Bunbury Catholic College 2022 dux Thomas Hogan wins prestigious award after achieving school’s highest ATAR

Just weeks out of starting his journey into university, Thomas Hogan has added another academic accolade to his name in reward for his hard work.

Bunbury Catholic College held an assembly on Tuesday acknowledging the 2022 graduates that excelled in their ATAR exams, with Mr Hogan, who was previously named the school’s dux, receiving the school’s prestigious Kelderman Award for Excellence after achieving an ATAR score of 97.8.

In a speech to the school, Mr Hogan gave a shout out to his friends, family and teachers for “being the best people they could possibly be”.

He advised the students that “high school was as much a social experience as it was an academic one” and that they should take time to be their own person and surround themselves with people who will take them for who they really are.

“You’ll hear a lot about how you should strive to achieve the results you want and that’s true, but be careful with your mentality that your time in high school is not a sacrifice for your future,” he said.

“If you spend six years tirelessly working in school, working at home and compromising relationships, Year 12 will come and you’ll realise what a huge mistake you’ve made.

“Remember that 2023 is not just a new year in school but a new year in life.”

Following the assembly, Mr Hogan said finding out his final ATAR score was “a satisfying moment”.

“It’s the culmination of doing all the work in Year 11 and 12, and getting that number,” he said.

“You don’t really get much feedback aside from the tests.

“It’s definitely a big moment to get that score after doing all of that work.”

The Kelderman Award for Excellence is presented to the highest achieving ATAR student each year, with the accolade named after the late Joseph Kelderman, whose family have shared a close association with Bunbury Catholic College over the past 40 years after his five children all attended the school.

It comes as Bunbury Catholic College celebrated a number of high achievers within their 2022 cohort, with Eliana and Tristan White both accepting the school’s VET achievement awards, and former head girl Maya Lubcke recently receiving a Year 12 Academic Excellence Award 2022 from Catholic Education WA for her outstanding English results.

Bunbury Catholic College was also one of several South West schools listed among the top-performing schools in various subjects following last year’s ATAR exams, receiving top marks in biology and English.