Behind every North Sydney Boys HSC student was a plush toy called Don

2 months ago 27

Follow our live coverage of the 2025 HSC results here.

Amid the cheers of North Sydney Boys’ victorious HSC students, gathered back at the school to celebrate once again topping the state, a toy bird is waved in the air.

This is Don the Falcon, a miniature version of the selective public school’s mascot. Every Year 12 student received their own Don when they graduated. Principal Brian Ferguson hopes to one day see them in doctors surgeries, lawyers offices and engineering labs.

North Sydney Boys students at their celebration on Thursday, left, and their plush toy mascot, Don the Falcon.

“We wanted them to remember the values and the memories that they have learnt here, to take into the future,” said Ferguson. “The mascot embodies the values of our school.”

And at North Sydney Boys, which topped the state for a third year in a row when HSC results were announced on Thursday, there is no value more important than camaraderie.

It’s the secret sauce behind the school’s success, says Josh Zhu, one of six students to achieve a 99.95 ATAR.

“If I went to another school, I don’t think I would be able to get the score that I did,” said Josh.

Josh Zhu, one of the North Sydney students to score a 99.95 ATAR.

“We’re taught right from the get-go, that brotherhood, companionship, camaraderie is the key to success. You know, you never gate-keep materials.”

There was not one defining strategy that put North Sydney Boys at the top, said Zhu. Instead, it was a series of “tiny moments”: a mate bringing a friend a snack, touching base and checking in.

“It can be as little as just being in class, not having a clue what the teacher is talking about, and then poking my mate in the rib and asking him what’s going on. And, then, him being willing to help me, to whisper in my ear and risk getting yelled at by the teacher,” he said.

School captain Marcus Chu, said his cohort made a concerted effort to build upon the previous year 12s’ spirit of mateship.

“We did peer led mentoring, so an accomplished student would be able to help out another student if they’re not confident, or, you know, if they’re not doing performing well in that subject,” said Chu.

There is more than 20 kilometres between North Sydney Boys and James Ruse Agricultural High School, its closest academic rival. But on Thursday, the difference between the two selective public schools was just one percentage point.

The pair have broken away from the pack to become the indisputable top schools in the state: North Sydney had an HSC success rate of 71.6 per cent. James Ruse’s was 70.43 per cent.

The next highest-ranking school, Sydney Grammar, had a success rate of 60.99 per cent.

James Ruse Agricultural High students Nikil Andepalli, Srihaas Komminni, Selina Ma, Nina Chen, Terry Chen, and Peter Shan celebrate their success.

But while one might expect James Ruse students, who have fought hard the past three years to win back their long-held top place ranking, to feel some rivalry, the mood at the Carlingford school’s own HSC celebration was upbeat.

When the rankings were released on Thursday, the James Ruse cohort didn’t even acknowledge them: they were just proud of their school and their marks.

Nine James Ruse students achieved ATARs of 99.95 – three more than North Sydney Boys.

Reflecting on their year, James Ruse’s two school captains echoed similar sentiments to the students celebrating at the other end of the M2.

“What helped me the most was having a really good network of my friends because, in high school, especially in HSC period, oftentimes people get sucked up into the mindset of studying is the only thing we need to do, and that’s all we have in our life,” school captain Chesandu Hewapathiranage said.

“But realistically, what you realise is that year 12 is actually one of the most fun years you might have.”

His co-captain Cathy Zhang agreed, saying the “most gratifying” part of her HSC year was not the mark at the end, but seeing how their year group had banded together.

“I think that is the most important thing about these two senior years. It’s about finding relief amongst each other, finding support amongst each other, doing things together,” she said.

“True learning, I think, really happens when you’re all poured over a whiteboard trying to figure out a maths equation, or you’re debating Shakespeare and things like that. And I think that sort of collaborative learning is what I would wish upon everyone doing the HSC, to find that amongst each other and find it off your peers, because it really helps.”

At North Sydney, Marcus may have captained his year group to a top rank, but he did not want to have a “hubristic attitude”, and never thought a first place was guaranteed.

“There are many talented people in this state that could have outperformed us,” he said, praising James Ruse. “There’s a lot of success around the state … I am happy for them.”