‘I wasn’t surprised, I expected to come first’

BEING this country’s top CPEA performer has been Kuba Francis’ goal ever since she was in Kindergarten.

The 11-year-old’s dream was realised this week, after the release of the 2022 results showed that she had placed first for girls and first overall.

“I was ecstatic. I wasn’t surprised because I expected to place first. I was (working towards it). When I studied, I kept in my mind that my goal was to come first,” the recent Sugar Mill Academy graduate told SEARCHLIGHT on Tuesday afternoon. “I was always competitive and I always wanted to come first because I’ve always wanted to be at the top.”

The daughter of Shantel Richards and Bradley Francis recorded the highest average score of 98.2 per cent in the 2022 CPEA exams.

She was one of three students who recorded a perfect score of 100 per cent in Mathematics and one of two students with the highest score in science — 96 per cent.

Kuba told SEARCHLIGHT that the Language exam posed the most challenge for her as there could have been different answers for the questions, depending on one’s point of view.

She shared that her favourite subject was Mathematics because “there’s definitely an answer because you can work it out”.

The top performer noted however, that her future career path will probably lead her into the science field, where she hopes to come up with inventions.

Kuba, a resident of Georgetown, began her academic journey at the Georgetown Primary School but transferred to the Sugar Mill Academy in the last term of Grade five, after her schooling was affected first by the COVID-19 pandemic and then the 2021 volcanic eruption.

The 11-year-old thanked her mother and father; her lessons teachers, Mrs Toney and Ms Henry; her teachers both at the Sugar Mill Academy and Georgetown Government Schools, her friends, classmates “and above all, God” for supporting her during her preparations for the external exam.

Kuba is looking forward to starting her secondary education in the new academic year at Girls’ High School.

Shantel Richards, Kuba’s mother described her daughter as a goal oriented individual with a competitive streak.

She added that because of the 11-year-old’s drive to excel, she has always been dedicated and focused on her work.

“When we got the result on Saturday, we were quite elated, overjoyed but not surprised because as Kuba mentioned, it was her goal from Kindergarten. As soon as she left Kindergarten, going on to Grade 1, she got 100 per cent and she was determined to finish primary school with 100 per cent. Her aim was to finish CPEA with 100 per cent, which she did not but she got close enough…with 98.2 per cent,” Richards said.

The proud mom said she has prepared with Kuba for exams throughout her entire primary school life, and preparations for CPEA began in Grade five, which meant that when the time drew nearer, it was only a matter of revising work that had already been done.

Richards’ advice to parents is to “always be supportive of your children”, without thrusting your own expectations upon them, but rather acknowledging their goals and working towards it.

It is by doing this that Richards believes goals will be achieved comfortably and without any added pressure.