Doing the Higher School Certificate is a stressful and demanding event for all year 12 students, add in two years of Covid-19, extensive time learning from home, a five week extension and it makes it even more so.
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When Joel Tyrrell began year 11 at the start of 2020 COVID-19 was just a bit of a cough in Wuhan province.
Fast forward 24 months and he's marched through the HSC gaining an ATAR of 91.85 consisting of two Band 6 marks in Modern History and Legal Studies, and Band 5 in Biology, Advanced English and Advanced Mathematics.
"I really wasn't expecting anything that high at all," he said. "After the year we've had it's been a very pleasant surprise."
There'll be no gap year for the hard-working Blayney High School student either, he'll be moving to Cooper Lodge at the University of Canberra to begin his studies in Bachelor of Science (Biomedical Science).
After the year we've had it's been a very pleasant surprise.
- Joel Tyrrell
"I've always been interested in the human body and doing biology last year, especially genetics, made me realise that I do have a passion for that," he said.
"How the human body functions, how the anatomy of people works, is really interesting to me."
The degree he is doing will give him an overarching knowledge of the sciences involved, and it's from those that he plans on selecting one to specialise in.
"The course is three years long and you then get to do honours in something after that. Diseases, genetics and everything in between," he said.
Joel's high marks came from the hard work that he put in during the final two years of school.
"I would study for a couple of hours after school and bought additional textbooks to help me get the whole knowledge that I needed," he said.
The weekends also were surrendered to his drive for academic success.
"On the weekend I would spend all day revising my subjects and doing homework or assignments and going over my notes so it's fresh in my head."
Not only did he work diligently at home, but when he was at school he was always looking to extend his knowledge base.
"I was always putting my hand up and asking questions so I understood concepts completely," he said.
That was difficult though once home learning kicked in.
"Home learning was really difficult and having to do it for two years was hard as finding the motivation was always a challenge," he said.
His success though was down to two important concepts.
"I like to say I was a bit resilient and wanted to do the best I could so that helped me get going."
"It was always my goal to do well in year 12 and get the best mark, but it was really hard when the pushed the HSC back weeks and we had to do an extra half term, that was when doubts snuck in and I thought is it really worth it, but I took two weeks off in the holidays and was able to prepare myself to smash out the exams."
Of all the exams he sat, there was one that exasperated him.
"The maths exam was the hardest thing that I've done in my life."
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Mark Logan
Started working in newspapers in the 1990's in the darkroom of the Pastoral Times in Deniliquin before moving to Millthorpe in 2003. Soon after arriving I started as a photographer at the CWD. Now a journalist at the Blayney Chronicle.
Started working in newspapers in the 1990's in the darkroom of the Pastoral Times in Deniliquin before moving to Millthorpe in 2003. Soon after arriving I started as a photographer at the CWD. Now a journalist at the Blayney Chronicle.
