TWO Mentone Girls’ Grammar graduates have received a Premier’s VCE Award for their achievements in school last year.
Ella Phillips and Emily Dunne received awards for their results in French and Creative Digital Media respectively. Principal of Mentone Girls’ Grammar Natalie Charles said “these results are a testament to fortitude, grace and mastery in a year that was otherwise filled with disruptions and change.”
Ms Phillips, who now studies medicine at Monash University while volunteering with the Regional Education Support Network, paid tribute to her peers after receiving the award. “At Mentone Girls’ Grammar, I was surrounded by motivated peers and exceptional teachers who cared not only about my education but also my future. The girls were more than happy to help each other achieve their goals [and] my teachers would sacrifice their own time to go over essays and further explain concepts, which definitely increased my confidence and contributed enormously to my academic success,” she said.
Ms Dunne is now studying engineering and science at Monash University. She said she was “very surprised and grateful” to win. “There were group study sessions online, initiated by Year 12 girls, to keep each other motivated, as well as dedicated teachers helping with work outside of class, highlighting the community’s focus on working to lift each other up,” she said.
Ms Dunne’s work in 2020 ended up on display at Melbourne Museum.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 4 August 2021