Students join 99 club

Six Bunbury students are among the newest members of the “99 club” after learning their Australian Tertiary Admission Rank results on Monday.

Bunbury Cathedral Grammar’s Jordi Lockhart (99.90) and Jonathan Kirke (99.55) as well as Bunbury Catholic College’s Thomas Paynter (99.75) and Cameron Ayre (99.55) can all count themselves among the top 1 per cent of students in the State.

Manea Senior College’s Rhys Cunniffe and Jake Miller were part of the record 127 West Australian public school students to score 99 or higher on the 2012 ATAR.

Jake’s ATAR of 99.6 makes him the 46th highest ranked public school student in the State and the highest from a regional public school.

It also virtually guarantees him a position at the University of Western Australia where he plans to study computer science.

“It was a massive relief and good to know that two years of hard work have paid off,” Jake said.

“I knew I had done well but definitely didn’t expect a 99.6.”

Rhys scored 99 on the dot, a feat made even more impressive by the fact he skipped Year 10.

“When Rhys moved here for Year 11 his parents were worried that he may have to repeat if he didn’t do well enough,” Manea Senior College principal Paul Mathews said.

“He’s certainly exceeded those expectations.”

Rhys has applied to study medicine at UWA and will find out if he has been accepted in a few weeks.

Manea Senior College was the only public school in the Greater Bunbury region with students who scored an ATAR of 99 or higher and also the only regional school in WA with two or more such students.

“We’re exceptionally proud of the boys and their results are recognition for all the hard work and effort they have put in,” Mr Mathews said.

“Rhys and Jake are our first students to join the 99 club and come from the college’s third graduating class which is a great testament to the work of all of our teachers and the calibre of young adults Manea attracts.”