Another group of Year 12 students in the Northern Rivers recently completed their HSC exams and received their results for 2023.

There is nothing remarkable about this until you start to think about their journey over the last three years of school.

Two years of COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021 was the first disruption for these students (in Years 9 and 10) learning with lockdowns and online classes plus the rules and regulations in place that were placed upon all NSW residents.

Just when a normal routine returned for the start of 2022, the February 28 2022 big flood caused even more disruption.

We all know that Trinity Catholic College was severely damaged, with only 8 out of 96 rooms not affected by flood, as was Richmond River High in North Lismore.

(One of the Trinity classrooms post-flood)

As the major cleanup work and insurance company assessment took place, Trinity needed to find a new temporary home for their students.

Following another eight weeks of online learning, Years 11 and 12 ended up at Woodlawn for exactly 12 months, April 26 2022, the start of Term 2. The a year later, April 26 2023, the start of Term 2 again, Years 11 and 12 moved onto Southern Cross University with Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 students, so Trinity was under one roof.

The Lismore App chatted with Principal Jesse Smith to find out how the Trinity Class of 2023 performed after a very difficult period of education.

“HSC results and ATARs are packaged in numbers or data sets. At Trinity, we know that behind every single HSC result or ATAR is a quality human being whose potential will never be defined by a number. We can celebrate numbers and what they represent, but we can never lose sight of the holistic purpose of education and the fact that learning is truly life-long.

I am extremely proud of the human beings that graduate from our College each year. This year we had 138 HSC students who undertook various pathway options throughout their final two years at Trinity.

The impact of the flood events, and our need to relocate, cannot be overlooked when it comes to these students’ lives. The fact that these students graduated is a significant accomplishment. They did not give up. They supported each other. Their families worked with us. Their teachers worked extremely hard. Now we can celebrate the fruits of our individual and collective labour.

The College offered 45 courses (39 examinable) to its 138 Year 12 students in 2023.

College Dux

The College Dux is awarded to the student who receives the highest Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR)

• Hannah Cappe is the 2023 College Dux with an Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) of 99.90.
• 18 students received an ATAR above 90, thereby placing them in the top 10% of their cohort.

HSC All Rounders

The HSC All Rounders List recognises students who achieved a result in the highest band (Band 6 or E4) in at least 10 course units.

• Hannah Cappe
• Grace Forster

HSC Top Achievers

The HSC Top Achievers List shows the top performing HSC students in a course.

• Mackenzie Brown – Placed 11th in the state for PDHPE
• Hannah Cappe - 4th in the state for Italian Continuers & 5th in the state Italian Extension

Distinguished Achievers

The HSC Distinguished Achievers list recognises students who achieved the highest band possible for one or more HSC courses or optional exams. 

• Trinity had 42 students listed on the Distinguished Achievers list in 2023.
• Collectively these 42 students achieved 99 individual Band 6 or E4 results. 

Course Statistics

• 33% of examined courses were 5 or more above state mean: Ancient History, Dance, Earth & Environment, English Studies Examination, Industrial Technology, Information Processes & Technology, Italian Continuers, Legal Studies, Mathematics Standard 1, Modern History, PDHPE, Textiles & Design, Visual Arts.
• 84.6% of examined courses (extension and standard courses) were above state mean.
• 48% of all results were in the Band 5 (80%+) or Band 6 (90%+) range.

HSC Showcases

CALLBACK is a selection of outstanding performances and projects from HSC dance students and will be held at the Seymour Centre in February 2024. Students nominated for possible inclusion in CALLBACK were:

• The following students Major Study Performance has been nominated for possible inclusion in CALLBACK: Halle Anderson, Beth Lockwood, Sophie Mayes, Maya McGrath, Mischa Tardew-O’Meara.
• The following students Major Study Composition has been nominated for possible inclusion in the HSC Showcases as part of Callback: MacKinnon Connolly.
• The following students Core Performance has been nominated for possible inclusion in CALLBACK: Halle Anderson, Beth Lockwood, Maya McGrath.
• The following students Core Composition has been nominated for possible inclusion in CALLBACK: Halle Anderson, MacKinnon Connolly, Beth Lockwood, Maya McGrath.

MacKinnon Connolly’s Major Study Composition was selected for CALLBACK. This is an incredible achievement as she was selected from over 670 candidates. MacKinnon will perform her work with Sabrina Ghiladi (Year 11 student) at the Seymour Centre in February 2024.

ARTEXPRESS is an annual series of exhibitions of exemplary artworks created by New South Wales visual arts students for the Higher School Certificate examination.

The following Trinity student was nominated for consideration in ARTEXPRESS, as part of the HSC Showcase season in 2024: Maia Siddon. Maia’s work showcased her skills in the still life painting genre with oil paints, plus reworking an actual shirt as a canvas, highlighted the issues of the Fast Fashion industry (image below).

"This year’s HSC results are truly remarkable in the circumstances, and I am extremely proud of every student for staying the course and committing to personal excellence. I thank their loyal and supportive families for helping us encourage them to do their best. And I am incredibly grateful to the wonderful staff at the College who work so, so hard every year to help provide our students with opportunities to achieve their personal best.

"The future for these students is bright – and I am confident that each of them will make a meaningful and positive contribution to the world they are now entering, whether that be through employment, vocational education, tertiary education, sport, the Arts, or the many other pathways they have at their disposal.

"Congratulations to the Class of 2023 – you have made us all very proud.”