CLASS OF 2015 —Callum and his Year 11 and 12 Mathematics teacher Kester Lee.
Super Callum
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him further. Greg commented that Callum was like a sponge, absorbing everything. Sarah Cormio, his tutor, supported Callum through the change and gave great advice relating to studying and fulfilling potential. In Year 11 Callum began his HSC studies under Kester Lee, a talented and entertaining teacher, who treated each student individually. Callum quickly passed all Extension 1 students to reach the top by the end of Year 12. Callum has a unique home situation, as both his parents are deaf. While he seemed to take unfair advantage of that communication difficulty in his early high school years, as he matured into a young Christian man, he realised that being truthful is always the way to go. Callum would like to study either medicine or medicine and advanced sciences at university, but may take a gap year and work at an orphanage in Kenya while teaching at a local school there. Down the track, Callum talks of becoming anything, from a neurosurgeon to a mathematics or Christian studies teacher at Barker, to a quantum physics researcher or even an explorer. Callum believes Barker is the best school in the world, and that he was blessed to have so many great teachers and Christian examples. He now wants to give back to the world by doing what he is good at and being generous to others. We may never see another Callum, but his story should be inspirational for all. Graham Hanlon Assistant Coordinator of Mathematics
THE BARKER | AUTUMN 2016
hen Callum Betteridge (Class of 2015) was in Year 9, he was studying 5.2 Mathematics, and was second from bottom in Semester 1. That means he was ranked about 210th in the grade. Recently he sat his HSC. In Extension 2 Mathematics he was ranked first in the grade. How did a student go from 210th to first in Mathematics in only three years? The Barker College Mathematics Department has never seen anything like it, nor even remotely close to it. Here is Callum’s story. His turning-point was in Year 9, when Callum became a Christian. This allowed him to see the sacrifices others had made for him, including his parents, teachers and of course Jesus. He realised that he shouldn’t waste the talent he had been given. During Year 9, Callum’s grandmother was ill. She had always encouraged Callum to fulfil his potential. Callum began praying for her and during those times, her health improved. When he stopped praying, her health deteriorated. His Head of House, Greg Bayne, had great belief in Callum, and his Year 9 teacher Graham Hanlon oversaw the start of the change, as Callum went from second-bottom in 5.2 Mathematics to number one in a single semester. His report comment changed from “I see a boy who could break out of mediocrity if he changed his attitude to learning,” to “Callum has been the success story of the semester, the year and indeed the decade! The inner mathematical cogs have been released and are now whirring at full pace.” In Year 10, Callum was elevated to 5.3 Mathematics and attended Crusaders to learn more about his faith. His Year 10 teacher, Greg Fitzmaurice, helped him revise the work he had misunderstood in the past, and extended
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