Excellence does not come on a whim. It is not grown on trees or captured in a bottle. It is through toil and labor that it is sown and at the end of a strenuous season the rich fruit it produces is the best reward. The reward for 100-plus students from around the country was recognition at the Ministry of Education Examination and Assessment Division's 19th Annual national awards presentations.
Students from public and private schools were celebrated for their achievements in the Bahamas Junior Certificate (BJC) and the Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) exams.
Best of the best honors went to Sarah Jagessar, a graduate of Temple Christian High School. She achieved nine A grades and one B grade in the BGCSEs.
Mikell Butler, a graduate of C.V. Bethel High School, had the best overall performance in the BGCSE examinations in regards to public schools, with her achievement of seven A grades and two B grades.
Brennan Williams of North Eleuthera High was named best male performer and overall performer from the public schools for his BJC results. He achieved seven A grades and one B grade in the BJCs.
Kathie-Lee Petsch, a student of N.G.M. Major High School on Long Island, attained seven A grades and one B grade, and was awarded co-winner of the best BJC results from the public schools.
Selandia Toote, a 10th grade student at Queen's College, received the best overall performance in the BJCs from the independent school sector.
Toote said being recognized for her academic achievements was a wonderful feeling, but she was surprised she got the best exam results nationwide. She knew she had gotten the best results in her school.
"I knew I got the best results for the BJCs in my school, but I did not expect that I would win for the entire country," said Toote. "It was a marvelous feeling and I really worked hard so I am glad it did pay off."
In addition to her plaques and trophies Toote also was the recipient of a new laptop, which she couldn't stop smiling about. She said it was her first personal computer. She was speechless when she was awarded with it.
Jagessar, Butler, Brennen, Petsch and Toote were among more than 100 over-achievers recognized for achieving five A's and above in their national examinations.
The event also put the spotlight on individual schools and their achievements in raising their overall grade point averages and preparing students better across the board, so they do even better in national examinations.
T.A. Thompson ninth-grade student Jewel Sturrup, who attended the event, says she was inspired to aim even higher when she sits her BJCs in another few months, because she too wanted to be recognized nationally. Seeing her school win third place in career and technical education studies, and friends from other schools shine, really made her want to study harder so that she can have her chance to walk across the stage with her head held high.
"I am so proud of my friends who did so well and could be a part of the ceremony. I am looking forward to doing just as well when my time comes because I want to be one of the honorees too. I intend to work harder and finish my schoolwork even better. Just being here inspires me," said the student.
It was with the hope of shedding new light on the achievements and good work of students that the award ceremony was established almost two decades ago, said Pamela Moultrie, Language Arts subject officer in the assessment and evaluation team at the Ministry of Education. She said it is important to highlight students who work hard and achieve, because too often the youth are painted with the same brush of negativity when the majority are still on the right track.
"We hope to inspire students to excel not only academically, but in other areas as well. We hope with this kind of impetus we are assisting students in working harder so they can be prepared for tertiary and other forms of higher education. It is also hoped that the awards will motivate those students who are struggling or who are too lax in their efforts to work harder. With these award ceremonies we are saying to all students who didn't do as well that they too can excel," she says.
The students were also encouraged by Minister of Education Desmond Bannister not to settle for the achievements they made, but to continue to work hard. He told them it was not only important to be a leader academically but socially as well, and that they should be caring citizens and strive to use their talents to uplift everyone. He applauded individual scholars like Brennan Williams of North Eleuthera High for his passion to prevent animal cruelty, Mikell Butler of C.V. Bethel Senior School for her dream of starting a mentoring program for senior school students, and James Boyce of Forest Heights Academy for his environmental spirit.
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