All that awaits the students and staff is the much-anticipated announcement of the 2015 year 12 HSC results in a fortnight's time.

On Wednesday December 2, PLC Armidale welcomed back Old Girl, Rhiannon Rees as the College's special guest to the 2015 Annual Speech Day.

Rhiannon graduated at PLC Armidale in 1985 and after studying, working and travelling, found herself facing adversity. She shared the ways she was able to overcome each situation to move on and now is a best selling author of two books, as well as a being a life coach working with high-profile A list clients and organisations all over the world.

Rhiannon's message to the students, staff and community of PLC Armidale was sometimes it takes facing the challenges life throws at you before you realize success.

Not only were the students' achievements recognised across all fields including academic, sport, music, leadership and community service, Speech Day also provided the chair of college council, Dr David Lim to congratulate new principal, Mrs Nicola Taylor on her sterling inaugural year in the new role.

As is the tradition at PLC Armidale, Speech Day was followed by the most exciting and memorable day on the entire school calendar, according to most current and past students and their families . . . Guild Drama.

Guild Drama is heralded as the highlight of the year and the student driven drama performance involving every single student from kindergarten to year 11 in each of the four guilds (or houses): Wentworth, Macquarie, Gregory and Forrest.

Each guild is provided a topic, which this year was "Why Is It Always Me?".

The students then craft a script, organise the set, the props, the music, the choreography and each girl is allocated a role in the twenty minute performance. Each guild's performance is watched by a packed audience of students, parents, staff and family, is judged by independent adjudicators and the winning guild is awarded the special Guild Drama trophy, which in 2015 again went to Forrest Guild.

Following the announcement of the winning guild, all students from years 7-11 this year joined together on stage and sang a moving tribute to two long-standing staff members, director of music, Mr Stuart Pavel who is retiring and senior school co-ordinator, Mrs Jo Matherson who is relocating to Toowoomba with her family, using the song Thank you for the Music … (and science).

PLC Armidale

Lucinda Ball academic distinction

Thurkka Jeyakumar academic distinction

Jessica LI (Walcha) academic distinction

Chloe Vanderwolf (Guyra) academic distinction

Isla Biffin academic distinction

Holly Butler academic distinction

Emily Hempel academic distinction

Lucy Martin academic distinction

Gracen Moore academic distinction

Emma Pearce academic distinction

Georgia Breckenridge Taylor Routley Memorial Prize for fiction - Junior Secondary academic distinction

Darcy Campbell (Nabiac) academic distinction

Julia Chambers (Quirindi) academic distinction

Hannah Van Roy academic distinction

Kate Biddle (Inverell) academic distinction

Jessica Chambers Taylor Routley Memorial Prize for fiction- Senior Secondary

Jean Mitchell Year 10 history prize academic distinction

Alison Chapman award for excellence and creativity in visual arts and design

Anna Finney (Narrabri) academic distinction

Georgina Hebblewhite academic distinction

Alex Hiscox academic distinction

Ragavi Jeyakumar Zonta prize for excellence in mathematics, science or IT, professor John Burton memorial prize for science academic distinction, Rao Year 10 all-rounder award

Dakotah Love Alexandria Ada Lam prize for choir - Senior School

Emma Ranck Blanch Cup for outstanding ability and contribution to sport in the Junior Secondary School, Australian Defence Force leadership award Year 10

Brianna Robertson Middleton public speaking award Years 7-10, Treadgold award for public speaking, academic distinction

Clare Askey academic distinction

Freya Bartlett (Bellingen) St Vincent de Paul Society justice award

Georgina Cornall academic distinction

Annaliese Harrington (Walcha) University of Newcastle faculty of science and IT Year 11 excellence award, academic distinction

Emma O'Donoghue University of Newcastle faculty of science and IT, Year 11 highly commended award, academic distinction

Emily Seaman Verna Stewart community service award

Zoe Swan (Inverell) The English faculty poet laureate award

Madison Taylor lifesaving award

Genevieve Walsh Armidale Dumaresq Council citizenship award (Senior School), Beattie prize for research skills in modern history, academic distinction

Paige Bell (Warialda) prize for mathematics general, Armidale Quota Club prize for citizenship, the Hutton family award for a girl who demonstrates courage, determination, perseverance and resilience, PLC P&F prize for a boarder who has made a significant contribution to the boarding house

Aimee Brown prize for music 2, Prize for music extension

Hiu Tung (Toby) Chan prize for business studies, prize for English standard, academic distinction

Stephanie Goode (Uralla) Prize for PD/H/PE, Dorothy Seaton sports prefect award, Zonta prize for leadership, SportUNE spirit in sport award Georgina Hamilton Presbyterian Church of Australia, NSW for Christian leadership in the Senior School (shared), prize for human services nursing

Lucinda Hebblewhite prize for English extension 2, University of New England vice-chancellor's high achievement prize Charlotte Hine prize for English advanced, prize for English extension 1, prize for modern history, Strahle award for significant contribution to the school, Birida Cup for deputy head prefect, academic distinction

Georgia Lloyd prize for design and technology, prize for physics 

Madison Moar prize for biology, prize for chemistry, prize for mathematics, prize for mathematics extension 1, Stanton science prize for special ability, University of Newcastle vice-chancellor's award for academic excellence in Year 12, Morse Cup for head prefect, Caltex best all-rounder award, academic distinction Purkiss Cup and prize for dux of school

Kirby Moore Beattie prize for critical thinking skills in modern history, Reuben F Scarf award for commitment - for consistent effort and desire to improve, Armidale-Dumaresq Lion's Club award for commitment to the Duke of Edinburgh scheme

Louisa Quiddington prize for drama

Jasmin Ramage (Guyra) prize for agriculture, prize for hospitality, Australian Defence Force leadership award Year 12

Paige Rottcher Bonnefin Cup for consistent all-round effort

Zoe Selby (Uralla) prize for geography, prize for visual arts, Feros Cup for all-round ability academic and sporting, McIntosh Cup for most consistent effort in sport

Georgia Seymour (Muswellbrook) prize for dance, Presbyterian Church of Australia, NSW for Christian leadership in the Senior School (shared)

Claudia Strachan prize for ancient history, prize for economics, Tregurtha prize for leadership, academic distinction

Sophia Thatcher prize for music 1 (2014)

Year 10 Social Service Award: to be collected by Ragavi Jeyakumar and Kiera Shaw

Forrest: The Guild debating cup

Erin Wright: Dorothy Knox prize for the best HSC result for 2014

Madison Moar: Purkiss Cup and prize for dux of the school