We are delighted to share the exploits of Year 9 student Piper Wilkes with our school community. During NAPLAN testing earlier this year, Piper performed remarkably well, particularly in his Writing test – he recorded an outstanding Band 10 result, the highest possible achievement score.
Piper was the only PLHS student to receive a Band 10 score this year, and one of only four students across our region in 2021. The numbers were similar last time the tests were conducted in 2019, with one PLHS student in Band 10 amongst four across the district. In 2018, we recorded two of the four Band 10 scores. In summary, Band 10 scores are rare and definitely worth celebrating.
Not surprisingly, Piper is a prolific writer and a voracious reader; he is also a talented artist with a passion for drawing. In whatever spare time he has, Piper loves to surf and swim.
In Grade 5, Piper wrote his first major story, a 35,000-word piece of action/adventure prose entitled “Wrong Place, Wrong Time”. He has written several more stories since then, including one earlier this year. Piper often commences his narratives as English assignments at school, then carries on composing at home.
He recalls Grade 3 as the time in his life when he truly discovered a passion for reading, particularly the fantasy genre. Piper currently completes a novel every couple of weeks.
We congratulate Piper, his family and his teachers on this exceptional achievement – we are all extremely proud of his talents and look forward to reading his first published work in the future.
