
lightning is a bulldozer,
leaving charred remains meters away,
where an innocent family of birds
bathed their feathered-wings
in recent sunlight.
So I unfurl my fist,
release my conceit,
and close my tent door.
Even concealed within my sleeping bag,
nature’s reminder still burns my hand.
Oscar Bruten, from the St Leonard’s College Class of 2020, has achieved remarkable success in the world of jazz performance and composition.
Oscar Bruten has excelled as a saxophonist and jazz composer, earning prestigious accolades and releasing his new album titled ‘Strzelecki Suite.’
Oscar’s musical journey was signficantly influenced by his time at St Leonard’s College, where he was guided by his teacher Tarko Sibbel (Head of Jazz and Contemporary Music). Under Tarko’s mentorship, Oscar honed his skills, developed his unique talent, and cultivated his passion for jazz composition.
In 2022, Oscar was awarded the prestigious ABC Jazz Composer Commissioning Fund, a recognition of his exceptional talent and creativity. This milestone led to the creation of his album, Strzelecki Suite, which was recorded in 2023 and is a deeply personal and reflective work.
The Strzelecki Suite is inspired by Oscar’s connection to his home in Trafalgar, West Gippsland, where his family relocated in 2020. Nestled in the picturesque Strzelecki Ranges on Gunaikurnai land, the property became a source of profound artistic contemplation. Reflecting on his work, Oscar shared, “Written on Gunaikurnai land, this work is the product of deep introspection about my relationship to the land on which I live, its history and its story.”
The album showcases Oscar’s dedication to exploring themes of place, identity, and history through music. It is also a testament to the collaborative spirit fostered at St Leonard’s College, with several fellow Old Collegians contributing to the project:
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Jasper Bruten (OC2016) – Drums
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Ayda Akbal (OC2019) – Voice
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Max Bruten (OC2018) – Producer
Adding to his list of accomplishments, Oscar was a finalist in the recent National Jazz Awards, which celebrate the finest jazz talent in Australia. Oscar placed an impressive third. As part of this recognition, he performed at the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz & Blues earlier this month, further solidifying his reputation as a leading talent in contemporary jazz.
St Leonard’s College is proud to celebrate Oscar’s achievements and his ongoing contributions to the arts. His journey exemplifies the creative spirit and commitment to excellence that the College nurtures in its students.
To listen to Oscar’s album Strzelecki Suite on Spotify, please click here.
Image featured above courtesy of Wangaratta Festival of Jazz & Blues Facebook Page
St Leonard’s College alumna and Amiel Award recipient, Stella Wadeson (OC2018) reflects on the Garma Festival experience.
“I would like to first acknowledge the Bunurong and Boonwurrung People of the Kulin Nation who are the traditional owners and custodians of Country. I pay my deepest respects to their ancestors and all First Nations peoples past, present and emerging. I recognise that sovereignty was never ceded and further extend this acknowledgment to the Yolngu people in north-east Arnhem Land, the land where Garma Festival takes place, the sacred site of Gulkula.” Stella Wadeson, Class of 2018
St Leonard’s College takes immense pride in the accomplishments of its alumni who embody the values of social responsibility, cultural understanding, and social action.
A recent example of this commitment is Stella Wadeson’s inspiring journey to the Garma Festival in northeast Arnhem Land, made possible by the Amiel Award – a grant that celebrates the College’s tradition of fostering meaningful change and collaboration. The award is named after Nicki Amiel, past student, staff member and parent, past President of the St Leonard’s Old Collegians Association and member of the College Council from 2000. Nicki held the position of Chair of the College Council from 2014 to 2018. The Amiel Award is presented to a student who has demonstrated a strong commitment to improving the lives of others within and beyond the College.
Stella, who was the inaugural recipient of the Amiel Award in 2018, recently participated in Garma 2024, a four-day celebration of Yolngu life and culture. Reflecting on the experience, she said, “Being welcomed onto Yolŋu Country reinforced the importance of listening and learning. Through working alongside people from all walks of life, the key connection that united everyone was a commitment to ongoing reconciliation.”
The theme of Garma 2024, Gurtha-Wuma Worrk-gu – Fire. Strength. Renewal, resonated deeply with participants. Chairman of the Yothu Yindi Foundation, Djawa Yunupiŋu, emphasised the importance of resilience and hope following the rejection of the Voice referendum, encouraging attendees to “look up and ahead.”
