St Mary's Catholic School A-levels: A is for Amy and Amy is four As!
The only student at St Mary's Catholic School in Bishop's Stortford to do four A-levels is off to her chosen degree destination after achieving straight As.
Amy Wright got A*s in maths and further maths, and As in chemistry and biology. She is taking up an offer to study medicine at Bristol.
Other students at St Mary's did three A-levels and an EPQ (extended project qualification). Ben Callington (4 A*s) will be studying music at Cambridge and classmate Theresa Grealy (3 A*s and 1 A) is off to Oxford to study English language and literature.
Overall, the Windhill secondary is celebrating "exceptional" results by a cohort that started at the school in Year 7 when head Andrew Celano took up his post.
He said: "After another challenging year for all students and staff in every school, I'm delighted to acknowledge the exceptional grades achieved by our sixth-form students this summer, securing places at Oxbridge and Russell Group universities as well as valuable degree apprenticeships.
"Their results are a testament to their resilience, persistence, commitment, hard work and the way they embraced the importance of a balanced education and development in mind, body and spirit that a Catholic education aims to deliver.
"Of course, one never has favourite year groups, but as these students were in Year 7 when I began as headteacher at St Mary's, I can say that it's been a real privilege to watch first-hand how they've grown these last seven years into fine young men and women; they should be very proud of who they have become and what they have achieved.
"I would particularly like to commend the professionalism and dedication of St Mary's staff, who worked tirelessly teaching and supporting both in-person and online. My thanks also go to the entire community – parents, priests, parishes and governors to name but a few. Their prayer, support and guidance is highly valued and greatly appreciated."
Deputy head Deirdre McHugh, head of the sixth form, added: "I'm delighted for this group of students as they complete their St Mary's journey today, ready and able to take on their next steps with confidence. It's been another hugely successful year for university entry, including some of the very best universities and degree apprenticeships.
"Their contribution to the life and community at St Mary's has been outstanding, and they leave us not only with very strong academic qualifications but as interesting, articulate, spiritually aware individuals who are destined to go fulfil their potential."
Those include: Faye Kirwan (3 A*s, 1 A), who will study medicine at Sheffield; Sam Hardy (3 A*s) – land economy at Cambridge; Micheal Nestor (3 A*s) – computer science at Leeds; Alessandro Perelli (3 A*s) – computing at Sheffield; Aiden Jones (2 A*s, 1A, 1B) – psychology at Cambridge or Durham; Ben Kulagowski (2 A*s, 1A) – architecture at Cardiff; Mairi Martin (2 A*s, 1 A) – computing and maths at Glasgow; Daniel McGuire (1 A*, 2 As) – maths at Sheffield; Angelo Re (1 A*, 2 As) – architecture at Loughborough.
