Lily Stock and Molly Hurst are the 2019 Class Act recipients for Waitaki Girls' High School.
Lily Stock
Lily Stock
Comfortable on the stage and in the spotlight, Lily Stock always knew she liked acting.
''But then...it just took off.''
Looking back at this school year's accomplishments, the 17-year-old Waitaki Girls' High School deputy head girl pointed to her lead role in the Waitaki Girls' and Boys' High School production of High School Musical in term one as to when she got hooked.
Next she landed the lead role in Musical Theatre Oamaru's production of Mamma Mia! , which scored her a nomination for the award of best leading female in a musical at the 2019 Otago Southland Theatre Awards.
By February this year, she hosted the event.
Lily opened the sixth annual awards gala night at St Kevin's College, in front of more than 200 people from theatrical societies throughout Otago and Southland, with an original song.
She has spent considerable time in the public eye.
''I used to say I wanted to be prime minister - for years,'' Lily admitted.
And for the past two years she has followed those political inclinations as chairwoman of the Waitaki District Youth Council.
She has spent five years on the student council and is now its chairwoman.
She is the facilitator for Youthline's Good2Great programme; she created and co-ordinated a mental health awareness campaign, ''Sunflower Smiles''; she has worked with Amnesty International, the Waitaki Way Consultation Group, and the Waitaki combined social committee.
Her dream is to get a law degree and to have a purpose.
''If you could give me a dream job and I didn't have to do anything for it, it would be to be on Broadway - without a shadow of a doubt.
''But I also have always said...I really wanted to help people, especially people who haven't been given the opportunities I've been given.''
Achievements: NCEA level 1 with excellence, level 2 with merit; school general excellence award (2016); lead role in Waitaki schools combined production (2018); lead role in Musical Theatre Oamaru production (2018); nominated for best leading actress at the 2019 Otago Southland Theatre Awards (2018); Otago Southland Theatre Awards host (2019); created and co-ordinated the Sunflower Smiles mental health awareness campaign (2018); student council (2015-19); Amnesty International (2017-19); Waitaki Way Consultation Group (2018-19); Waitaki combined social committee (2018-19); inter house debate team (2016-19); Musical Theatre Oamaru committee member (2019); 1st Aoraki table tennis (2017); 1st Aoraki touch tournament (2018); senior A basketball (2017); sports council athletics rep (2018); senior B netball (2017); Aoraki and South Island secondary schools athletics team (2015-18); 1st Aoraki athletics 4x100m relay (2018); 3rd South Island athletics relay (2017).
Role model: People who have courage, are kind and are resilient.
Hopes for the future: To act and sing, and go overseas to defend people’s human rights.
Molly Hurst
Molly Hurst
Molly Hurst has a reputation as a fierce competitor on the netball court.
But instead, she describes herself as ''quite determined''.
The 17-year-old Waitaki Girls' High School head girl plays at wing attack and centre. She began in the game at age 6.
At the end of July, she was selected for the senior North Otago team.
Playing for the North Otago under-19 representative team, she made the tournament team.
She has captained the Waitaki Girls' High School senior A netball team for the past two years, and played with the team for four.
Being named in the Netball New Zealand under-19 tournament team was a big deal for the young player, but she says victory at the South Island Secondary Schools netball tournament in September would be ''huge''.
''It's been a while since we've been in the top four, but I definitely believe we can do it this year,'' she says.
And now she is enjoying coaching others.
Molly was coach of the Waitaki year 10 A team last year and this year coaches the Waitaki year 9 A team.
''I enjoy it - I really enjoy passing what I've learned from my coaches on to the girls, and watching them grow through the whole season.''
Molly said she now had the ''best coaches'' in Abbey McKenzie, Steve Ross and Petra Aspros, but there was only one Georgie Salter.
She called her former coach, who died late last year, ''amazing''.
''She's not only taught me so much about netball but also just life in general - she's been really inspiring for me.''
Molly says she could see herself trying to pursue a career in the sport.
''It's the only thing I do - school and netball.''
But that is not entirely true: she is a well-rounded athlete. She was, for example, Aoraki hurdle champion four times from 2015 to 2019.
And in 2018, the year she missed, she was wearing a moon boot.
She has been a student council member for the past three years, she is a peer support leader, a learning support leader and a member of Students Against Dangerous Driving.
Achievements: NCEA levels 1 and level 2 with excellence; Waitaki senior A netball (2016-19); Waitaki senior A netball captain (2018, 2019); sports blue for netball (2018); sports award for service to netball (2016, 2017, 2018); sport council rep for netball (2018, 2019); Waitaki year 10 A coach (2018); Waitaki year 9A coach (2019); intermediate athletics champion (2017); Aoraki hurdle champion (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019); student council (2017-19); peer support leader (2019); learning support leader (2019); SADD member (2018, 2019).
Role models: Georgie Salter and my father Doug.
Hopes for the future: To pursue a career in netball and study commerce at university.
