Emma Ormsby, Service Prefect for Akoranga House in 2019, has been named New Zealand’s Top Scholar in Sculpture with the maximum possible marks awarded. This is a significant achievement and Emma will travel to Parliament in May to be presented with her award by Jacinda Ardern and Education Minister Chris Hipkins.
Emma’s sculptures are beautifully crafted but also deeply meaningful, as her family and culture are intertwined in her designs. One of her pieces, inspired by her grandfather, was selected for exhibition in the Ringa Toi Exhibition last year.
Last year at our Senior Prize-Giving, Emma won the Citizenship Award for Outstanding Service, Academic and Leadership.
As well as studying a conjoint Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Arts in Māori Studies at the University of Auckland this year, Emma has also come back as an Art Technician at Westlake Girls. Not only that, after being a Service Prefect and raising money for her House charity “Reclaim Another Woman” last year, she has been accepted as a Youth Ambassador for that charity in 2020 and will be supporting young women in prison by visiting them, encouraging them, and teaching them art.
Students from Westlake Girls High School achieved 52 scholarships, four of which were Outstanding, and awarded to Orla Thompson (Technology), Sophie Logan (Biology) and Irene Wu (English).Other high achievers from Westlake were Emma McGuigan (our 2019 Dux) who received four scholarships in Biology, Chemistry, Statistics and History, Priya Patel who received three scholarships in Biology, Economics and Technology, and Xiaole Zhan who also received three scholarships in English, Biology and Music.
Our provisional 2019 NCEA results are also strong. In Year 11, 89.6% of our students gained NCEA Level 1, 94.6% of our students gained Level 2, and 91.7% of our students gained Level 3. A total of 81.0% achieved University Entrance.
