First in HSC agriculture and primary industries announced

Muirfield High School student Lucy Castelletti was named first in the HSC Primary Industries course examination.

She attended virtually from her home at Constitution Hill.

Miss Castelletti fell in love with agriculture back in year 7 and when it came to picking electives for year 11 and 12, she knew she needed to study agriculture and primary industries.

"As soon as I got into it I loved it," she said.

"I didn't have the experience working with animals, cultivation or things like that, but it was enjoyable to get out there and put things we were learning into practice and see projects we were working on at the farm come to life."

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Miss Castelletti has always excelled in the agriculture background, coming first in the course almost every year she studied it.

"I've always worked hard in it and loved it because it is so different from the other subjects I was studying - it is a worthwhile experience I enjoyed," she said.

Studying during COVID-19 was a mix experience according to Miss Castelletti who said they were lucky to not have been out of school for too long.

"Definitely missing some of the practicals was disappointing, we weren't able to have the same hands on experiences throughout the year," she said.

"But at the same time I enjoyed online learning and the ability to dedicate the time I wanted to the subject to work hard and really get into it."

Currently she plans to go to university and would love to study agriculture.

"I love the plant and soils side of ag," she said.

"I'm considering going down the path of agronomy."

The recipient of first in the HSC agriculture course was James Ruse Agricultural High School year 11 student Jason Liu from Artarmon, who attended the ceremony in person saying it was a really special moment.

"We study ag, including a practical aspect on our school farm, from year 7 to 10," he said.

"In year 10 we sit our preliminary exams and in year 11 we have the choice to continue to the HSC."

Agriculture is something students can really have fun with, Mr Liu said.

"One of the first things we do is a trip to Bathurst to look at Landcare issues - that was definitely a highlight for me," he said.

"I liked the technological aspects of the subject, and how we can improve sustainability and productivity with different technologies that modern society has provided us with.

"I see this as an important way forward for ag and society, in terms of feeding the growing population and keeping us healthy."

Studying during the COVID-19 pandemic made him realise the importance of having a good support network around you.

"It was definitely a good opportunity for us to learn to work as a team," he said.

"I found during COVID, that I would miss some content that my friends would pick up, and vice versa. It showed how important it was to have a good network."

Mr Liu will complete his HSC in 2021, and hopes to attend the University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney) with the aim of going into a branch of engineering.