Academic Awards

Academic Awards

Academic Colours awarded at Awards assembly

Academic Prizes awarded at Prize giving

In Grades 8, 9 and 10, prizes are awarded to the girls who have come in the top six positions during the year.
In Grades 11 and 12, prizes are awarded to the top 3 positions, as well as subject prizes.

Merit certificates are given to those girls who achieved an average of 85% in Grades 8, 9, 80% in Grade 10 and 75% in Grades 11 and 12.

There are also special prizes – The Yvonne Charlton Progress Prizes – which are awarded in each grade to those girls whose efforts have resulted in the greatest progress in improving their marks from Term 1 to Term 2.

Grade 10: Currie/van Schalkwyk Middle School Art Prize 
Grade 11 and Matric Prizes

Subject Prizes: 

To the pupil with the highest promotion mark on the Term 2 report. (A sub-minimum of 70% is required.)

Grade 11 Subject Prizes 
• Accounting
• Advanced Programme Mathematics
• Afrikaans
• Business Studies
• Consumer Studies
• Dramatic Arts
• English
• French
• Geography
• History
• Immigrant French
• Information Technology
• Life Orientation
• Life Sciences
• Mathematics
• Mathematical Literacy
• Music
• Physical Science
• Sepedi
• Visual Art

Grade 12 Subject Prizes
ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCE AWARDS
• Geography     
• History     
• Social Sciences 
(For the best Social Sciences Investigative Research Task in Grade 12). 
• Currie/van Schalkwyk Senior Art  
• The Standard Bank Prize for Art  
• Most Improved Artist   
• Dramatic Arts    
• Senior Drama
(The Dramatic Arts pupil with the highest IEB Practical Moderation Mark)   
• Music      
• Maisie Mortimer Singing Trophy 
(The Maisie Mortimer Singing Trophy is awarded to a learner who takes Voice as an instrument, is a member of either St Mary’s Singers or Chapel Choir, and has made an exceptional contribution to the vocal tradition in the school through her vocal abilities and leadership.)
• Senior Music Floating Trophy 
(The Subject Music Floating Trophy is awarded to a Senior Subject Music learner who has not only maintained a high academic standard (80% or higher) in the subject throughout the year but has also participated actively in St Mary’s DSG Music events, as well as in Music Festivals and/ Competitions outside of school.)
• Baillie Award for Cultural Excellence
(The recipient should be in Grade 10, 11, or 12; must have excelled in at least two of the following: Drama (acting or stagecraft), choir, musical instrument playing, public speaking, painting competitions, quizzes or any other cultural activity; should have received Cultural Colours).

MATHS AND COMMERCE AWARDS
• Advanced Programme Mathematics 
• Judith Brown Prize for Mathematics 
• Mathematical Literacy   
• Accounting     
• The Standard Bank Prize for Business Studies
• Price Waterhouse Coopers Award
(For the top Matric in the combined studies of Accounting and Business Studies)
 
SCIENCES AWARDS
• Physical Science    
• Dr Basson Science Award
(For the top Matric in the combined studies of Mathematics, Science and Life Sciences)   
• Life Sciences     
• Excellence in Life Sciences Practical Work
• Information Technology   
• Consumer Studies    
• Outstanding Practical Work in Consumer Studies

LANGUAGE AND LIFE ORIENTATION AWARDS
• Hugh Brown Prize for English   
• The Standard Bank Prize for Afrikaans 
• Sepedi      
• French      
• Immigrant French    
• Life Orientation    
• Old Girls' Essay Prize 
(One book prize for each winner (Junior - Grade 7 – 9 and Senior- Grades 10-12) as well as Gold, Silver, and Bronze and highly commended certificates.) 
• Rowena Navickas Award for Original Verse
(This competition is open to all pupils from Grade 8 – 12.  Each pupil who enters is required to submit a minimum of two poems. There is one book prize for the winner, but several Highly Commended certificates may also be awarded.)

General Prizes:
• The General Knowledge Prizes:    
(There are two prizes for this category – Junior (Grade 8 – 10) and Senior (Grade 11 and 12). The main criterion for this award is that the pupil must have achieved good results in the World Knowledge Olympiad which is a national Olympiad. Usually the top achievers of this Olympiad are the recipients of the prize. An additional consideration is if the pupil represented St Mary’s DSG by participating in any other general knowledge competition such as the Rotary Inter-Schools Quiz.)

• Ciska Tempest Science Expo Award
(This prize is awarded to a Grade 8 or 9 pupil, for excellent work in the Science Expo. The minimum criterion is that the pupil must have achieved outstanding results at the Regional Science Expo. Projects that progress into further rounds of the Science Expo (National and International) would automatically be considered above regional achievements even if their marks at regional level are not as high. (This is because the Expo judges also consider originality, presentation and thoroughness before recommending competing at higher levels.) Should there be more than one project in contention for the prize then the final mark will be the deciding factor. Pupils are allowed to work in pairs for the Expo, so the prize can be shared between two pupils who worked together on a project.)

• Roger and Pam Wickens Prize for Conservation
(This prize can be awarded to a pupil from any grade in the school.  The pupil must have made a concerted, ongoing effort in any ecological sphere that would benefit the indigenous fauna or flora in the local community or the wider context of South Africa. Furthering their knowledge of conservation issue(s) and creating an awareness of this (these) amongst the community would also be considered as conservation. The work in this sphere must be significantly greater than the basic syllabus requirements for any grade.)

• Price Award for Originality and Enterprise
(This prize can be awarded to any pupil in the high school immaterial of grade. The pupil must have displayed initiative (in any field) that led to an extraordinary achievement. Any staff member can recommend a pupil for this award. The achievement can be measured in terms of (i) recognition from a body outside of the school structure, (ii) financial reward for, or recognition of, unique business/technology developments (this could include patents that will be viable in the future) or (iii) the assistance provided by the pupil to a charity, organization or needy individual that resulted in the long term improvement of that entity’s circumstances (this excludes the contributions made by the Débutantes’ programme).