Minister Grace Grace today recognised Queensland’s top Year 12 graduates announced

Education Minister Grace Grace today recognised the state’s top Year 12 graduates from the class of 2017 at the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) Achievement Awards. The Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) hosted the event at the State Library in South Bank where 32 students from 20 state and non-state schools received prizes in six categories. “These annual awards are a special opportunity to honour the hard work and commitment of our top students and the teachers and families who supported them,” Ms Grace said. “This year’s overall Outstanding Academic Achiever award went to Rachel Hauenschild of Kenmore State High School who received a certificate, trophy, and $5000 prize money. “She achieved exceptionally highly in all her school subjects, the Queensland Core Skills Test, tertiary entrance ranking, and in two university subjects and will pursue her passion for mathematics at The University of Queensland where she has a scholarship. “I look forward to hearing Rachel’s name associated with many more achievements in the future.” Minister Grace said the 2017 Year 12 cohort was the largest ever to graduate. “Approximately 53,000 Queensland students completed Year 12 last year, so the 32 students who’ve been recognised today can be very proud of their achievements. QCAA chief executive officer Chris Rider said the awards highlighted the strength in depth of secondary schooling in Queensland. “Queensland schools support pathways to further education, training and work for all Year 12 students, while also enabling the very brightest to achieve to their full potential,” Mr Rider said. “All today’s award winners are well placed to be successful at university and make valuable contributions to the community in their careers.” The QCE Achievement Awards are sponsored by Bond University, Griffith University, Queensland University of Technology, The University of Queensland and University of Southern Queensland. 2017 QCE Achievement Award winners Outstanding Academic Achiever: - Rachel Hauenschild, Kenmore State High School Highest Achievement by an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Student:- Lucinda Colbert, Forest Lake State High School  Highest Result on the Queensland Core Skills Test:- Stuart Moss, Brisbane Grammar School Distinguished Academic Achievers: Louis Backstrom, Brisbane Grammar School Aditya Chilukuri, Brisbane State High School Esther Cho, Helensvale State High School Patrick Cummins, St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace Rupert Dwyer, St Peters Lutheran College James Dyer, Anglican Church Grammar School Jade Eldridge, Mueller College Jasmine Elliott, Toolooa State High School Joshua Grice, Brisbane Grammar School Daniel Harness, Brisbane Grammar School Liam Harris, All Saints Anglican School Rachel Hauenschild, Kenmore State High School Jina Hong, Somerset College Phillip Huynh, Brisbane State High School Kenton Lam, Varsity College Saki Maehashi, Brisbane State High School Yan Messoussa, Brisbane State High School Kelly Park, Somerset College Joshua Pelach, Smithfield State High School William Price, Townsville Grammar School Connor Ryan, St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace Patrick Sharkey, St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace Ryan Taylor, St Laurence's College Sophie Tomassen, Varsity College Ruby Turner, St Aidan's Anglican Girls' School Callum Waite, St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace Lilia Walsh, Trinity Anglican School Daniel Walton, Hillbrook Anglican School Highest Achievement by an International Student: - Cheng Zhang, Brisbane Grammar School Highest Achievement in the International Baccalaureate: - Thomas Wu, Queensland Academy for Science, Mathematics and Technology The award criteria and prizes can be viewed at: https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/qce-awards.html Source: Minister for Education and Minister for Industrial Relations The Honourable Grace Grace