As students who are part of the grade that finally saw James Ruse Agricultural High School end its 27-year-run as the top school,it’s hard to express exactly what this result means for us as a school community.
Mark Ju from North Sydney Boys High.Kate Geraghty
We are no longer the “second best” school in the state,or,as we liked to say,the “premier boys’ school” in NSW. Our image has been lifted,just by one place,and the community finally sees what we are capable of reaching. We’re now just the “premier school” in NSW.
There has always been a huge level of prestige saying you go to North Sydney Boys High School. And there’s now a new level of pride – particularly for the students in our grade,to be able to say that we were the ones who brought the school’s results up.
That sets a new bar for the years below us:we were the year group that started the change,and we hope the change turns into a trend.
But “beating” James Ruse was never our driving mission. We spent all year – and every year since year 7 – focusing on doing our best in all our work.
Jordan Ho of North Sydney Boys High.Kate Geraghty
Our community is made up of hundreds of people from different parts of the community;our school is where like-minded students are brought together by our passion for academics. The most defining characteristic of our school is the hard work and determination that each of us hold.
A lot of us come from first and second generation immigrant families who value education as the stepping stone to success in Australia.
Our parents are Shanghainese and Vietnamese,but we were both born here. We entered kindergarten with limited English and came out of high school analysing the works of Shakespeare and TS Eliot. We’ve proven that anyone,given the right opportunities to thrive,can achieve amazing results if you work hard.
We created Discord groups for each subject,sharing resources and spending time to help each other. There was no one in the grade you couldn’t ask if you needed help with something.
The same message is one of hope for students across other schools,too:the number one spot is now wide open,and you should work for it too.
We’re aware there’s a gap between selective and comprehensive education – but in our books,this result is a triumph for the public system. The first spot has been passed on from one excellent public school to another.
Since day one of year 7,we’ve had five school values instilled into us:camaraderie,integrity,commitment,respect and compassion.
Students in the Crows Nest school were elated when principal Brian Ferguson informed them of their result.
And despite now being number one,those values don’t change. If anything,we double down on them:they have served us well.
Mark Ju and Jordan Ho are both in the North Sydney Boys High School class of 2023,and achieved all rounder status. Jordan was school captain and achieved a perfect score of 99.95.
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