It’s Friday in second place

“I was pretty excited when I heard. I wasn’t really expecting to do as well as I did!”{{more}}

These were the words of Bequia resident Christian Friday in reaction to the results of this year’s Common Entrance Examination (CEE).

The proud student of the Paradise Primary School, the only private school in Bequia, said that he was really surprised when he heard that he placed second in the exam. He gained 96.67 percent in Mathematics, 93.94 percent in English, 95 percent in General Paper, and an overall average of 95.16 percent.

Christian claims that Mathematics was the most challenging paper, while the easiest was English, since it is like second nature to him. According to Christian, the exam wasn’t as hard as he thought it would be.

He was expecting to get in the top hundred, but not in the second position, he said.

In preparation for his exam, Christian said that he studied a lot, learned the facts and kept track of current events.

Sacrifices were also made, including lessening the amount of playtime. He said that he didn’t stress over the exam too much, because he believes by doing that, a person would be more likely forget the facts.

Christian said his main motivator was his older brother who challenged him to do better than he had done.

He is not yet certain what career he will pursue when he grows up, but Christian expressed his love for cooking and is also interested in wildlife photography.

Christian’s mother, Kathryn, who is also his Principal at Paradise Primary, said that she is very proud of her son and is also overjoyed. She said that this is the highest the school has ever placed, breaking the record of her other son, Nicholas Friday, who placed eleventh in the 2006 exam.

Christian is also the son of the Northern Grenadines parliamentary representative, Dr. Godwin Friday.

The Fridays haven’t yet decided which secondary school Christian will be attending, but mom Kathryn says that her son is gifted in many areas. She is looking forward to him doing his very best and she has the confidence that no matter what he chooses to do, he will be successful.

The three other students from the school who wrote the exam were also successful.

Christian also assures students who will be writing the exam next year: “It isn’t as hard as everyone makes it sound. It’s a lot easier. Just remember the facts and you’ll be perfectly fine.”

He also hopes that no one breaks his record too soon because he would like to cherish this for a while.