The Sydney Royal Easter Show is an eagerly anticipated event for dozens of public schools that enter their animals, vegetables and minerals into competition – often walking away with a sash or two.

This year the commitment of Elizabeth Macarthur High School paid off when Year 10 student Rhiannon R won the grand champion parader and was runner-up in the Australian national paraders championship.

The school’s deputy principal, Kylie Hedger, said a team of livestock paraders was trained by teacher Nicolet Westerhof, who gave up her free time to finesse the students’ skills.

Like many keen students, the Elizabeth Macarthur High teenagers stayed with their livestock at the show overnight and went to school during the day.

The Minister for Education and Training, John Della Bosca, visited students exhibiting and competing at the show, noting it had long been “an important tradition in many public schools”.

“The Sydney Royal Easter Show is widely regarded as the pinnacle of agricultural competition in this state,” he said.

It also gave students the chance to reinforce practical aspects of the HSC agriculture course and the primary industries vocational education and training course. Last year, almost 2,000 students studied either or both of these courses.

“One of the great strengths of public education in this state is the diversity of our curriculum,” Mr Della Bosca said.

Public school students exhibited poultry, showed dairy cattle, sheep and angora goats bred or raised at school studs. The students participated in junior judging competitions for grain, fruit and vegetables, wool and meat qualities of sheep.

Belltrees Public School students won the crowds over when they entered the steer competition against competitors almost twice their age. The Upper Hunter school, with just 17 students, was the only primary school entered in the schools steer competition and came home with a highly commended ribbon for its effort.