Sugar Mill Academy’s Julian DeFreitas hits a double seven in 2023 CPEA (+Video)

“Wow I actually did it” was the exclamation from Julian Stanton DeFreitas when his father showed him a list of the top performers in this year’s Caribbean Primary Exit Assessment (CPEA).

Julian sat the examinations as a student of the Sugar Mill Academy located at Ratho Mill and placed seventh for boys and seventh overall.

“I was in the office (dad’s workplace in Beachmont) and my friends messaged me and dad showed me a picture of the top 10….” Julian revealed to SEARCHLIGHT in an interview on Monday in the conference room of the same building in which he learnt of his exemplary performance.

He said he expected to do “pretty good” but he still feels “happy” about the feat he achieved.

“… Mostly because, well, I did better than my brothers,” Julian said with a smirk while adding, “that’s something to tell em.”

In a strange twist, Julian, who has secured his spot at the nation’s top boys’ school, the St. Vincent Grammar School (SVGS), does not seem too keen on being schooled at that institution but has his eyes set, for the time being, on the St. Joseph Convent, Marriaqua (SJCM).

“My brother goes there and I will like to be with him, and also a few of my friends are going to so that’s just a plus one I guess,” explained Julian, who wants to be a pilot or an accountant (like his father).

Julian’s two brothers both achieved CPEA marks that earned them a place at the SVGS. However one brother opted to attend the SJCM while the other took up his spot at the St Vincent Grammar School.

The scholar said he studied hard and did “tons” of past papers, and those things helped him excel. He said his parents, Stanton and Pauline DeFreitas, teachers and staff members at the Sugar Mill Academy, also played a major role in his success.

Julian, who likes basketball and swimming, noted that his favourite subject is Mathematics. He said the 2023 CPEA was “quite easy” because a lot of the questions from the past papers came back and that made it easier.

“All of my classmates would tell you the exact same thing,” he said while advising CPEA students to “study hard” and “don’t get nervous during the exam.”

Julian’s parents said they are proud of their son’s performance as they knew he has the ability to do well.

“He had great teachers at Sugar Mill Academy; this is our third child that has gone through that school, wonderful staff, from Miss Cordice the principal, to Miss Agard and Miss Bullock, the teachers of Grade Six.

“Preparing for CPEA, he also had other help along the way but primarily the school was fantastic and he did what we expected him to do,” Stanton told SEARCHLIGHT.

The proud father said he is encouraging parents who have children doing CPEA not to put too much pressure on them as that makes them nervous and results in errors.

Julian’s mom Pauline, said her son studied hard while sacrificing play time in the last few months.

“We know our son to be a high achiever and he’s got an inquisitive mind so there is never a simple answer, there’s always a big answer and that led him to his success as well, so we are very proud,” Pauline said, while noting that they have now gone through CPEA three times in the last five years.

“Just study. Along the way give them a little break. The week of CPEA, we didn’t over analyse it, we knew that he just had to be ready,” Pauline said, while noting the importance of having a support system.

Meanwhile Julian added that he is “for the most part” ready for secondary school and his plan to maintain good grades includes studying everyday “like my brothers”.