For Stella, the journey was also a return to familiar landscapes. In 2014, she had visited Warruwi Community School as part of the College’s partnership program, fostering an enduring appreciation for the culture and traditions of Australia’s First Nations peoples. She shared, “The memories of my time in Warruwi remain vivid. These experiences contributed to understanding the importance of culture, connection and collaboration.”
During Stella’s 12-day involvement at Garma, she worked as a volunteer alongside Yolngu people and festival attendees, contributing to an environment that celebrated cultural heritage and sought to inspire positive change. She described the festival as a space of profound learning and reflection, stating, “’Garma reminds us to hold space for one another, fostering a renewed future that represents strength and reconciliation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”
Stella’s commitment to community engagement and leadership has been evident throughout her journey. In 2019, she was recognized as the Bayside Young Citizen of the Year announced on Australia Day (photo below), an accolade that celebrated her extraordinary dedication to initiatives such as the Bayside Youth Ambassadors and Women of Influence group. She also played a key role in organising the St Leonard’s College Having a Yarn breakfast in 2018, which fostered important conversations on inclusion and cultural understanding.
Stella’s achievements exemplify the lasting impact of the Amiel Society and the immersive social action programs that are integral to the experiential education offered at St Leonard’s College. By nurturing global citizens who act with compassion and purpose, the College reinforces its commitment to reconciliation and creating a more inclusive society.
Through opportunities like the Amiel Award and experiences such as the Garma Festival, St Leonard’s College alumni exemplify the values of social responsibility and action that lie at the heart of its mission. Their journeys inspire current students to engage with the world as thoughtful, informed, and empathetic leaders.
Featured above: Stella Wadeson (OC2018), Bayside Young Citizen of the Year Award Recipient, 2019
Our College community is invited to spread Christmas cheer by baking Shortbread Biscuits or Gingerbread.
Lennie’s Van is once again planning a delivery in early December to share holiday wishes and thoughts with our patrons for a safe and happy 2025.
College community members are invited to bake either Shortbread Biscuits or Gingerbread that can be distributed on the estates. To ensure uniformity and address allergy concerns, please use one of the following recipes (please click on a recipe below).
Gingerbread Recipe
Shortbread Recipe
If possible, we ask that each biscuit be individually wrapped in a cellophane bag and sealed with a ribbon or similar tie. If wrapping isn’t feasible, you can place the biscuits in a disposable plastic container, and we’ll take care of the wrapping.
If you or your family would like to join this initiative, please email Rebecca Wilson at [email protected].
We are planning on over 300 deliveries to the estates so any batches you can bake would be greatly appreciated.
Biscuit deliveries are welcomed from Monday 25 November to Friday 29 November via student drop off to either Main, Junior School, Years 5/6, Middle School or Senior School Receptions.
If you would like to include a card with well wishes please do, and this will be passed on to an individual who may have been doing it tough this year. Lennie’s Van services enable us to reach out to isolated members of our community.
By Rebecca Wilson, Community Projects Coordinator
The warmth and spirit of generosity from sponsors, donors and players are what makes the Challenge the success it is. Thank you to all.
Thank you to all who supported and participated in the 2024 Golf Challenge.
Thanks to their generosity, we are delighted to announce we raised $53,270 to make a difference in the lives of our Global Citizen Scholars.
We are sincerely grateful to all our sponsors for their commitment to the Foundation and this Golf Challenge. Our Platinum sponsor, IBISWorld, provides trusted industry research on thousands of industries worldwide. Their in-house analysts leverage economic, demographic and market data, then add analytical and forward-looking insight to help organisations of all types make better business decisions.
Gold Sponsor Reflex Technology Group (RTG) has sponsored the Golf Challenge since our inaugural Challenge in 2016. RTG provides comprehensive technology services, solutions and products to businesses, NFPs and schools, including St Leonard’s College.
Many of our Silver sponsors have supported the Golf Challenge for several years. Whether a sponsor for all eight years, like RTG, Dobsons, and Macmor, for the first time this year, or somewhere in between, we are deeply grateful for their support of this much-loved event.
If you would like to consider your business as a sponsor of the 2025 Golf Challenge, we would be delighted to discuss the options available. To find out more, please contact Pat Kenny by email [email protected] or by phone, 9909 9569.
The 2025 St Leonard’s College Golf Challenge will be held on Friday 14 November and we can’t wait to see you there!
