Two on top in General Paper

Ten-year-old Alrice Simmons is one of the happiest children on the Grenadine island of Bequia right now.

On Monday, although she did not place among the top ten performers, Alrice found out she had the highest grade in the General Paper exam, and a very high score in the Maths paper.{{more}}

Little Miss Simmons, a student of the Bequia Anglican Primary school, shared the highest score for General Paper with the Kingstown Government School’s Latisha James, scoring 98.33%.

Speaking to Searchlight on the phone from her home in Port Elizabeth, Alrice stated that passing the common entrance with such high marks was a dream come true.

She expressed happiness with her result, and claims that she is looking forward to entering the Girls’ High School.

She credits her success to her mom Marice, a nurse at the Port Elizabeth Health Centre and dad Alvan, an engineer who works on the seas.

Although she hopes to become a scientist in the future, Alrice currently enjoys reading and spending time with her family, which includes seven-year-old sister Alvania.



Latisha James (At Left), the other top performer in General Paper told SEARCHLIGHT how she prepared for the exam.

“I would buy the newspapers at weekends and would take out the necessary information. I did research on my own and participated in several competitions with different schools,” said Latisha as she related how she prepared.

According to Latisha, she also did the practice tests that were published in SEARCHLIGHT, and would often do research on her own during her spare time.

Roxanne Richardson, a hair stylist at Annie’s Beauty Salon, said she was not surprised at her daughter Latisha’s performance since she was always an A+ student. Richardson said she would always encourage her to study her notes when she arrived from school.

Latisha, whose goal is to become a nurse, is hoping to attend the Girls’ High School.

She is thankful to the persons who assisted her during her preparations for the exams and her mother who would often encourage her to study.