Having five students on the HSC Top Achievers list is an outstanding feat, but having two in Construction is particularly unique.
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Five St Francis Xavier's College Hamilton students achieved top 10 results in the state for HSC subjects - the most of any school in the Hunter.
As the Herald reported Thursday, two students, Samara Payne and Jack Breasley were first in Community and Family Studies (CAFS) and Mathematics Advanced respectively.
Ellen Hughes, 18, finished tenth in Personal Development Health Physical Education (PDHPE). She was also the school's only All Round Achiever - scoring in the highest band possible in at least 10 units.
Ellen said it was the result of hard work over the past few years, but it was still a pleasant surprise to finish on the Top Achievers list.
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"There's a lot of high calibre students in all of NSW, so you can't really expect to get something like that. It's more a hope," she said.
"It's definitely a proud moment for me, my family and everyone that's been a part of this journey."
The other two Top Achievers were in the Construction exam. Casey O'Bryan, 18, finished fifth, while Joseph Nolan, 18, was 10th.
Casey took up the subject with inspiration from her dad, who runs a construction company.
"He was very happy," she said.
A career in the field wasn't on her mind before now, but the result has made her reconsider her options.
Joseph is planning to study surveying, also following in the footsteps of a family member after his brother also pursued the degree.
With the Hunter's construction boom, the result also gave Joseph confidence in his future career path.
"There's a lot of job availabilities," he said. "So hopefully I won't have to worry about that when I actually go for a job."
Principal Greg Ptolemy said having two Construction students in the top 10 was a unique feat.
"It's very special, and something we haven't seen before," he said. "The whole class achieved some great results."
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Sage Swinton
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
