Region's brightest HSC stars

As students nervously check their mobiles and online for their HSC results this morning, three Illawarra students are resting a little easier knowing they were the best of the best in one of their subjects. Premier Morris Iemma yesterday presented Smith's Hill High School students Daniel Swain and Matilda Grogan and Kiama High School student Aaron Burgess with their first-in-course awards. Daniel Swain reckons his state-topping success in modern history came down to three things: his passion for the subject, his teacher and his classmates.The talented Year 11 Smith's Hill High School student came first despite being a year younger than most of his peers."I've always had a passion for history, but I also had an amazing teacher, Ms Wilson, and a great class," he said."The school, too, has been wonderful - Smith's Hill is such a great public school with a really diverse student body." Daniel said the support of friends and family was a key ingredient to his success."Every time a student's success is recognised, people tend to focus on them rather than the people around them who helped, so I want to acknowledge that I had a wonderful teacher and amazing support from my family," he said. Daniel was accelerated in a number of his subjects and will receive his results for HSC English extension 1 and 2, drama and history extension today.He has several HSC subjects to complete next year, but wants to enter University of Sydney in 2009."I'd really like to do combined law at Sydney, but I have a few subjects to go yet at high school," he said.