St Andrew’s top academics from left, Luke Zhu, Corin Simcock and Toby Harvie (jointly receiving the 2022 College Dux Award).

It was an astounding result for 33 St Andrew’s College students to achieve 76 New Zealand Scholarships between them in the 2022 examinations. Leading the charge were four of the College’s most exceptional academics, Corin Simcock, Luke Zhu, Tom Edwards, and Toby Harvie (all Year 13 in 2022), who between them, achieved an incredible 29 Scholarships.

The highlight was Corin Simcock being named as one of the top 11 students in New Zealand, after winning a Premier Award in the examinations. Corin was one of only two South Island students to achieve this honour, after gaining an impressive seven New Zealand Scholarships overall, with three at Outstanding level in Digital Technology, Chemistry, and Calculus. He also gained four New Zealand Scholarships as a Year 12 student, in 2021. As a Premier Award winner, Corin will receive a $10,000 scholarship, each year for three years, during his tertiary studies.

This wasn’t the only success for St Andrew’s at the highest level. Tom Edwards won a Top Subject Scholar Award for receiving the top mark in New Zealand in Digital Technology. He gained seven Scholarships overall, with two at Outstanding level.

Tom Edwards receiving the Proxime Accessit Award at the 2022 Prizegiving.

Tom, and two other former Year 13 students, Luke Zhu (eight Scholarships, one Outstanding) and Toby Harvie (seven Scholarships, one Outstanding), also gained Outstanding Scholar Awards, which placed them amongst the top 62 students in New Zealand.

The academic talents of the four boys were already well-recognised at St Andrew’s. For the first time in College history, three of them, Corin Simcock, Luke Zhu and Toby Harvie, were jointly awarded College Dux for 2022, when it was impossible to choose one based on their academic results. Tom Edwards was the Proxime Accessit. The boys are friends as well as academic rivals, and also gained global success in 2022 as one of three winners of the International Mathematical Modeling Competition.

Several other students gained multiple Scholarships, including one of the 2022 Academic Captains, Sarah Anthony, with five Scholarships.

Rector, Christine Leighton, says she is ‘incredibly proud’ of the students’ achievements. This is the third time during the last 12 years that a St Andrew’s student has won a Premier Award. “The Scholarship numbers have grown each year, to the 76 Scholarships from the 2022 examinations earned by St Andrew’s students. This is testimony to the commitment and passion for learning of the students, and the expertise and dedication of the teaching staff at St Andrew’s College."