A warm congratulations to all our winners and place-getters on the day:
Golf Challenge Winners
1st Prize: Nick Renna, Rudi Sims, Richard Slade and Thomas Nield-Dumper – 55.5 Nett
2nd Prize: Chris Sheppard, Dara Tang, Darren Loewy, Jamie Haramis – 56.25 Nett
3rd Prize: Kerryn Ruthven, Todd Newton, Michael Kahane, Steve Whytcross – 57.25 Nett
Longest Drive (7th Hole):
Men: Peter Neilson / Women: Anne Marie Grace
Nearest The Pin (5th Hole):
Men: Ben Robb / Women: Traci Crampton
St Leonard’s College offers diverse cocurricular activities that foster creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving, equipping students from Year 5 with valuable collaborative skills.
St Leonard’s College has a deep commitment to offering the broadest possible range of experiences to its students, who can take part in cocurricular activities across many fields, including sport, outdoor education, performing arts, debating and academic challenges.
All of these activities are intrinsically beneficial in their ability to extend a child’s learning and expand their thinking.
Some of our cocurricular activities are, on the surface, purely intellectual challenges. It is easy to look at competitions like Future Problem Solving or Ethics Olympiad and only see an exercise involving the chance to develop stronger problem-solving skills or a greater ability to discuss thorny moral issues, but there is another significant benefit which is easy to miss.
While these competitions, and others like them, require both deep knowledge of specialised content (for example, the ethical dimensions of autonomous vehicles came up this year) and a high degree of creativity, they are not won by these skills alone.
The most extraordinary aspect of these programs is that they demand a very high degree of collaboration. Future Problem Solving and Ethics Olympiad both require the participants to work creatively as a team in order to succeed. It’s not enough to have the best ideas and to express them as an individual; students have to agree on which ideas are the most suitable response to the prompt, and they have to be capable of dividing the work between themselves. This is far from easy at any age, but our students do a fantastic job of it, starting as early as Year 5.
It is a privilege to work with highly talented and experienced teachers including Hayley Kuperholz and Meg Scott, supported by the Director of Pedagogy, Charles Neave, to foster creativity, teamwork and collaboration in our students. I am looking forward to completing this year’s competitions and preparing for the next round of collaborative challenges in 2025.
By Sam Haines, Head of High Potential Learning, Prep to Year 6
Mastering Handwriting and Typing: Preparing Students for a Dynamic Future
Balancing handwriting and typing is essential as St Leonard’s prepares students for a tech-driven future while preserving foundational learning skills.
As technology continues to evolve, so does the debate on the roles of handwriting and typing in education. Recent research highlights the importance of handwriting for learning, with a study from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore showing that handwriting, more than typing, leads to more effective motor learning and enhances the understanding of letter shapes. Neuroimaging studies further support these findings, suggesting that handwriting activates multiple brain pathways, which aids in reading fluency, phonological awareness, and overall comprehension.
However, schools are increasingly incorporating digital tools, recognising their value in preparing students for a tech-driven world. At St Leonard’s, for instance, we have made the decision to transition to laptops in 2025 for all students in Years 5 to 12. This decision aligns with the broader trend in education, where digital literacy is crucial for future careers. Laptops and other devices open up an inspiring world of information and learning opportunities that are difficult to achieve through traditional methods alone.
The shift toward digital assessment formats is also on the rise. The International Baccalaureate (IB) has announced plans to transition all IBDP exams online by 2030, meaning that our current Year 6 students will take all their IBDP exams on laptops by the time they reach Year 12. Similarly, NAPLAN has already moved most year levels online, including its written components (excluding the Year 3 level where the NAPLAN writing test is still handwritten), and it’s only a matter of time before the VCE follows suit.
Balancing the development of both handwriting and typing skills is therefore essential. At St Leonard’s, we are committed to preserving handwriting practise, especially in the Junior School and through resources available in Years 5 and 6. We also encourage students in Years 3 and 4 to familiarise themselves with keyboarding. For families with younger students, we recommend purchasing a Bluetooth keyboard compatible with iPads to support early keyboarding skills.
To build proficiency, students can benefit from touch-typing practise. A number of free online programs are available, and our students have had success with Typing Club in the past. We recommend that students from Years 5 to 7 dedicate about 30 minutes per week to typing practise, ideally in three ten-minute sessions, to build speed and accuracy.
As a College, we aim to foster a balanced approach that equips students with essential skills in both handwriting and digital literacy, preparing them for both academic success and their future careers.
By Charles Neave, Director of Pedagogy
St Leonard’s College strengthens international connections through school visits and educational engagements in New Delhi and Mumbai.
St Leonard’s College is delighted to share our successful international engagement trip led by our new Head of Engagement, Mr Pat Kenny.