Dux gets scholarhsips in seven subjects - February 2016

PREMIER SCHOLAR: Amaan Merchant, pictured with parents Samina and Mohib Merchant, is the highest achiever of several at Wanganui High School.

Wanganui High school students made an impressive showing in scholarship awards for 2015 with students picking up 30 awards but the most impressive achievement went to last year's school dux Amaan Merchant.

Amaan was one of just eight New Zealand students to receive a premier award for outstanding scholarships in chemistry, economics, physics and statistics as well as scholarships in calculus, earth and space science and music.

High school principal Garry Olver said he is extremely proud of all the students and their teachers for their levels of achievement.

"For a decile 4 school in a regional city, Wanganui High school is showing that academic achievement is attainable in the provinces," Mr Olver said.

Amaan also gives a lot of credit to his teachers, especially his maths teachers, for their encouragement and setting the bar for him.

"They really encouraged me to push myself and there was opportunity to complete levels ahead of time so you could concentrate on other things," he said.

Along with fellow students Julian Schurhammer and Elia Nicolin, Amaan won New Zealand's Next Top Engineering Scientist competition run by Auckland University last year and he has competed inregional judo and debating competitions.

Amaan also found time to dabble in local politics as a member of the Whanganui District Council youth committee and was guitarist with Smokefree Rockquest winners Contraband for the past two years.

He will be studying towards a bachelor of commerce and bachelor of science concurrently and says he will be staying in the Auckland university halls of residence for the first year.

"Most Whanganui students are going to Victoria or Massey to study, but two of my friends will be studying in Auckland," he said.

The Merchant family moved to Whanganui in 2008, coming from the United States, and dad Dr Mohib Merchant and mum Samina say they are very proud of their only son, although they will miss him.

There may have been even more scholarship awards for WHS students last year if head students Pratibha Singh and Rhaz Solomon had been in the running.

Mr Olver said Pratibha was selected to go and study on an exchange programme in the Netherlands and Rhaz became ill while attending space camp in the US and took a long time to recover.

Rhaz was one of five New Zealand students selected to attend the astronaut training in Alabama but he was unable to complete it due to illness and took a while to recover when he returned to New Zealand.