HAMISH Lewis has emerged as the Hunter's standout performer in this year's Higher School Certificate, after being named the only student outside Sydney to achieve the highest possible Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) of 99.95.
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Hamish, 18, had set himself a goal of 98.
"The possibility of this had not even crossed my mind," he said.
"My initial reaction was 30 seconds of silence, then I started laughing because I couldn't believe this was happening.
"It all seems too good to be true. I'm worried I'm going to pinch myself and wake up from a lovely but overwhelming dream."
The University of Sydney has offered Hamish its $10,000 per year Sydney Scholar Chancellor's Award, which he said will make his plan of studying a double degree in law and arts more tangible.
"This is absolutely my dream, it really is," Hamish said.
"Doing the same course in the same place as Gough Whitlam did is just surreal."
Hamish said he had always been interested in politics, debating and developing critical thinking skills and "law provides an avenue for people to realise ideas of social justice in the real world".
He'd like to run for the Senate and help "hold the government to account".
The 1pm release of the ATAR capped off an "interesting day" for the Hunter School of the Performing Arts school captain.
He had been hoping for marks above 95 in each of his six subjects.
After a relatively sleepless night and waking at 4am, the email landed a few minutes before its expected 6am arrival.
He received 99 in English Advanced and Drama, 98 in Ancient History, 97 in Legal Studies, 95 in Modern History and 47 out of 50 in English Extension 1.
"I am over the moon," he said. "It was so stressful for the past six weeks not knowing, it was all consuming and I couldn't stop thinking about it.
"To wake up this morning and see these numbers I'm thinking 'Are they actually mine?'"
He was the region's only student to receive a NSW top 20 ranking for two subjects: second in English Advanced and fifth in Drama.
Hamish said he was proud of himself, his teachers, his peers - and to attend his school.
"It really fostered an environment where excellence was not just something to strive towards, it was a prerequisite," he said.
"I was driven by a desire to impress my teachers.
"I knew they had high expectations and I wanted to not just meet them but exceed them.
"They all worked so hard it was only fair I put in the work to repay them."
HSPA principal Jo Gray said Hamish was a "delightful human" who was also "super engaged" in school life, a gifted debater and public speaker, a climate activist and passionate about social justice.
HSPA has achieved 100 band six or equivalents, its highest number in recent memory.
Helen Gregory
Helen Gregory joined the Newcastle Herald in 2010. She is the masthead’s education reporter and has written for the H2 and Weekender sections, as well as across a range of issues. Helen is a Walkley Award winning journalist and was also part of the Newcastle Herald team that won the United Nations World Environment Day Media Award for Environmental Reporting.
Helen Gregory joined the Newcastle Herald in 2010. She is the masthead’s education reporter and has written for the H2 and Weekender sections, as well as across a range of issues. Helen is a Walkley Award winning journalist and was also part of the Newcastle Herald team that won the United Nations World Environment Day Media Award for Environmental Reporting.
