Daryl: Hard work does pay off. Trust me on this!

Daryl Jack, one of the top 10 performers in this year’s Common Entrance Examinations, may very well become this country’s first astronomer.{{more}}

Although choosing a career is a long way off, the 12-year-old son of Lisa and Alex Jack of Villa is thrilled by astronomy. However, the witty lad told SEARCHLIGHT he will still keep an eye open to all other options.

Daryl, a student of the Windsor Primary School, placed 3rd for boys and 5th overall, with outstanding scores of 96.67 per cent for Mathematics, 90.91 per cent for Language Arts, 95 per cent for General Paper and an average of 94.19 per cent.

His desire is to attend the St.Vincent Grammar School in the new academic year and he is about to receive his wish.
SEARCHLIGHT caught up with Daryl on Wednesday, June 16, 2010, while he was celebrating his achievement with his family in Florida.

Giving a frank assessment of his performance, Daryl said: “I found the exam to be easier than I thought it would be. That was to my disadvantage as it made me too relaxed and I made careless mistakes, especially in Maths. The General Paper had a few questions I wasn’t sure about and “e ni mi ni mine a mo” didn’t help either. The Language Arts results stunned me a bit as I thought I had done it better.”

He expressed that he is still feeling overjoyed because he had met all the targets that he had set for himself.

Daryl also used the opportunity to convey his gratitude to his teachers. He thanked his class teachers Mrs Jacqueline Da Silva, Mrs. Ross and Mrs. Cumberbatch for their patience and energy.

However, he noted that he can never thank his mother and father enough for making his feat possible. He added that he cannot forget his younger brother Cody who is always there for him. Cody is a 5th Grade student at Windsor.

“Mom, thanks so much for juggling your work around so you could spend that time preparing me for this success. Above all I thank God for good health and his continuous blessings on me throughout these last weeks as I did my final preparations,” said the lad.

Daryl disclosed that the secret to his success was maintaining good grades at school which made his revision easier.

“Mom instilled in me this was just another exam, nothing more was expected of me.That really took the pressure off and allowed me to relax and even play as usual until the examination day,” said the young Jack.

Daryl, who enjoys aquatic sports, has held his father to a promise to take him to Adventure Park, in Tampa, Florida. At the moment the family is vacationing there.

Before ending the interview Daryl noted: “Best of luck to all those who will write exams next year. Hard work does pay off. Trust me on this!”