On Monday, we were delighted to host our High Achievers assembly. Mrs Lisa Brown outlined the outstanding achievement of the Class of 2023. Over 10% of these students achieved an ATAR of over 99. The median ATAR at Meriden was an outstanding 93.1, with over 38% of students achieving an ATAR over 95. Success can be measured in many ways, and it was pleasing to see that Meriden continues to excel on several published metrics, including placing 12th in the 2023 HSC Sydney Morning Herald Schools Ranking.

For more details about all these results, I encourage you to have a look at the 2023 Academic Highlights publication.

In this assembly, we also welcomed back several of the 2023 high achievers to speak to the girls. Despite all the new demands of life beyond Meriden, we were very grateful that Mahek Jain, Alexandra Richards and Lael Sakalauskas were able to find the time to return to Meriden to share their insights.

The dominant theme to emerge from all three speeches was that success could be achieved in various ways. Each girl spoke of experimenting with various techniques before settling upon patterns of study that worked for them. Lael shared a photo of her room with study notes covering the walls, while Alexandra spoke about using Google Docs. Mahek noted that she tried several ways to help her study before settling on some strategies that worked for her. It was clear that there were many ways to learn and our current students were encouraged to reflect on their learning and find out what works best for them.

The second major theme to emerge was the importance of others in the learning process. It was encouraging to hear the girls speak of the support they received from their teachers. We were reminded again how often staff at Meriden provide so much extra support for our students. The girls also spoke about how important their peers were in helping them to learn. Whether it was the motivation to continue studying or an alternate perspective on a major work, it was clear that the Class of 2023 derived considerable benefit from the help and support of their peers.

Finally, each girl spoke of the need for balance – the continuing commitment to friendships, exercise and a range of activities outside of the curriculum. It was clear that high achievement did not come at the expense of all other things. It is possible, and indeed preferable, to mix study with a full and diverse life.

We are grateful to Mahek, Alexandra and Lael for their wisdom and wish them and the Class of 2023 all the best as they begin their life after Meriden.