Gabrielle and her teacher Curling Fontenelle.
Top student Gabrielle Flavien said she is happy about her performance at the 2014 Common Entrance Examinations.
Flavien told St Lucia News Online (SNO) today (July 8) that she has always dreamt of topping the exams, and credited her parents, grandparents and teachers for her success. She scored 97.3 percent – the highest out of over 2,600 students who sat the assessment.
“I studied hard and prayed hard, morning and night,” she told SNO.
The Dame Pearlette Louisy Primary student said she has a passion for mathematics and would always perform well at this subject. She hopes to one day study something in that field. Her challenge however, is language arts, particularly spelling.
Asked what would be her encouragement to students who are preparing for next year’s Common Entrance Examination, she said “pray hard and study and believe that you can get what you want.”
According to her, she balanced her time studying and playing, and advised that other students do the same. This she believes will help them to achieve their goals.
Flavien’s teacher, Curling Fontenelle told SNO she is not surprised by the results, as she always viewed Flavien as a dedicated and determined student. “From the beginning of last term I told her Gabrielle we are going for first place, and we did it, “she added. Her advice to students preparing for the next examination was, “you set your goal, you study hard and work hard and you put God first.”
Meanwhile, her fellow schoolmate Timeeka N James scored 97 percent and came in second at this year’s Common Entrance Examination. “I always knew I could achieve good things if I tried and I tried so I guess I got what I wanted. I want to thank all my teachers and parents for helping me, because without them I probably would not have reached so far,” James said.
Timeeka N James
With hopes to become a scientist one day, her favorite subject is science but like her schoolmate she admitted to being “a little weak” in language arts.
Asked what would be her advice to other students, she said, “Always keep doing their best and never think they will never archive what they want to.”
Meanwhile, Principal of the Dame Pearlette Louisy Primary Ethelene Leonce told SNO that she would always advise her students to aspire for the best and this year’s results proved that the students did their best.
“We push our students to do their best. I am always excited when our students do well. It is always good to know that every one of my five grades six classes, everyone had a child in the top 38. Each of the grade six teachers was doing something good,” she said.
The principal said that she has a strict system by which they analyze the student’s performance and ensure that they work with those who have performed poorly. She believes that each student has different levels of learning, but once you pay attention to their work and you mold them, they can perform at the same level as the top students. This system she said is the main reason for her school’s outstanding performance every year.
Last year the Dame Pearlette Louisy Primary School also produced the top male and female performers at the exams.
Top performers in this year’s examinations include 11 candidates from eight primary schools on the island. That elite group of candidates consists of nine females and two males with scores ranging from 96 per cent to 97.3 per cent.
The other top performers for this year includes: Gemmia K Jn Pierre of Les Estangs Combined, Presams A Surapaneni of Plain View Combined, Kereser N Augustin of Ave Maria Girls’ Primary, Rahymm S Charlerly of St Aloysius RC Boys Primary, Maya Jeana Hilaire of the Montessori Centre, Abigal E Jeremie of Ave Maria Girls’ Primary, Mya N Symister of Ciceron Combined, Erich Caesar of Carmen Renee Memorial and Chrysan N Florius of Dame Pearlette Luoisy Primary.
2,631 candidates were processed for the examination. Of these 1,353 were male and 1,278 were females.