Carla Douglas, Whitney Mansfield, Krystal Jauja and Annerley Fitzsimmons are among the top performers at St Mary’s College where 42 students sat the exams.

Whitney received an ATAR of 91.95 and said she was feeling “really good” about it.

“My family is proud of me,” she said.

“My mum was just happy that I did well for myself.”

The teenager did particularly well in modern history and studies of religion, receiving a band six for both. 

She is heading off to the University of New England next year to take on a business and law degree. She said she was more interested in the business side of things and became interested in the area in Year 11.

Related story: Gunnedah’s Year 12 students receive HSC results

Carla achieved a band six in music and along with Annerley, has been invited to perform in Bravissimo, a HSC musical showcase in Port Macquarie in February. Both girls have been playing the cornet in the Gunnedah Shire Band since they were young.

Carla now has to decide which university offers she will accept for course in nursing.

Annerley received an ATAR of 93.45 and achieved four band 6s and three band 5s. She said she had been worrying about her results because she needed a band 5 or above in english plus a band 5 or above in two other subjects.

The teenager said she was thrilled with her results and quickly spread the word.

“My nan cried,” she said.

Annerley will be heading off to the University of New England next year to begin an education course. She will spend four years in Armidale before moving to Newcastle to do her fifth and final year to become a qualified special education teacher.

Krystal received an ATAR of 83.35 and said she was pleased with all her results, particularly PDHPE and chemistry.

“I improved quite a lot between my trial and my HSC mark [in chemistry],” she said.

The youth said she wasn’t concerned about her ATAR because she’d already received an early entry offer from Charles Sturt University in Bathurst to study paramedicine for three years. She is taking a gap year.

School principal Max Quirk said the girls’ results were a “highlight for the school”.

"These girls have worked really hard for it [but] we mustn’t forget the kids that got band 4s and band 3s,” he said.

“We look at some of the kids who powered on in the last few weeks. Kids coming to school at night for study group and you could see their growth over those few weeks.”

Year 12 supervisor Karen Mooney said the top performers were “very deserving” of their results but she was also “very proud” of all the students who sat the HSC.