من الأشهر اليوم؟

PORT ANTONIO, Portland - For 153 years the girls of Seaside Primary have outshone the boys in all major exams. This year's Primary Exit Profile (PEP) exam was different for the school nestled in Hector's River overlooking the Caribbean Sea.Meanwhile, in the western end of the parish, the boys of Buff Bay Primary school also stepped up to the plate. The Jamaica Observer takes a look at top students from both schools. Seaside Primary:Others may have been caught off-guard, but Principal Adli Lewis was not surprised by the boys' performance. At least half of the class were high performers and those who needed support received it. "There were two students with learning disabilities, however, we provided specialised learning and they did very well under the circumstances," he said. "I am really pleased and not surprised with this set of boys. When I came here in 2018 I did an analysis of the end of year results for the previous grade and realised that the boys were actually doing better than the girls in this batch. For the other batch it was the other way around. I kept a close watch on them. We have five top students - four boys and a girl - and the boys outshone the girls. It is quite unusual in this time and age when boys are becoming at risk to have done this well as it followed through into the external examination."The boys' performance, he added, gives him hope because it shows that learning is not determined by gender but on the level of motivation and support available. "We have a set of parents here that are very supportive. These five students, their parents were always at PTA meetings, they also play some form of lead roles and [they are] dependable. I hope they will continue to support their students as they move on," said the pleased principal.Donnari Palmer, who will be attending his school of choice, the prestigious Calabar High School, is proud of his results but confessed he could have studied more. "The examination was not tedious. I did not study much and I played a lot of games on the phone. The work was manageable and I had to put in some studies the night before the examination. I went over my books and went to the examination and did my best," he reminisced.It had been a nervous wait for his mother Debbie Martin. "This boy don't study but his memory is good. When he comes home I normally question him and he tells me what he has learnt. His teacher was concerned about him not doing work in his book. I spoke to him about it and one day he came home smiling and showed me his book with ticks and a smiley."Her son, she said, is gifted - plus she pushes him - and he has won a number of trophies in the past.Onando Gordon, who scored 94 per cent despite a vision problem, was surprised at his performance. He was among the team of boys who studied together, determined to excel by supporting each other. "I did not expect to do so well as the other boys were more brilliant than I. I am happy that I am going to Titchfield, the same school as my two brothers," he said.His mother Suzzanne Martin was ecstatic and relieved that she had been able to get him a pair of glasses ahead of the exam. "It was rough as I put out a lot [of effort] for my [four] children. [The glasses] helped him very much and I expected him to do well. I am so glad I went and got them for him," she said.Top student Kemon Watson who also scored 94 per cent was elated. He will leave his paternal grandmother Lorna Smith's house in Portland to live with his maternal grandmother in St Thomas. He will be attending Morant Bay High School. "I felt that I could have done better but I am happy [with] my performance. I look forward to working on my weak areas, mathematics and science," he said. Smith, his grandmother, is pleased with his performance but said he had to be pushed to work at times. "I had to watch him [to make sure he obeyed when] I send him to go and study. I [had] to call his mother and father and they talk to him. [But] I am happy that he came out on top. I think he will do well where he is going," she said.Dandre McKenzie took a different approach to preparing for the exam. He used the 'Learning Hub' online platform. "It was challenging doing face to face and online but I was able to manage as my mother was there for me. I also worked with my friend on the Zoom platform. I wanted to go to Titchfield, but I'll be attending Happy Grove," he said. His mother Sarnia Malcolm-McKenzie, a teacher, was pleased with his results. "I knew he had the ability and can work on his own and I gave him papers to work with. I sat by and listened at times to what was happening and I wanted him to go to Happy Grove as this would be better for me," she said smiling.The lone female in the group of top performers is shy Jodene Wilson. "The examination was manageable as I studied, although I did not get the school of my choice," she told the. She will be attending Happy Grove instead of Titchfield. Her mother Jodian Hoffman was not perturbed. "I told her she will do well where ever she goes as she worked hard despite the pandemic," she said. Buff Bay Primary:The top six students were evenly split between girls and boys but, on average, the boys performed better.Danielle Stamp was confident that she would have done well, though online classes had been a challenge. She prefers face-to-face interaction with her teacher and had challenges with