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Six RVS high-schoolers achieve perfect scores on diploma exams

It’s a fair assumption that scoring 100 per cent on a diploma exam is something the vast majority of students will not achieve in their high-school careers.
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Six Rocky View Schools students were recognized by the division after scoring 100 per cent on one of their diploma exams.

It’s a fair assumption that scoring 100 per cent on a diploma exam is something the vast majority of students will not achieve in their high-school careers.

But six students from four high schools in the Rocky View Schools (RVS) division were able to do just that, scoring perfect grades on diplomas they wrote either this January or last June.

Springbank Community High School stood out in particular in RVS, as three students achieved the 100 per cent grade on their biology 30 exam: Hannah Gillcrist, Will Kraus, and Liam Berry.

Gillcrist and Berry said their Bio 30 teacher played a major role in helping them prepare for the big test.

“The teacher is very good at going above and beyond and explaining all different aspects of the course,” Gillcrist said.

Heading into the exam, Gillcrist admitted she was nervous, but knew she prepared as best she could for the big day.

Once the diploma was completed, Gillcrist left the classroom feeling good about her performance. Once she found out her mark, she felt validated in knowing her hard work studying had paid off.

“I would have been happy with 70 [per cent],” she said. “Guess it worked out. I put in all the hours [studying].”

Berry said a key component to his success was engaging with the material. He did his best to try and remember everything the class had gone over throughout the semester, even the smallest details.

Even though he felt confident after writing the exam, Berry remained skeptical, as he felt there were some poorly worded questions.

“There's always a few questions that may have poor wording,” he said. “As long as I could justify my answers to myself, then I felt confident enough in what I was going to get.”

Berry said he felt great after finding out he reached the highest score possible.

Looking at the two Springbank students’ future goals, it perhaps makes sense that bio would be the diploma exam they’d excel in. With a passion for environmentalism and sustainability, Gillcrist said she hopes to explore a degree in environmental science, oceanography, or marine biology at the University of British Columbia.

Next year, Berry said he will be attending McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., where he will be studying biomedical engineering and health sciences. He said he dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon. 

Other RVS students who aced one of their diploma exams were W.G. Murdoch School student Trajan Stefanik, Bert Church High School senior Andrew Fallow, and Beiseker Community School student Marissa Jackson.

Showcasing their knack for numbers, Fallow and Jackson both scored 100 per cent on the Math 30 diploma.

“I had a feeling of disbelief that I had actually achieved that,” Fallow said.

Stefanik, meanwhile, was the only one out of the six RVS students to score 100 per cent on the Chemistry 30 diploma.

He recognized the work he put in to achieve the grade, but also noted the people who supported him. He said his teacher, Ms. Black, played an integral role in his success by providing study sessions on the weekends.

“It was a lot of what I did,” he said. “But it was a lot about [what] the people around me were helping me do.”

Working tirelessly, Stefanik committed to studying roughly 85 hours in the weeks leading up to the exam. He said that time management was a big challenge because most of the diploma exams were scheduled within days of each other.

Like Gillcrist, Stefanik admitted he was nervous as he entered the classroom to write the final. He said he was unsure exactly what to expect because it was the first science diploma he had ever written.

“I cannot remember specifically what I was thinking, but I knew I had a lot of nerves,” Stefanik said.

After finding out about his perfect score, Stefanik didn’t think much about it. He said in the moment, he wasn’t aware of the significance of his accomplishment.

“I was kind of like, ‘Oh that’s awesome’ and I kind of moved on with my day,” he said. “I didn’t realize how rare and how uncommon it is to get that high of a mark.”

Looking forward, Stefanik said he will be attending the University of Calgary next year to study engineering.

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