It was not only the top achievers who were celebrated at Saheti School, but also the learners whose journeys have been marked by determination, resilience, and personal growth.

Head of marketing and admissions at the school, Nicola Palma, said their achievements – whether measured in distinctions or in obstacles overcome – speak to the heart of Saheti’s ethos: Know Thyself.

“Behind every distinction stands a committed partnership between teachers, families and disciplined learners,” said Dr Daniela Pitt, dean of matrics.

Maria Lazanakis was named as an outstanding achiever by the IEB, ranking within the top 5% of candidates nationally in six or more subjects. She was ranked within the top 1% nationally in English.

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Maria has been a Saheti School learner from pre-school and has always been highly motivated. Early in her matric year, a swimming accident resulted in a fractured vertebra. She was in a back brace for four months and missed a substantial number of school days.

This was a traumatic setback for her because not only was she worried about the physical complication this could cause, but she believed that the dream of her success at matric would be destroyed.

Saheti thrives on teaching its students about resilience and on accepting setbacks as opportunities to shine.

In great pain and barely able to walk, Maria persevered with determination and made a full recovery while achieving full house distinctions (nine distinctions with a 90% average, seven of them in the A+ symbol). Maria hopes to study a BCom degree at the University of Pretoria.

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Eleni Kruger ranked within the top 1% nationally in life orientation. Eleni has been a learner at Saheti School for 18 months. She is fully trilingual, confidently moving between English, Afrikaans and Greek.

Her great uncle Advocate George Bizos was a founding member of Saheti, an important historical figure to South Africa and also a great influence in Eleni’s life.

Uncle George, as he was fondly called, instilled in her a passion for knowledge and a will to understand that her roots in Hellenism and South Africa must always be at the forefront of her thoughts.

He often shared stories with her about his journey as a refugee from Greece to South Africa, and how education and a passion for doing what is right at all costs helped him transform South Africa’s historical trajectory toward democracy.

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Eleni still values the photograph of herself as a young child with former President Nelson Mandela when he visited Saheti School. Adv. Bizos often drew on the analogy of Socrates, who believed that to “Know Thyself” is something that each South African should value.

Eleni clocked in a full house of eight distinctions with an A average, achieving A+ in Afrikaans and life orientation. Eleni plans on doing a BCom at Wits.

Ngozika Nnadi joined Saheti in Grade Eight and imagined her journey would be difficult because she is a person with albinism.

Reading and accessing notes is a challenge for Ngozika as albinism affects one’s eyesight. With a carefully structured accommodation programme, she was able to access work and engage in reading, which she thoroughly enjoys.

Studying long hours for matric posed additional challenges as her eyes were strained, and at times it was difficult to read.

Ngozika achieved four distinctions in her final examination, but the highest accolade is indeed being ranked in the top 1% nationally for further studies in English, as this subject relies fully on reading.

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Nicolaos Vostanis has been a learner at Saheti since his pre-school years and his greatest passion is racing. From a young age Nicolaos excelled on the track, first racing in go karts and in 2024/2025 racing the Supa Cup, where he raced a Volkswagen.

Being the youngest driver in this category helped him understand how hard one has to work to achieve his goals. In 2025, after cutting back on his competitive sport, he dedicated time to his studies; however, he continued to find passion on the racetrack.

The weekend before he wrote his final Afrikaans exam, he stood proudly on the podium, having been awarded third place.

This single-minded focus on seeing the finishing line helped him achieve four distinctions in his final examinations, two of which are in the A+ category. Nikki plans to study law at UP.