Editorial: WA teens who attended school through COVID deserve full marks for resilience

It’s fair to say the class of 2022 hasn’t had the smoothest schooling journey.

They were in Year 10 when COVID first triggered disruptions to every aspect of their lives, including their education.

This involved learning from home as well as time at school under the most trying of circumstances.

The disruptions carried through all their senior schooling years. Many were forced to isolate at inopportune times, missing valuable in-class learning as well as time with their mates.

They had to adapt rapidly. And it’s a testament to their resilience and drive that they made it through.

Regardless of their final score, all of the students who made it to the end of Year 12 deserve our sincere congratulations.

But of particular mention are the 16 WA high-flyers who received the highest possible ATAR rank of 99.95. It’s a truly remarkable achievement which requires not just smarts, but an immense amount of hard work and discipline.

The highest of the high-flyers was Perth Modern School Dux Jessica Doan, who won this year’s Beazley Medal, which is calculated on exam performance across students’ top five subjects.

What makes Jessica’s achievement all the more remarkable is her humble background. Both of her parents arrived in Australia as refugees from war-torn Vietnam when they were small children.

Their families worked hard to adjust to life in a foreign land, learning the language and carving out careers for themselves and better lives for their own children.

With role models like that, it’s little wonder that Jessica understands the value of hard work.

He father, electrical engineer Kanh Doan, knew Jessica was special from an early age.

“Most children when they do maths they count on their fingers, but I noticed that she didn’t — that she did it all mentally,” he said. “She was about three.”

Not even coming down with COVID during her first semester exams held the determined Jessica back.

She estimated she put in four or five hours a day studying on weekends and two or three after school each day, doing practice exams.

Now, she plans to go on to study medicine to help her give back to the community.

Also commendable is Harrisdale Senior High School graduate Ashton Fowler, who won the Beazley Medal for achievement in vocational subjects.

Ashton, who completed vocational certificates in business, electrotechnology, sport coaching and sport and recreation, is proof that the ATAR isn’t the only path to success.

He has already secured an apprenticeship in electrotechnology and has his sights set on starting his own business.

Congratulations to the Class of 2022.

Congratulations also to the parents and the teachers who helped them get through all the late-night study sessions all the way to the finish line. This is your achievement as well as theirs.

You did it.

Responsibility for the editorial comment is taken by WAN Editor-in-Chief Anthony De Ceglie