Aquinas is proud to highlight the outstanding achievements of 15 students who have received High Honours, the college’s top student recognition award.

The awards were presented during a special assembly attended by parents and whānau on Tuesday (April 3). A further 39 senior students were awarded Honours badges for their notable achievements. All of the commendations were for sporting or academic accomplishments.

The event was the first of two Honours Assemblies to be held this year.

High Honour awards recognise exceptional, national-level achievement in academic, arts, cultural or sporting endeavours. The recipients were presented with their High Honours badge and tie by Zeb Barry, former Aquinas student turned rocket scientist.

He spoke to students of his unplanned journey from an Aquinas student with no set career path to a Rocket Lab Launch Engineer. Despite not knowing what he wanted to do, Mr Barry said he followed his interests, worked hard and was willing to learn.

“Some of you know what you want to do, others don’t and that’s OK,” he told students. “You might be training for jobs you don’t even know you want or exist.”

Principal Dalton commended all of the Honours recipients for their dedication, hard work and commitment to excellence, and urged other students to follow suit. 

“When we strive for excellence, we are honouring God’s call for us to be the best that we can be.”

The special assembly was followed by a morning tea for recipients and their whānau.