Millicent student dances to top of school ATAR list

Charlotte Fewster achieved the highest Australian Tertiary Admission Ranking score at Millicent High School in 2024 after the Year 12 SACE results were announced yesterday morning.


It has been a remarkable 12 months for the 18-year-old as she has combined her school studies with dancing at the Maryke Dance Academy in Mount Gambier.


After adjustments, Charlotte received a final ATAR score of 97.85.


As previously reported by The SE Voice, she received the prestigious DeGaris Cup at the annual MHS presentation night last week along with a number of other academic achievement awards.


Her high ATAR score will gain Charlotte a place in various tertiary medical fields of study, but that is a back-up plan.


Since beginning ballet at the age of five, she has had her heart set on being a professional ballet dancer.


To this end, Charlotte has been accepted into the Western Australia Performing Arts Academy which is attached to Edith Cowan University in Perth and will move there in the new year.


Her ATAR was the best at MHS since Jasmine Stringer’s in 2017.


Charlotte broke the stranglehold which Mount Burr netballers have had on the highest ATAR at the school.


Ava Smith-Muhovics claimed the honour in 2020 and was followed by Jemma Hayward, Amelia Ballantyne and Olivia Dean.


The next highest adjusted ATAR in 2024 was the 96.75 achieved by Mount Burr netballer Jasmine Holland


Charlotte told The SE Voice that her success in Year 12 followed from her good study habits.


“I started the year well and this took the pressure off at the end of it,” she said.


Charlotte has been congratulated by University of South Australia regional education manager and Millicent High old scholar Tom Linnell.


His organisation provides cash prizes to the region’s leading Year 12 students each year.


In all, MHS had 19 students receive an ATAR while 43 in total received their South Australian Certificate of Education.


Among the other high achievers at MHS were Eliza Dower with an adjusted ATAR of 96.75 while Kaitlyn Thomas received an A Plus for Digital Communications Solutions (Photography).


MHS senior school assistant principal Stephanie Gilbert described the 2024 cohort as “amazing”.


She said they benefited from the support of their families and high-calibre teaching.


“The students themselves were dedicated to their studies,” Ms Gilbert said.


“They knew what their goals were and set out to achieve them.”