Valentine Grimes, second left, Honours Day Convocation speaker presents St. Anne's School graduating senior Jeffon Stubbs, with is prizes after he scored highest on the exam to claim the 29th Alpha Phi Alpha Honours Day Convocation valedictorian award and a $6,000 scholarship, as well as a laptop from Custom Computers. Stubbs also took home the science award and the $500 prize for scoring the top science score. Also pictured are Dr. Steven Rolle, left, Honours Day Committee chairman; Tammy Thompson, Custom Computers; and Dayan Bourne, president Iota Epilson Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha. (Photo: Derek Smith)
St. Anne's School student named Honours Day Convocation valedictorian; Achintya Garikaparthi named salutatorian; Joevante Fox tops Family Islands students.
St. Anne's School's Jeffon Stubbs is the Alpha Phi Alpha Inc.'s 2016 Valedictorian, and the recipient of a $6,000 scholarship. Stubbs scored the highest on a standardized test at the 29th Honours Day Convocation examination to secure the win. He also took home the Science award and the $500 prize for scoring the top score in science.
"It was very surreal, because it's on such a large scale, and the circumstances surrounding it all in that I had to take a standardized exam against the best and brightest of the young men in the country, and to know that I came out on top -- for a second I couldn't believe that I did it," he said.
Reflecting on the weekend exam, he said it was not easy or hard, but rather, forced him to sit and think and recall information.
"Some of the general knowledge questions I was familiar with, but it was material I hadn't covered since BJC [Bahamas Junior Certificate] curriculum because I've been doing just straight natural science -- biology, chemistry and physics for the last three years in high school, so it forced me to dig deep into eighth and ninth grades when I had to do the map for The Bahamas and country history and stuff like that. It's a thorough standardized exam that covers what a student would have learned through junior and senior school," he said.
Stubbs said he did not go into the test thinking he would win, but felt confident after he sat the exam, after his answers and responses.
"I felt I had paced myself to the best of my ability. I had a feeling I did pretty well. There was a little thought to think that I might win, but not to say I had it in the bag."
St. Augustine's College's Achintya Garikaparthi took home the Salutatorian award and a $3,000 scholarship, as the runner-up in the scoring. The 3.97 GPA student also took home the Commerce award and the $1,000 scholarship with it.
The Family Island Scholar award that is given to the Family Island student who scored the highest on the exam went to Joevante Fox from Central Eleuthera High School; the 3.57 GPA student took home a $2,000 scholarship.
Stubbs who graduates St. Anne's with a perfect 4.00 grade point average (GPA) will enroll in actuarial science studies at Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland in the fall. He says getting an education is of "utmost importance" to him.
"I have come to understand and realize that an education is my ticket to where I need to go -- college and a good career," he said, as he prepares to sit four Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) exams -- biology, chemistry, physics and literature, for which he's aiming for all "A" grades to keep his perfect record intact. Last year he wrote the math, English, Spanish and Religious Studies BGCSEs and recorded "A" grades in all four subjects, including having the top exam result in the country for his Religious Studies exam.
The son of Jeff [deceased] and Joann Stubbs, who entered SAS in fourth grade, said he has always been an honor roll student since his formative kindergarten years, even though he shies away from saying he would have been the smartest.
"To me, being 'smart' is relative in terms of being good in academics -- whether you're a gifted athlete -- whether you're good in music, so I've never been one to really claim that," he said.
But his academic work ethic he said comes from both his parents, and he said he feels good knowing that he made his father who passed last month proud, and that he is making his mother proud.
Stubbs is the third person (behind Arien Rolle, 1991 and Keith Beneby 2003) to be named valedictorian from St. Anne's School in the history of the Alpha Phi Alpha Honours Day Convocation was not something that went unnoticed when he returned to the school's Fox Hill campus on Monday.
"I've received handshakes, smiles, hugs, congratulatory messages, just everything. They've applauded me on my success. We're a holistic community, and we support each other in all of our accomplishments, so it's something that did not go unnoticed. They hold me to a high standard. They hold all of us guys to a high standard, so to come home with such a win for the school, they really appreciate it and applauded me for it."
SAS vice-principal Kurt Hollingsworth said Stubbs' accomplishment is one they are proud of.
"As an administration, and particularly me as a male, we're very proud of Jeffon. But personally I think it speaks to what we are trying to instill in our young men in our school community, and the community at large -- to recognize that they too have the potential and capacity to achieve whatever it is they want to achieve once they set their minds to it. Setting their minds to the things that they want to do is something that we try to encourage and admonish our male population with emphasis, because of the challenges that they're faced with. With respect to Jeffon, his accomplishment is something he's been striving for since he was in primary school, and he has remained focused for the duration of his high school education, which is pretty exceptional for a young man who walks through a community where there are so many distractions in the midst of not only the school community, but the community at large," he said.
The day before Stubbs was named Alpha Phi Alpha valedictorian, he took home a $1,750 award for a fifth place finish for the most distinguished achiever award. He was also a recipient of the Emerald Award from BTC for which he received a $100-plus scholarship.
Other awards handed out at the Alpha Phi Alpha Convocation Honors Day included the engineering award ($500) to Mark Sawyer, C.C. Sweeting High School; medicine award ($500) to Gaurav Kama, Queen's College; debator award ($500) to Ethan Knowles, Queen's College; music award ($500) to Brandon Taylor, St. Andrew's International School; technology award ($500) Owen Hart, Tabernacle Academy; legal award ($1,000) Terran Moss, Old Bight High School.
In the 29-year history of the valedictorian award being handed out to the best and brightest graduating male student, St. Andrew's School and St. Augustine's College have had the most top male students claiming the award at five each; followed by Queen's College with four winners, St. Anne's School at three, and Bahamas Academy with two winners.
One person has secured the valedictorian award once from R.M. Bailey, Government High School, St. John's College, Temple Christian School, L.N. Coakley, Kingsway Academy, CC Sweeting, N.G.M. Major and St. Paul's Methodist School.
In the 23-year history of the salutatorian award being handed out, St. Augustine's College leads the way in winners with six in the award's history, followed by St. Andrew's School and Queen's College with three each, and Bahamas Academy with two winners.
St. Anne's School, R.M. Bailey, St. John's College, L.W. Young, Jordan Prince William and Catholic High School all have had one salutatorian each.
Only once has their been a tie for second place. In 2014, St. Augustine's College's Dylan Cash, and Mangrove Cay High School's Jonathan Saunders were named co-salutatorians, and both received $3,000 scholarships.
The Family Island Scholar award is still in its infancy in its fourth year with winners from Old Bight High School, Abaco Central High School, Jack Hayward High School and Central Eleuthera High School.
Besides the general knowledge examination and essay competition, during the weekend of activities, the students participate in a legal debate; a community service project with the fraternity at The Red Cross Fair; a courtesy call on a government official; and worship at a service at Trinity Methodist Church.
The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Honours Day held its first program in May 1987. It was designed to showcase the positive achievements of graduating high school males. The fraternity wanted to ensure that the local chapter was supporting the international efforts on education, go to high school, go to college, the fraternity's thrust in education.
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