Miss Exeter, who has a Bachelor of Performance and Screen Arts, tried to create an expectation of discipline, similar to what the students would find at a dance academy.
"I make sure they know it's not a bum subject. I look to teach as close as possible to tertiary, so that they are getting real-world learning. I treat them like mini-professionals," she said. "It's about building a culture of dancers that are thinking, intelligent, well-rounded people It's not just about kicking legs and doing the splits."
She said Scholarship - a level above NCEA Level 3 - required a portfolio of research and analysis, plus a filmed example of performance and choreography. Dancers had to be versatile and delve deep into the craft.
"So much goes into it - physically, mentally, creatively - it's much more sophisticated than NCEA."
Exeter said that because she had the students for only four hours a week, achieving at such a high level meant a lot of hours after school.
"It was all-consuming for the last few months, there were a lot of late nights," the teacher said.
"But as a practitioner of dance myself - both in performance and choreography - I never expect them to do things that I wouldn't do."
Former student Xavier Breed, now in his second year of a Bachelor of Dance Studies at the University of Auckland, credited Miss Exeter with his 2013 top-in-subject success.
"She relates to the students not as a dance teacher but as a normal person. She brings out a different side in you. It can be intimidating performing in class ... but she helps you be confident."
Roll of Rutherford winners
2014:
Annika van Vliet, first
Aniva Feau, second
Leticia Fortes, third
2013:
Xavier Breed, first
2012:
Alannah Prins, third
2011:
Caitlin Thompson, first.
