The Dux award represents our most outstanding academic achievement. This year we have a joint dux – one from the NCEA programme and one from the IB Diploma pathway. In future years we will formalise this and have separate duxes for the two courses.
We are proud to announce that the International Baccalaureate Dux for 2018 is Joy Kang and the NCEA Dux for 2018 is Conor Tarrant. The Proxime Accessit to the Dux at Diocesan for 2018 is Emma Uren.
Joy came to Diocesan in year 9 and quickly impressed us with her talents. She has abilities across Visual Art, technology, the sciences, languages and the humanities. She chose to study the Diploma which meant she had to keep that broad spectrum of options. Joy has performed at the top level in all her subjects and we hold great hopes that she will achieve a top score. However her CAS teacher (which is the creativity, activity and service component that sits at the heart of the Diploma) comments that her growth as a reflective learner has been the most exciting thing to witness. Her creative project was a beautifully illustrated vegan cook book and she has challenged herself to a rigorous exercise programme for her action component. Joy has accepted an Auckland University Academic Potential Scholarship and she intends to study Health Sciences
Conor also came to Diocesan in year 9. She has received Academic Honours and a Board Scholarship each year. In addition she was the JHS Dux in year 10 and in year 12 received the Dorothy Shrewsbury Bursary for the top year 12 student. She has a near perfect academic record across all of those 5 years, while demonstrating consistent excellence across all her subjects. This year she has studied Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Economics and English and her teachers comment on her enthusiasm, self motivation and insightful analysis, and that she is fully engaged in the class, making a perceptive and valuable contribution. Conor is also a nationally ranked swimmer, Cowie House Prefect and she must have superb organisational skills to manage her responsibilities with such apparent ease.
Otago University have recognised her abilities and offered her an Academic Excellence Scholarship worth up to $45000, where she intends to study Health Sciences.
We congratulate Joy and Conor on being Dux at Diocesan School for 2018 and wish them the best for their future.
The Proxime Accessit to the Dux at Diocesan for 2018 is Emma Uren. Emma is an enormously talented student whose subject choices this year span languages, Science, Visual Art and English. Her teachers describe her as dedicated, independent in her learning, thoughtful, a student who critically analyses her work and in visual art, she is meticulous in the planning and the execution of her paintings.
Emma is a published author – she has had prose and poetry published in Signals and ReDraft which are NZ secondary school writing publications, in the Youth section of the National Flash Fiction Competition, in the NZ Poetry Society International Competition, both the open category and the Haiku section. Most recently she won the Liam and Frankie Davison Award, Australasian competition for outstanding achievement in literary writing on an issue in women’s health where she was the only NZ winner. She also finds time for dance (ballet, jazz and intercultural dance) and is a key member of our handbells, concert band and symphony orchestra.
Above all Emma is hugely modest about her talents and achievements. She has accepted a University of Auckland Top Achievers Scholarship and she intends to study Engineering. We congratulate her on her award as Proxime to the Dux for 2018.
