CONNOR LEADLEY College Dux
Science is a passion for 2016 College Dux, Connor Leadley. He was chosen to represent New Zealand at the 2016 International Biology Olympiad in Vietnam, where he won a silver medal, which he says came as a complete surprise.
five academic students in his year group. He has also been a regular feature in assemblies for High Distinction awards in competitions across most subject areas,’’ says Darrell. Connor comes from a farm east of Ashburton. He was not planning on coming to College, but he had skipped Year 8 and decided to take the entrance exam at College to see how he fitted in academically. “While initially I missed my family, coming to College as a boarder was the best thing that ever happened to me. I went from being a big fish in a small pond to being a small fish in a big pond and, though I had never done science in primary school, I soon got into the swing of it all. “The last years were a bit of a different experience as there were no junior boarders coming into Jacobs, but with 20 to 30 senior boarders, we were a very tight- knit community. Some of my most valued moments have been messing around with my mates.’’ Darrell Thatcher says “Connor was always motivated to succeed and was well-respected for his willingness to get involved in House activities. This sent a positive message to younger members of the House about giving things a go and representing Jacobs with pride.’’
“They read out the awards from the lowest bronze medal to the highest gold, so by the time all the bronzes were awarded, I had resigned myself to getting nothing. But in the end, I did come home with my shiny piece of metal after having had an amazing experience.’’ Connor say the Olympiad was the highlight of his time at College. He only took part when a fellow Jacobs boarder persuaded him to go to the Chemistry Olympiad, where he found to his delight that he was “good at science Olympiads’’. “I met all sorts of people from all sorts of different countries. The New Zealand team also became friendly with the teams which were similar alphabetically, which was the way they were ordered for the competition. I made friends with the teams from the Netherlands, Nigeria and Norway. The best thing about the trip was not the sightseeing or the silver medal, but the people I met. There were so many awesome people from all around the world, and I hope I can keep in contact with all of them.’’ Jacobs Housemaster Mr Darrell Thatcher says Connor has been outstanding academically and it is a case of where to start when outlining his successes. “Gold Badges for achieving 100 credits at Excellence level in NCEA Level 1 and Level 2 were topped off by his being awarded a College Gold Tie for being one of the top
“I went from being a big fish in a small pond to a small fish in a big pond.” Connor Leadley
Christ’s College Canterbury
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