Mountain View aiming for greater success

The Mountain View Adventist Academy (MVAA) will be on a mission in the new academic year to get more students involved in the school’s success story, even those who did not perform well at the Common Entrance level.{{more}}

This is the promise of Anthony Ollivierre, the institution’s principal for the past 10 years.

This year, Ollivierre, the school’s longest serving principal, witnessed what is probably considered the school’s best performance or one of its better performances in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations at the national level.

Mountain View Adventist Academy, located at Richland Park, gave a creditable performance, scoring an average pass rate of 72 per cent in the CSEC. It was ranked fifth behind the Girls’ High School, St.Vincent Grammar School and St. Joseph’s Convent, Kingstown, and St. Joseph’s Convent Marriaqua, which tied for third.

“The results have been a combination of goal setting, hard work, encouraging students to work for what they want,” said Ollivierre. On this note, he praised the teachers for working assiduously with students throughout the past school year as they concentrated on making the students’ attitude the dominant factor for success.

“I was not overly surprised at the results. We would have been disappointed if we got less,” said Ollivierre.

He said, over the years, the MVAA has had fluctuating fortunes in its efforts to bring the institution’s performance on par with the national standard.

Four students brought great joy to the MVAA this year: Jana Bowman, who wrote 10 subjects and received nine grades ones, a grade three, and seven A profiles; Kemesha Bacchus, who sat 10 subjects and received four grades ones, four grades twos, and two grades threes; Nikita John -wrote nine subjects and received passes in eight subject areas with scores of six grades twos and two grades threes; and Shaakira London received passes in six subject areas with three grades ones, two grades twos, and a grade three. She sat a total of seven subjects.

Bowman told SEARCHLIGHT she found Physics to be the most challenging subject during the examination. She stated that she was very surprised when she learned she got a grade one for the subject.

“When I got my results I was shocked. Actually, I was jumping up and down,” said Bowman, adding that she has not chosen a career path. She plans to pursue the field of Biology at the University of the Southern Caribbean, Trinidad.

Bacchus, on the other hand, plans to attend the Community College in the new academic year. She told SEARCHLIGHT lots of negative things have been said about the MVAA but she wants everyone to know that the school has good teachers who make the students feel at home and encourage them to work hard as they pursue their goals. Bacchus said she is convinced that she could have done better in the CSEC. She found Physics and Geography to be the most challenging subjects during the exams.

John told SEARCHLIGHT she has aspirations of becoming an entrepreneur, but she has not selected the type of business she would like to pursue. In the new academic year, she plans to pursue Business Administration at the Division of Technical and Vocational Education. John found Accounts to be the most challenging subject.

Overwhelmed by her accomplishment, London admitted that she was not expecting the grades she received.

“I was overjoyed because I knew that I had worked hard,” she said, adding like John she would like to pursue Business Administration at the Division of Technical Education.

This year the MVAA recorded 100 per cent passes in Agricultural Science, a first for the school. One hundred per cent pass rates were also scored in Principles of Business and Food and Nutrition. There was a 90 per cent pass rate for Information Technology and grades ranging from 80 per cent to 90 per cent for Social Studies, Biology, Chemistry, and Human and Social Biology.(HN)