Student achievements

Congratulations to the following students: 

Ava Schultz (Year 10), who was awarded first place in the Young ICT Explorers, Year 9-10 category (Tasmania). The non-profit competition encourages Australian school students to solve real-world problems and showcase their passions using technology. Ava's project, which focused on weed identification using AI, will see her advance to the national level of the competition. We congratulate Ava on her success and wish her well for the finals, to be held in February 2024.

This year, the College had a number of students participate in the Day of AI Australia. The full-day program centres on interactive learning to spark students' interest in artificial intelligence (AI) and equip them with the skills they need to thrive in a tech-driven world. We are pleased to congratulate the following students on their success in 2023:

SoLumb and Madeleine Ambrose (Year 10), who received first place in The Day of AI with their AI system that can detect and diagnose skin cancer from images. Their system used deep learning techniques to analyse skin lesions and provide accurate and timely diagnosis. Sophia and Madeleine won a three-day work experience in Sydney at ROKT, a leading digital marketing company, as well as a $1,200 prize for the College. 

Madeleine Marr and Thea Timms (Year 9), who took out second prize in The Day of AI. Madeleine and Thea developed an AI system that can generate captions for videos, using natural language processing and computer vision, and were rewarded with a $600 cash prize for the College. Congratulations also to Kate Bryan and Jorja Condon (Year 8), who received third place (and a $300 cash prize) for their design—an AI system that can recommend personalised playlists for music lovers. Well done to all students on their clever and creative ideas! 

The NCSS Challenge is a programming competition that tests the coding abilities of school students. Congratulations to the following SMC students who placed in this year's competition: Sofia Lumb (Year 10) - Perfect Score (Advanced), Sarah Thomas (Year 9) - High Distinction (Intermediate), Hazel Arora (Year 9) - High Distinction (Beginners). 

Imogen Ransley (Year 7), who competed on the national stage at the Bruce Cup, held recently in Queensland. This was Imogen's second time participating in the competition, which sees the best Tasmanian 12 and under tennis players challenge themselves against their national counterparts. The Cup provides opportunities for learning and skill development, and we have no doubt Imogen has added a few more strings to her bow through her involvement in this event. Well done, Imogen and best wishes for your future endeavours.

Eliza McCullough (Year 6), who received a Silver Historian Award in the National History Challenge 2023, a research-based competition for Australian students. Eliza won the award for her website, 'From Fibres to Fabrics: A Woven History'. She is pictured here with Tasmanian Premier, Jeremy Rockliff at the awards ceremony held on 8 November. Congratulations on your hard work and achievements, Eliza. 

Lyla Fairfield (Year 4), Sophia Carter, Annabel Hutchinson, Estelle Leary, Gabriela McKenna (Year 6), Maddison Fairfield and Mia Blackhouse (Year 7), who performed in the Musical Theatre Crew's stage adaptation of Shrek the Musical Junior from 10-19 November at the Peacock Theatre. Each and every student put on a spectacular performance, radiating confidence, passion and energy in their roles. Our College community is proud of you all.

If you have a student achievement to share, please notify the College by emailing stmarys@smc.tas.edu.au