Newcastle teen Nashariah Reese honored at NSW Public Education Awards

Nashariah Reese, a final‑year student at Callaghan College in Jesmond, was among 40 young people recognized at the New South Wales Public Education Awards on 3 August. Reese, who chairs her school's student representative council, volunteers at SoulHub and serves on the Newcastle Youth Council, said she wants more initiatives for young people and is applying for council grants to run an art showcase on youth isolation.

Other awardees included students Anisha Ranasinghe, Georgia Young, Isobel Sillar and Tarini Musuwadi, as well as Merewether High School history teacher Gabrielle Borrelli for teaching excellence and Cessnock High School for notable gains in literacy and numeracy. NSW Department of Education Secretary Murat Dizdar said the ceremony celebrates the extraordinary stories of achievement in public schools every day.