Three girls grab eleven CSEC subjects at Grade One

Viclene Matthews 29.AUG.08

The Girls’ High School has done it again. They have proven themselves to be a notch above the rest. The school has emerged as the top performer in the 2008 Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams.{{more}}

This year’s results see the school returning an overall pass rate of 93 per cent, which is a slight improvement over last year’s figure of 92.4 per cent.

Nine of the school’s top performers disclosed their success formula to Searchlight on Monday, 25 August. These girls each had a different approach to achieving their goals. Their techniques varied from getting a lot of sleep, to exercising using a skipping rope. They also attribute their success to hard work, burning the midnight oil and lots of sacrifices. All nine girls gave praises to God for their outstanding achievements.

Georgetown resident Shanelle Clarke attained grade one passes in all eleven subjects she wrote. The 16-year-old, who is the school’s 2008 valedictorian, passed Biology, Physics, Chemistry, English A, English B, Geography, Information Technology, Principles of Accounts, Social Studies, Spanish and Math. Shanelle revealed that while studying, often times she would hear her Math teacher’s voice resonating in her head. She advises other students to avoid cramming because it does not work. The granddaughter of Rozena Clarke is looking at a career in the field of Engineering. She is looking forward to attending the Community College to commence studies in Chemistry, Physics, Math and Information Technology.

Jacinte Browne also received grade one passes in all eleven subjects she wrote. The New Grounds resident passed Biology, History, Chemistry, English A, English B, French, Geography, Information Technology, Math, Physics and Spanish. 16-year-old Jacinte said that because of the journey to and from school, she sometimes had less time to do homework. The daughter of Hannah and Fredrick Browne is not too sure what her future career would be, but said she wants to be a part time writer.

Future Veterinarian Annique Boyle also received grade one passes in her eleven subjects. The Cane Garden resident passed Biology, Chemistry, English A, English B, French, Geography, Information Technology, Math, Physics, Social Studies and Spanish. The 16-year-old is the daughter of Veterinarian Dr Collin Boyle and Paediatrician Dr. Rosemary Boyle.

Rhonelle Buntyn also passed 11 subjects. 16-year-old Rhonelle received grade ones in English A, French, Spanish, Chemistry, Information Technology, Math, Physics, Biology, History, Geography and a grade two in English B. The New Montrose resident has her heart set on being a Forensic Scientist. The daughter of Curt and Rhonda Buntyn said she wants to “help others feel at ease…by piecing together little (bits of) evidence to solve big cases”.

Seventeen-year-old Chryste Da Silva, who passed 12 subjects, said that despite her hectic schedule, she chose not to miss church because it helped her to “de-stress and lift her spirits”. The Indian Bay resident received grade ones in Biology, Chemistry, History, Geography, English A, French, Spanish, Information Technology, Maths and Electronic Document Preparation and Management. She scored grade two’s in English B and Physics. She is the daughter of Verne and Jasmine Da Silva and has aspirations of being a Veterinarian because of her love for animals. Unlike most students who expect their parents to reward them for their achievements, Chryste does not expect any rewards from her parents because her accomplishment is a reward in itself. “My biggest fear was disappointing my parents,” she related. She is looking forward to the new school term at the Community College.

Although she did not study as much as she would have liked because she placed her religion first then school after, Shecana Small was able to pass all 12 subjects she sat with good grades.

The 16-year-old Mount Pleasant resident received grade ones in Math, Information Technology, English A, English B, EDPM, Spanish, Physics, Biology and grade two’s in Chemistry, French, Principles of Accounts and Geography.

The daughter of Debra and Hankey Small is not to sure as to her future career but is considering careers in Medicine, Forensic Scientist or Pathology. Shecana expressed that some persons felt that she was biting off more than she could chew. She said those and similar comments motivated her to do well. Her advice to others is “don’t sacrifice sleep to study”. She is of the opinion that in order to do well for your exams you must be well rested. Shecana also believes that with proper time management and dedication one will be able to do well.

Allison Da Silva, of Queen’s Drive, passed all 10 subjects she wrote with grade one passes. She passed Math, English A, English B, French, History, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Information Technology and Geography. She is the daughter of Brian and Jacqueline DaSilva.

Jai-Len Williams, who also wrote 12 subjects, said that she was unable to engage in her

“precious dancing” because of her school schedule. The 16-year-old gives praise to God because she is of the opinion that if it were not for him, she would not have been successful in her exams.

The Campden Park resident got grade ones in English A, English B, Principles of Business, Information Technology, Principles of Accounts and Social Studies. She scored grade twos in Geography, History, French and grade three’s in Math, Biology and Spanish. The daughter of Annette Commissiong and Lennox Williams’ next step is to attend the Community College. After that, she intends to study Law. She has hopes of becoming a lawyer because she is “fascinated by the fact that I can help others by representing them”.

Although she is disappointed with her Chemistry results, Jiwani Peters passed 11subjects. She received grade ones in Biology, History, English A, French, English B, Information Technology, Math, Physics and Spanish. She scored grade two’s in Geography and Chemistry. The daughter of Kathleen Williams and Henry Peters is still not too sure about her career choice, but wants to do “something that would make a change in the world”.

Shanice Thompson, who is out of the state, also received nine grade ones and two grade twos for the eleven subjects she wrote. Excellent performance also came from Tanisha Ward who got grade one passes in all nine subjects she wrote.

All the girls told Searchlight that they are looking forward to attending the Community College in the upcoming school term. Moreso they are proud to “be part of history”. The girls all thanked their parents and teachers who went the extra mile to help them along the way to achieving their overall success.