Ella-Rose Lawrence and Amy Sellwood are the 2019 Class Act recipients for South Otago High School.
Ella-Rose Lawrence
Ella-Rose Lawrence
Life is one big balancing act.
It is something South Otago High School head girl Ella-Rose Lawrence is discovering as she prepares for tertiary study next year.
The 17-year-old is a high-achieving sportswoman - particularly in swimming and netball.
Sporting highlights of the past three years include captaining the South Otago under-17 netball team, coaching the South Otago under-15 netball team, selection for the Dunedin under-19 B netball team, winning gold in the New Zealand division 2 swimming 100m breaststroke, silver in the 100m individual medley, bronze in the 50m freestyle, winning the Otago Southland secondary schools triathlon, winning the Challenge Wanaka secondary schools team triathlon and winning the South Island secondary schools triathlon.
She also plays rugby, volleyball and basketball when time allows.
Ella-Rose says she would love to continue playing all of her sports while studying law, criminology, sports development and management at the University of Otago next year, but she is conscious she will no longer be able to give a 100% commitment to all of them once she starts study.
She is now facing one of her greatest challenges - deciding which sport(s) to take time out from, so she can focus on her bid to become a barrister.
''I'm definitely weighing up all my sports, but ideally, I'll be able to continue with them in some form and find a good balance between them.''
Achievements: Head girl (2019); NCEA levels 1 and 2 with excellence; school award for academia (2018); Clutha District Youth Council chairwoman (2019); GRIP leadership conference (2019); school A netball (2017-19), captain (2018-19), Australian netball tour (2019); senior girls basketball (2019); South Otago under-17 netball team (2017), captain (2018), under-15 netball coach (2019), most promising under-17 player (2019); Dunedin under-19 B netball team (2019); SISS netball tournament (2018); 1st New Zealand division 2 swimming 100m breaststroke, 2nd 100m individual medley, 3rd 50m freestyle (2019); New Zealand division 2 Makos relay (2019), South Island rep (2019); school swimming champion (2018); 1st Otago Southland secondary schools triathlon (2017); 1st Challenge Wanaka secondary schools team triathlon (2019), 3rd team (2018), 7th mixed team swim (2019); 1st SISS triathlon (2017, 2018); 1st Ken Milne Classic triathlon swim (2019); school girls First XV rugby (2018); volleyball (2018); academic Blue (2018), swimming Blues (2017, 2018), netball Blue (2017); peer support leader (2019); Sadd committee (2018-19).
Role models: Paralympic swimming gold medallist Sophie Pascoe and my parents.
Hopes for the future: To study law, criminology, sports development and management at the University of Otago.
Amy Sellwood
Amy Sellwood
''When I started high school, I told myself I wanted to be involved in every opportunity that comes my way.''
It has led South Otago High School deputy head girl Amy Sellwood to become a prominent leader with great humanitarian qualities - not only at school, but in the wider Clutha community.
The 17-year-old is on the student council, she is the school formal committee leader, 40 Hour Famine leader, school environment group co-leader, peer support leader, Sadd committee member and Young Enterprise Scheme director.
Her leadership skills have been boosted after being selected to attend the World Vision Young Leaders conference and the GAP leadership conference this year.
Amy likes to use her leadership skills to benefit her community. Over the years she has spent a lot of her spare time volunteering for charities, as well as giving blood at a St John blood donation drive, organising this year's school Shave For Cure event, and working an after-school job at Bates Pharmacy.
Whatever time she has left goes into music and drama. Amy is a high-achieving dancer, dance teacher, guitarist, singer and actress.
''I feel satisfied with how I've filled my time at high school, and I've met so many great people through these opportunities.''
Next year, she plans to pursue her passion for making life better for her fellow human beings by studying health sciences at the University of Otago.
She has high hopes of becoming a doctor.
Achievements: Deputy head girl (2019); student council (2019); school formal committee leader (2019); 40 Hour Famine leader (2016-19); peer support leader (2019); school environment group co-leader (2019); Shave For Cure organiser (2019); World Vision Young Leaders conference (2019); GAP leadership conference (2019); Sadd committee (2019); Young Enterprise (2018); NCEA level 1 with merit, level 2 with excellence; school awards for academia (2017, 2018); academic blue (2018); anthology writing competition award (2018); Duke of Edinburgh bronze award (2018); bronze excellence PB4L badge (2018); second South Otago Talent Quest (2018); British ballet grades 1, 3 and 4, and Australasian Dance Association awards; guitarist (2016-19); Clutha Dance grade 2 jazz assistant dance teacher (2019); primary jazz, pre-primary jazz, ballet and tap dance teacher (2017-19); JazzEx intermediate dance teacher and choreographer (2019); South Otago Theatrical Society member (2017-19); school choir (2015-19); Smokefreerockquest guitarist (2015-18); Shakespeare production actor, stage manager and costume assistant (2017-18); school production (2019); South Otago Combined Schools Music festival (2017-19);
Otago Secondary Schools Music Festival (2016-19).
Role models: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and my parents.
Hopes for the future: To study health sciences and medicine at the University of Otago.
