MANY high scores were achieved by Bega High School students who gathered to find out the final results for their years of schooling on Thursday.

At the traditional breakfast hosted at the school, the newly graduated Year 12 students came for a feed, a chat and to find out their ATAR.

“I am proud of all of them, no matter what their results are,” Year 12 year advisor Denise Perry said.

“To have 118 complete their HSC is a credit to them all.

“For those that did get fantastic results, it was a credit to them and their hard work, and shows the excellence of public education.”

Nelson McLeod scored high, with an ATAR of 93.35 alongside two Band 6s in Mathematics and Engineering Studies, and Band 5s in Chemistry, Physics, Extension Mathematics and English.

He was “super happy” with his results and was able to achieve this score with a “lot of hard work” by studying a few hours every night.

In 2015 Mr McLeod will be taking a gap year, and “just do nothing for a while”, before hopefully going to the University of NSW to study engineering the year after.

When Ellie Walsh was asked how she felt after getting her ATAR of 84.65, she said “I can’t believe it”.

She had received Band 5s for all her subjects – Advanced Mathematics and English, PDHPE, Food Technology and Hospitality, almost getting two Band 6s in a couple of them.

“I just tried to study whenever I could in all my spare time, and tried to balance it as much as I could too,” she said.

Ms Walsh has already been accepted via early entry to study a paramedic course at Bathurst, which she will start next year.

She said the best parts of attending Bega High were meeting her group of friends, and watching the teachers grow to respect her and her peers as they went through Years 11 and 12.

With a Band 6 in General Mathematics, Band 5s in Modern History, Ancient History and Advanced English as well as an E3 in Extension History and English, Tas Fitzer was “pretty happy” with his results.

He received an ATAR of 85.95, which was “awesome” as it will allow him to get into the course he wanted to do at university – a Bachelor of Arts at the Australian National University or Monash – after which he might go into journalism or teaching.

That will wait until 2016 though, as he will take a gap year first and spend time working as a manager at McDonald's Bega.

Mr Fitzer said he “loved Bega High” and was glad he attended it.

Abbey Tarlinton didn’t expect to get an ATAR of 85.1, but it was “so good” that she did.

“Studying at times was challenging,” she said.

She received early entry into event management at the University of Wollongong, so will begin her studies there next year.

In addition to her high ATAR, Ms Tarlinton received Band 6s in General Mathematics and Tourism, and Band 5s in PDHPE and Food Technology.