NGSA top students confirm dedication, hard work, strong support is the key
By Vanessa Narine
The final day of the school term, yesterday, brought joy to sixth graders who are on top of the heap, as the results of the National Grade Six Assessment Examinations were made public.

They all now have an idea of which secondary school they will be going off to in September, and realise that they are moving on.

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Of the 18, 613 students who sat the examinations, a total of 185 from across Guyana, 81 boys and 105 girls made the top one percent of the country.

Of the 185, some 13 students constitute Guyana’s top 10 placements at the exams.

The general sentiments among those in the top positions were that of mild shock, excitement and joy, because their hard work has paid off.

Among the top students, in order of placement, are:

* 1st -Larissa Wiltshire from Mae’s Under 12 (567);

* 2nd -Samathra Rocke from St. Margaret’s Primary (565);

* 3rd -Elijah Bobb from New Guyana School (563);

* 4th –Sasha Williams from Mae’s Under 12 (562);

* 4th -Abhimanyu Dev from Leonora Primary (562);

* 6th –Somant Heeralall from Annandale Primary (560);

* 6th –Khajal Parasnauth from Dharmic Rama Krishna (560);

* 6th- Darius Ali from Marian Academy (560);

* 9th – Raman Arjune from Edinburg Primary (559);

* 9th – Tonya Alves from Mae’s Under 12 (559);

* 9th – David Ramroop form Peter’s Hall Primary (559);

* 9th – Ashmini Persaud from Sparta Primary; and

* 9th – Lisa John from Leonora Primary (559).

According to this year’s top student, Larissa Wiltshire, taking the top place was not accidental, but the result of many sacrifices and hours of hard work.

Using her top position to back her opinions, Wiltshire urged primary students, Fifth Graders in particular, to work hard and consistently with high aims, so that at the end, the results would be worth it.

“You cannot get the best of anything if you do nothing,” Guyana’s top student asserted.

Second place student Samathra Rocke reiterated this, and explained that the key to her success was hard work, dedication, early mornings and late nights.

“It took a lot of effort but it was worth it because I did really well,” she said.

When the Guyana Chronicle caught up with the third place student, Elijah Bobb, he was participating in his school’s annual sports day and was unavailable for comment.

However, his headteacher, Ms. Donna Simon, reacted with little surprise.

She explained that this was the fruit of much hard work and dedicated efforts on his part.

Fourth place Sasha Williams agreed with this and pointed out that indeed such results took dedicated efforts.

“Each night I would study and limit any other activity, because I knew if I worked hard I would do well,” she said.

The other student that tied with her for the fourth position, Abhimanyu Dev, confirmed this and added that support was also a crucial element that assisted his success.

He said, “I studied hard, but the important thing was support from my parents and teachers.”

One particular teacher with special interest in her students is Mrs. Sandra Perry, Headteacher of Annandale Primary School.

She related that her top student, sixth place student Somant Heeralall, was consistent in excelling in all his classes through his school years, and also played an active role in sports and cultural activities, even chairing some of these events.

This newspaper was unable to contact Heeralall, who yesterday left the country with his family for a two week vacation in the United States.

Perry said she was overjoyed on hearing the good news, and so were Heeralall’s other teachers who worked overtime to ensure not only his success, but that of the other students who sat the examinations.

The proud Head declared that Heeralall’s performance will no doubt motivate her teachers to be more dedicated and committed to their work.

However, while some schools are continuously working on producing the country’s top student, Khajal Parasnauth’s tie with Heeralall for sixth place was a “surprise.”

The young lady from the Dharmic Rama Krishna said though she had high expectations of doing well, being among the country’s top 10 is a total surprise.

Parasnauth credited her performance to the unwavering support of her parents, teachers, and God above all.

Another student who tied with the previous two for sixth place, Darius Ali, explained that he did not study as strenuously, as his older sister, who was also listed in the top ten, was there to guide him.

Raman Arjune, who secured ninth place and the top position in Region Six, (East Berbice/Corentyne), was speechless when he was informed about the results.

His Headmistress, Rose Dos Ramos, wept uncontrollably, while his class teacher ‘Sir Roger’ Wilson, could not believe that history was being created at Edinburg Primary School, East Bank Berbice.

As the Guyana Chronicle broke the news to the lad, he said he aspires to be a scientist.

While expressing gratitude to his teachers and parents for their priceless effort, he was high in praise of his lone sister Ravina, who assisted him a great deal.

Also in ninth place, Tonya Alves stated that guidance is imperative for success and she too was appreciative of the advice from her parents and teachers who helped her to become successful.

Another success, in ninth place, David Ramroop, said the result is a big surprise for him, even though he always knew he would have done well.

A diminutive and outspoken lad, who could have hardly held back his excitement, expressed overwhelming gratitude to his parents, teachers and God, but singled out his late grandfather as his source of inspiration.

The young man said his grandfather, a teacher who passed away two years ago, was always there to assist him and would even at times wake him up out of his sleep to answer his questions.

Ramroop stressed that though he has no career choice in mind, science and mathematics are his favourite subjects and most likely he will pursue studies in one of these fields.

Speaking about his preparation for the examinations, Ramroop pointed out that going into the examination, he had a feeling he was not adequately prepared, but when he started to put pencil to paper, he was engulfed with a burst of energy and confidence.

He recounted that from then the papers were a walk in the park. Ramroop said he strongly believed that the positive energy was God responding to his prayers. The young man, who emphasised he is “Christian to the bone”, underlined he believes in prayers and the saying “prayers move mountains”.

The other ninth place student is Ashmini Persaud. She stated that she was proud to be a student of the Sparta Primary School and more so to be the top student for Region Two (Pomeroon/ Supenaam).

She attributed her good fortune to the support of her parents and God.

Owing her success to God also, the other ninth place student in the top one percent, who is also a Christian, Lisa John, explained that God, along with her parents, teachers and family, helped her to be where she is.

Guyana’s top students all acknowledged that the key to success is dedication, hard work and a strong support base.

They reiterated Guyana’s top student’s charge to upcoming Fifth Graders and other primary students, and confirmed that “You cannot get the best of anything if you do nothing.”

Saturday, July 04, 2009