The B. F. Connell Prize for Dux: J. K. D. Kumar
The B. F. Connell Prize for Dux of the School is awarded to Jayden Kumar. Jayden has maintained a place in the top five students in the A stream throughout his time at Auckland Grammar School.
His academic abilities are exceptional. In Form 6, he scored 93 in A Level Mathematics, 94 in Cambridge AS Level Biology, 94 in Physics, 95 in Chemistry and 96 in English Literature.
Jayden also achieved NZQA Scholarships in English, Statistics, Earth and Space Science and Geography, and an Outstanding Scholarship in Chemistry. He was one of the 51 students nationally who were awarded Outstanding Scholarship Awards at the 2022 Top Scholars Awards Ceremony. In recognition of his achievements, he was named on the 2022 Honours Board at this year’s Scholars’ Assembly.
Jayden has continued to excel in Form 7, maintaining As for Attitude and Effort throughout the year. In his final set of examinations, he scored 88 in A Level Physics, 89 in Biology, 96 in Chemistry and 97 in Level 3 Latin, giving him an overall aggregate for the year of 370/400.
His academic achievements have been recognised previously through the award of the Delamare Prize for Biology, the Wayne Douglas Prize for Physics, and the Dr Kidd Memorial Prize. In 2023, he also received the Eric Astley Prize for the top performance in Science and Mathematics, the Ben Gould Prize for Chemistry, and the H. O. Ingram Prize for Form 7 Latin.
In his time at the School, Jayden has actively engaged with a number of extracurricular activities. He is a member of the Chronicle Committee, the Debating Premier Advanced team and Football Senior 1, he is Captain of Debating, a Library Monitor, and a member of the Model United Nations group.
He is a 2023 Prefect and a member of the School’s Proceres Grammatici group for top scholars. In 2023, he was also selected to represent New Zealand in the International Chemistry Olympiad.
Jayden is described by his masters as “a student of rare ability”, with “acumen, motivation to succeed”, a “genuine interest” in his subjects and a willingness to work beyond the scope of the syllabus.
Jayden embodies the School’s values in a remarkable way, working with humility, diligence and a warm and personable approach.