EDUCATION: WESTLAKE BOYS
George Yang - Prime Minister's Award winner.
NZ 2020 Top Academic Scholars.
New Zealand’s Top Scholar Award to Westlake Boys student Westlake Boys is very proud to extend its congratulations to George Yang who is the recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Academic Excellence for 2020 and has been presented with a trophy from the Prime Minister, The Right Honourable Jacinda Adern. The Top Scholar Awards ceremony, held in the Grand Hall of Parliament Buildings in Wellington, acknowledges and celebrates the academic achievements of the highest achieving secondary school students in the New Zealand Scholarship examinations. George’s results included a total of seven scholarships with five at an Outstanding level, and one of these placing him top in New Zealand. In addition to this impressive achievement, he was also awarded a New Zealand Premier Award as well as winning the school’s Year 13 Gold Award, and announced Westlake Boys Dux for 2020. All these results were achieved alongside the Excellence endorsements he received for all six of his Level 3 subjects. George’s achievement is inspiring, and despite a year disrupted with lockdowns and having to rely on online classes to progress, his academic achievement is nothing short of remarkable and worthy of the highest accolades. Joining George in Wellington were fellow students Brian Kim (Proxime Accessit 2020), Yuxin Li, and Raymond Luo who were also
Westlake Premier Scholars.
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recipients of the New Zealand Premier Award, and Eric Zhou who received the award for Top Subject Scholar for Chinese. The students were accompanied by their parents, Headmaster David Ferguson, and Scholarship Coordinator Dr. Catherine Salmons, to celebrate their achievements at the ceremony alongside award recipients from other secondary schools. This is the second time that the Prime Minister’s Award for Academic Excellence has been awarded to a Westlake Boys student. In 2015 Joshua Hansen won the prestigious award for his exceptional results in the 2014 Scholarship examinations and was presented with the trophy at Parliament by the then Prime Minister, The Right Honourable Sir John Key. Westlake Boys is a school that actively encourages every student to be the very best that they can be, in all aspects of their lives, and this is something that George has aspired to. George’s achievements recognise his commitment and personal resolve to perform at the highest level he was capable of, and to do this we also acknowledge the expertise and dedication provided by a team of teachers who were there to support him with his academic endeavours. George is studying Biomedical Science in his first year at the University of Auckland with plans to enter the field of medicine. We wish him continued success in a career path that provides challenge and fulfilment.
Westlake top scholars with PM Jacinda Ardern.
Issue 120 - June 2021 www.channelmag.co.nz
