Jessica Tyrrell
Jessica Tyrrell
Pain is temporary — quitting lasts forever.
It is a philosophy that keeps Jessica Tyrrell pushing herself to the limit on the netball court.
"It’s one of the things I often say to my team-mates when we’re getting near the end of a really close game.
"You’ve got 10 minutes left, you’ve got pain for that long, but then you’ve got time to rest.
"For me, winning is fun. There’s nothing more disappointing than having a really bad game. But when that happens, it’s motivation to work even harder."
In recent years, the Otago Girls’ High School 18-year-old has been a member of the Dunedin under-17 netball team (2019) and the Netball South level 3/under-18 Steel Steps accelerator programme which puts her on a path to becoming a member of the Southern Steel netball team.
This year she is a member of the New Zealand secondary schools netball development camp and is captain of the Dunedin under-18 netball team.
She has also been a member of the school’s senior A netball team for the past three years, and is co-captain of the team this year.
Off the court, Jessica also excels in the academic arena.
She has gained NCEA levels 1 and 2 with excellence, and gained an NZQA scholarship in chemistry in 2020 while still in year 12.
Last year she obtained a school Board of Trustees Academic Scholarship and received the year 12 prize for academic excellence.
In 2020, she was selected for the New Zealand Chemistry Olympiad, and following on from this, she was selected as one of 30 in New Zealand to attend the Chemistry Olympiad training camp.
Jessica is always willing to assist others academically, and has been responsible for organising peer tutoring for her fellow pupils.
Next year, she plans to study engineering or sciences while continuing to work her way up the netball ranks.
Achievements: Academic prefect (2021); NCEA levels 1 and 2 with excellence; scholarship chemistry (2020); BOT year 12 academic scholarship (2020); scholar Blues (2020, 2021); Dalrymple New Zealand Blue (2020); NZ Chemistry Olympiad and training camp (2020); Year 12 academic excellence prize (2020); peer tutor organiser (2020); Otago/Southland secondary schools netball tournament (2020), Talent ID netball squad (2020); senior A netball (2019-21), co-captain (2021); netball Blues (2020, 2021); Dunedin U17 netball rep (2019); school senior netball MVP (2020); Netball South level 3/U18 Steel Steps accelerator programme (2020); netball national secondary school development camp (2021); Dunedin U18 netball rep and captain (2021); Otago Academy of Sport (2021).
Role model: Australian netballer Kim Ravaillion. "She’s performed really well from a really young age. She’s the sort of player I want to be like."
Hopes for the future: To keep playing netball to as high a level as possible, and eventually become part of the Southern Steel netball team.
Elizabeth Purvis
Elizabeth Purvis
Elizabeth Purvis has discovered that in the middle of every difficulty, there lies an opportunity.
The past 18 months have been difficult for the 17-year-old Otago Girls’ High School singer because Covid-19 disruptions have prevented her from giving school and public performances for a lot of that time.
But out of that difficult time came an opportunity to work on her skills instead.
"I had more opportunity to practise on my own and really work on my own singing.
"I’m involved in a lot of group singing, so it was nice just to have a bit of time to work on my technique."
Over the past three years, Elizabeth has won a range of prizes in local vocal competitions and has also been awarded various arts prizes and scholarships during her time at Otago Girls’.
For the past two years, she has been a member of the New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir, and for the past five years she has been a member of the school choir and the combined Otago Girls’ and Otago Boys’ High Schools choir.
She has also been a key member of the school production teams for the past five years, which have included lead roles in the last two productions.
Since the pandemic, Elizabeth has not missed an opportunity to perform.
She even performed New York, New York in the school staffroom post-lockdown, for a staff member who was supposed to be spending her 50th birthday in New York.
As a reflection of her wide-ranging achievements in the arts field, she was appointed as the school’s choir and senior production co-ordinator, arts prefect and arts council co-leader this year.
She also works at an excellence level in her academic pursuits and gained NCEA levels 1 and 2 with excellence and was awarded Scholar Blues in 2020 and 2021.
Next year she plans to continue singing while studying communications and marketing at the University of Otago.
"I’ll keep being involved with choirs and musical productions locally.
"I’d really like to become a singing teacher, so after I’ve finished studying at university I’ll do a singing teaching course."
Achievements: Arts prefect (2021); NCEA levels 1 and 2 with excellence; BOT year 12 cultural scholarship (2020); NZ Secondary Schools’ Choir (2021); school choir (2017-21), combined choir (2017-21); choir co-ordinator (2021); senior production co-ordinator (2021); senior production (2018-21), lead role (2020, 2021); school arts council co-leader (2021); year 12 leadership prize (2020) Marchant New Zealand Blue (2020); scholar Blue (2020, 2021); choir Blue (2019, 2020); production Blue (2019).
Role model: My singing teachers.
Hopes for the future: To continue singing while studying communications and marketing at the University of Otago.
