The B. F. Connell Prize for Dux: S. E. Blyth

The B. F. Connell Prize for Dux of the School for 2021 is awarded to S. E. Blyth, who has maintained a place in the top half of the A stream consistently throughout his time at Auckland Grammar School.

In Form 6, he performed very strongly in his Cambridge AS examinations, scoring 85% in English, 89% in Chemistry, 96% in Physics and 97% in Mathematics. He also gained 20 credits in NCEA Level 3 Latin, and NZQA Scholarships in Calculus, Chemistry, Physics and Statistics.

These results prepared him extremely well for Form 7, in which he has continued to excel. In his final set of School examination results he was first in Scholarship Mathematics with 95%, second in Latin with 96%, second in Chemistry with 90% and fourth in Physics with 90%, giving him an overall aggregate of 377/400.

Blyth’s pursuit of academic knowledge has seen him awarded the Eric Astley Prize for Science and Mathematics students in 7A, and the H. O. Ingram Prize for Form 7 Latin. His academic results and his membership of Proceres Grammatici, the School’s elite group of scholars, demonstrate his academic credentials.

He has also participated widely in School life, playing Chess, Disc Ultimate and Football, representing the School in Debating, being involved in both School musicals and the student-run production, a member of the Headmaster’s Heritage Committee and the Interact Club, a Mathex Mentor, and, in his final year, a School Prefect.

He has been commended on his diligence and application, his willingness to engage in discussion in class, and his self-motivation and determination to achieve. He has quietly but industriously mastered his chosen fields and has exemplified the combination of excellence and humility. Tolerant, good-humoured and confident, he is an outstanding role model to his peers and a loyal Grammar man.

Blyth aspires to pursue research in Quantum and Particle Physics eventually, but next year he plans to major in Mathematics and Physics, with minors in Classics and Computational Modelling, at the University of Otago.