her Internet connection. "I was happy with my result. I was surprised because of the challenges and I was not sure I would do well. I am happy that I will be going to Titchfield. My parents and teachers encouraged me to work and study online and I followed the advice though I would have felt much better doing face to face," she said. Her mother Sasha Dyce-Stamp is happy for her daughter. A teacher who also needed to work online, she tried her best to be supportive of her daughter. "It was bittersweet because the online [learning] was very challenging. I tried to ensure that she had the tablet and got engaged although sometimes she complained of being stressed out. The result is a rewarding one as we tried to make the experience a rewarding one. I am excited!" she said.Kiana Thomas also triumphed despite Internet challenges. "My mother got some hard copies from the school [and] that helped a lot. I will be going to Mary Mount High School," she said.Meanwhile, Ramario Berry will be attending Kingston College. He spent a lot of time playing games and very little time (once a week) studying so he was shocked that he got into Kingston College. The exam had been easy, he said. "I want to go into the medical field; Kingston College has more resources than the schools in Portland. I would love to be a surgeon," he said. His mother Ashieka Rainford is happy with his results. She had nervously prayed that he would do well despite his failure to study. "It was challenging to get him to study; most of the time he was playing games. But as it got closer he took up his books and did some studies. Most of his classes were face to face but I was nervous and I prayed a lot. I feel much better now that he has been successful."Meanwhile, Javier Burrell's PEP performance has strengthened his resolve to be a pilot. Like many of his peers, Internet challenges and online classes had been a challenge but he relied on family, friends and his teachers for support. "It was a bit challenging preparing at times because of the Internet. It was difficult getting online at times. I will be going to Titchfield. I am looking forward to becoming a pilot in the future," he said. His mother Sanchia Williams-Burrell was not in the least bit surprised that he did well. Her son, she said, has always been able to motivate himself. "I was not surprised [by] his performance. I expected him to do well," she said.Things were a lot less smooth for Dexlee Johnson who found the preparations challenging because of health issues. "I have headaches [for] like 30 minutes without stopping and sometimes it would cause stress. We tried to study hard so we would pass. When I got to the exam it was not so hard. My mother gave me a lot of support and told me to relax as I worried a lot," he said. His mother Avis Green-Johnson was very concerned about how his health problems would affect his performance. "I tried to help him to develop confidence as he is [sickly] and it affects him a lot as sometimes he does not get to go online. But he exercised a high level of discipline despite his illness. He loves to work on his own and that was very encouraging for me. I am very proud of him because of the challenges he has faced in his illness. I am extremely proud," she said.Ill health was also a factor for asthmatic Joshua Morrison who contracted COVID-19. "My mother picked up the work from the school and I had to do it and get it back as I had to go through it one by one. I am very happy that I did well," he said, smiling. Joshua's mother Negreta McCormack is happy for her son. "It was very challenging as I am a single mom and working. I had to encourage him and the teachers were also very supportive. The whole family had COVID and we survived. I was very happy and excited when I got the [PEP] result and I am really proud of him. He will be attending Titchfield," she said with a smile.The second of two females in the batch, Tessann Duncan, will also be attending Titchfield. She is very happy with her results. "Some parts of it were very hard so I had to work it out. I did some work online, I had a tablet by myself and the Internet [signal] was good," she said. Her mother Keneisha Stuart attributed her performance to the level of discipline Tessann showed. "I provided the Internet for her and she applied the necessary discipline. I knew she was going to get it. She worked hard at it and we are very proud," she said.Teacher Sheryl Higgins is very proud of her students. "The boys have done us proud and I am overwhelmed. We are so happy. It was very challenging working online but they were very cooperative. We had to get the feedback to the students, especially those who worked on the hard copies, and it paid off," she said.Sophia Smith-Ramsay-Taylor was another of the PEP teachers who went the extra mile for her students. "It was really a challenge dealing with them as I had to get up very early in the morning to prepare. Those who were online were very cooperative. The Internet at home was challenging and I had to buy data. The parents were very cooperative and supportive," she said. "I was looking for the girls to do much better than the boys but the boys surprised me. There was a shift in their performance this time around. Some of these boys were doing well from grade one and I am happy that they have done well and kept it up throughout. I hope they will continue," she added.