But with livelihoods at risk and homes inundated, many put life into perspective and opted to have a derived ATAR score calculated based on earlier test results.
Among them were Kerang students, given the option of sitting exams elsewhere in the state, including Swan Hill and Echuca, but as waters lapped at doors and flooded farmland, some had no choice but to cease hitting the books.
Kerang Technical High School’s dux Tegan Cuthbert was one who evacuated he family home at Lake Charm as floodwater isolated the Kerang township.
She received a score of 80.1.
“When the floods came through, we had to evacuate … our house didn’t go under water but, to be safe, we left and went to Lake Boga for a bit,” she said.
“It was hard to stay there with our animals, so we went to Kerang and stayed with a friend then came back home.
“I was going to sit the exams in Swan Hill but then the roads and highway became blocked – it was all a bit of a shock.
“I would have liked to do the exams to know how capable I am, rather than it being estimated.
Tegan studied English, legal studies, biology, further mathematics, psychology and Australian history in her VCE years, with English the favourite.
“I like writing pieces more than solving maths problems,” she said.
Tegan told the Gannawarra Times she was “surprised” at the result, not expecting to achieve as well as she had.
She hoped to study nursing at either Deakin University or RMIT next year, but plans to relocate to Melbourne were still being prepared.
Tegan’s advice to future Year 12 students was to stay motivated and “keep going even if it seems you can’t get there”.
Cohuna Secondary College also had an impressive year of VCE results, with four students scoring above 90 and two in the 80s.
Dux was Raphael Umali, with an ATAR score of 97.75, with Alicia McFarlane 97.3, Alyssa Bourke 94.55 and Tess Doyle 92.55.
