News

Monday 28 July was a special night at Aquinas as we celebrated the achievements of so many students in their Semester 1 results. Joining us were Mr. David Mezinic, Principal of Tenison Woods College, Mt Gambier; Ms. Michelle Buick, representing the Kennedy Family, donors of the Kennedy Family Prize; and Aquinas College Council members Mr. John Favretto, Mr. Vincent Kain and Ms. Megan Devenish.

Head of College, Dr. Sarah Moller, entertained the students and guests with her engaging message during the Liturgy about salt and its wonders, especially the deliciousness of Lemon Crisp biscuits! The Gospel reading we listened to, from Matthew, was about Jesus talking about salt and calling his listeners to be the light-be the salt. Sarah called upon the students to be the “salt” in their lives, to bring out the best, in not just themselves, but also everyone around them.

Following the Liturgy, we enjoyed a special dinner in the David Hogarth Dining Room, where the courage of the young Captain David Hogarth, a prisoner of war in a Camp in Germany in World War 2, who, despite the hardship endured, was the ” salt” in the lives of the men with him in the Camp, as he taught them German and amazingly commenced and nearly finished an Arts Degree by correspondence. He then returned to Adelaide, became a Supreme Court Judge, known for his compassion for all, having been a prisoner himself. Justice Hogarth was a long-standing foundation member of the Aquinas College Council.

The successes of the students who excelled in their courses by achieving Distinctions and High Distinctions were marked with a traditional “standing-up” and congratulatory applause. Outstanding results were achieved in Semester One! It was noted that over one third of students achieved a Distinction or High Distinction Average, with a further 40% a Credit average, equating to over three quarters of the College attaining a Credit average or higher

Special prizes were awarded on the night to the following faculty award winners:

Arts: Naomi Wright (Orange NSW)
Education: Ava Norman (Mt Gambier SA)
Engineering: Wil Vaughan (Mt Gambier SA)
Nursing: Chelsea Hawkins (Minimay VIC)
Science: Lily Lawrence (Buronga NSW)
Allied Health: Edward Moresi (Barraport VIC)
Business and Commerce: Luke Donohue (Rapid Creek NT)
Law: Esther Juebner (Hawthorn VIC)
Medicine & Veterinarian Science: Mia Karlovassitis (Stirling SA) and Maeve Bylsma (Mt Stuart, TAS)

 The Kennedy Family Prize, for students achieving the best results in Semester One was shared by Chelsea Hawkins and Lily Lawrence

The Father James McInerney Scholarship for the top First Year student in Semester One 2025 was a three way tie between, Edward Moresi, Ava Norman and Naomi Wright

The final award for the night,  the Aquinas Medal for the Dux of the College in 2024, was presented to Lily Lawrence for the second year in a row.