![](https://www.mags.school.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Duxes-2020-1.jpg)
History was made today when Matthew Somerville (above right) became the first Year 12 student to be named Dux at Mount Albert Grammar School.
He was the Top Boys Academic alongside Caitlin Mitchell (above left), who was named Girls Dux during the Senior Prizegiving ceremony held in the FW Gamble Hall.
As Academic Dean Mr Gibbs said of Matthew, “This year’s boys’ dux is a quite remarkable young man with great talent in every subject he studies. Not once has he gained anything less than excellence in any NCEA standard: 268 excellence credits out of 268. No-one has done that in our school before.”
Mr Gibbs said of Caitlin, “This year’s girls’ dux is a science-mathematics specialist with highly developed skills in foreign language and Geography. She has passed all three levels of NCEA with excellence with 92 excellence credits out of 92 at Level Three.”
Both Matthew and Caitlin won a slew of other awards on the day, which you can see along with all the other prize-winners, scholarship recipients and certificate awardees here
Proxime Accessits were Bailey Bennett and Head Boy Eric Shen, who was also named Best All-Round Boy in Year 13, while his counterpart, Head Girl Megan Williams, picked up the award for Best All-Round Girl in Year 13.
The pair were also awarded Chris Liddell Scholarships, which are each worth $5000 per year for three years and are granted to students who show strong academic potential and are also good all-rounders. They were presented by Alberitan Chris Liddell’s brother John Liddell.
Alexander Pullen won the prestigious Woolf Fisher Scholarship, which his father had also won in 1990.
The only Gold Lion awarded – for gaining Lions in Academia, Arts, Sport and Service – went to Andre Pickering, who has had an incredible year, being named Victor Ludorum, Best All-Round Maori Student, and picking up a University of Auckland Scholarship.
Head Prefects Eric Shen and Megan Williams, who MC’ed the ceremony, gave their farewell speeches, thanking staff and their parents – and remarking on the strong bonds they have formed with their peers.
The top teaching awards were also presented. Science teacher Pat Barrett received the Herb Towers Travel Prize for a professional development trip overseas. Chris Liddell also awards Teacher Scholarships worth $10,000 each for excellence in teaching and contribution to the school, and these went to Waimirirangi Paul (Head of Te Puna o Wairaka) and Simone Connell (Specialist Classroom Teacher). Ms Paul was visibly moved by a haka performed in her honour by her students.
Oliver Bulman and Lucy Woodall were named Best All Round Year 12 Boy and Girl respectively, while Calvin Pooley and Nishera Gnanendra received the equivalent awards for Year 11.
The prizegiving also featured the Boys Choir singing Dream a Little Dream of Me, under the guidance of Tali Afele, who reappeared later to reinforce his special talents by singing It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas backed by Eric Shen on Piano.
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David and Peteer Hanson
David and Peter Hanson attended prizegiving to present the Hanson Cup
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Depurty Prefect team 2020
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Senior Prizegiving Pat Barrett 2020
Pat Barrett won the Herb Towers Travel Prize for a professional development trip overseas.
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Schneider Fernandes
Top International Boy Schneider Fernandes
Nanaka Inaba
Top International Girl Nanaka Inaba
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Warwick Gibbs Cup 2020
Calvin Pooley won the Warwick Gibbs Cup for Best All-Round Boy in Year 11
Brian Murphy Cup 2020
Nishera Gnanendra won the Brian Murphy Cup for Best All-Round Girl in Year 11
Year 11 Effort 2020
Bella Krikorian won the Jo Williams Cup for Diligence and Manas Chigurukota the Robert Wilmott Memorial Prize for Quality of Effort in Year 11
Yevette Williams Cup 2020
Ella Vuetilovoni won the Yevette Williams Cup for Effort in Year 12
Hanson Cup 2020
Oscar Reinsfield won the Hanson Cup for Senior Progress and Endeavour in Year 12
Best All Round Year 12s
Lucy Woodall won the Linda Fraser Cup for Best All Round Girl in Year 12, while Oliver Bulman won the equivalent award for Boys, the Harry Wichman Cup
Ruanui a Tane Award 2020
Niua Pomare-Khanna won the Ngā Uri a Matiu Tupuni Award for Outstanding Leadership
Neville Watson Memorial
Faolan Okan won the Neville Watson Memorial Prize for the student who best typifies the spirit of Mount Albert Grammar School
Andre Pickering Te Puna Award
Andre Pickering won the Te Puna o Wairaka Whanau Award.
Sylvia Lamb Cup 2020
Bethany Fletcher won the Sylvia Lamb Benevolence Cup
Service Cups 2020
Ronette Va'ai won the Girls' Foundation Cup and Iosefa Ulugia-Pua won the Isaac Gray Cup for Service to the School
Liddell Teacher Scholarships 2020
CP Liddell Teaching Scholarship winners Waimirirangi Paul and Simone Connell with John Liddell
Gold Lion 2020
Andre Pickering was the sole recipient of a Gold Lion for 2020
Gold Lion Close-up
Andre Pickering's Sport, Scholar, Arts and Service Lions and his Gold Lion
Jim Greatbanks Scholarships 2020
Luca Eastwood and Blake Jowsey won the Jim Greatbanks Engineering Scholarship
Eric and Megan Lidell Scholarship
CP Liddell Scholarship winners Eric Shen and Megan Williams with John Liddell
Alex Pullen Woolf Fisher 2020
Alex Pullen won the Woolf Fisher Memorial Scholarship, the same award his father James (pictured right) won in 1990.
Best Internationals 2020
Schneider Fernandes and Nanaka Inaba were named the Top International Students
Best All Round Year 13 2020
Head Girl Megan Williams and Head Boy Eric Shen won the Prefects' Cup and the FW Gable Memorial Cup respectively for being the Best All-Round Year 13 Students
Proxime Accessits
Bailey Bennett and Eric Shen were named Girl and Boy Proxime Accessit respectively (runner-up to Dux)
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Girl Dux Caitlin Mitchell and Boy Dux Matthew Somerville