SJCK Principal sees general improvement in school grades

Principal of the St Joseph’s Convent Kingstown (SJCK) Calma Balcombe says there has been a general improvement in her school’s grades at this year’s sitting of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination.

With four exceptional individual performances, the school recorded overall passes of 91.48 per cent.{{more}}

According to a release from the school, of the 107 students who sat the exam, two students passed 10 subjects, 22 passed nine subjects, with a further 22 passing eight subjects.

There was also an improvement in Mathematics, which recorded an 86.7 per cent pass rate, compared to 83.3 in 2014.

The school recorded 100 per cent passes in 10 subject areas, including: Clothing & Textiles, Economics, English B, Food and Nutrition, Home Economics Management, Information Technology (32 grade ones), Integrated Science, Physical Education, Principles of Business (38 grade ones), and Social Studies.

Six subjects recorded passes in the nineties. Those are: Electronic Document Preparation Management, 93.5 percent, English A, 90.6, Geography, 90.4, Office Administration, 97.8, Principles of Accounts, 97.8 and Spanish, 90.45 percent.

Further, in the release, Balcombe said their task this year was “no easy one” and noted that teachers were faced with many challenges with this cohort of students.

“Despite this, they persevered to bring the best out of all students. The teachers must be commended for their dedication, the parents for their support and the students for achieving very good results,” Balcombe said.

When contacted, one of the school’s outstanding performers, Sharikah Rodney, who obtained all of her nine subjects, said when she received her results, a feeling of shock ran through her body.

“It was an amazing feeling. Although I expected to do well, I was shocked that I did this well. I feel really happy,” the 16-year-old Greiggs resident said.

Rodney obtained grade one passes in English A, Food and Nutrition, Information Technology, Mathematics, Principles of Accounts, Principles of Business and grade twos in Office Administration, French and Integrated Science. According to Rodney, her preparation required a lot of dedication and good time management, but she noted that she was thankful that it had paid off.

The aspiring certified accountant thanked God, her mother Shareen Rodney, Shanda Boyea, Latoya DeRoche-John and all who supported her.

Making her hometown of Port Elizabeth, Bequia proud is 17-year-old Oleen Horne.

Horne, who wrote 10 subjects, obtained six grade one passes, two grade twos and two grade threes.

“It feels really great. When I got back my results, I kind of wanted to cry with happiness. I was just overjoyed. I really thank God because, I know without him I could not have done it,” she chimed.

Horne, an aspiring economist, also thanked her parents Fiona and Ovid Horne for their support and all the teachers and friends at the St Joseph’s Convent.

With seven grade one passes, Lyn-Marie DeFreitas has a lot to be proud of.

“I’m really happy, I was scared when the results came and was afraid to open them. I still feel that I could have done better for the two other subjects, but I am happy that I got the seven ones,” DeFreitas, who also obtained two grade three passes, said.

She thanked her parents Wendy and Dwight DeFreitas, other family members, teachers and her best friend, Danielle.

The other outstanding performer from the school was Alimwa Browne. She obtained grade one passes in five subject areas, grade two passes in four subjects and one grade three.