Amidst the bad rap that young men today receive, Queen's College (QC) senior Shannon Butler, stands out as an example of a young man to be heralded. The high school senior snagged the coveted Best Overall Performance in the 2012 Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education in The Bahamas. He also received the best performance for Independent Schools, the best overall performance for New Providence and the best overall performance in the Mathematics examination. He picked up his awards at the recent Ministry of Education, Science and Technology's Annual National Awards Presentation.
Shannon sat 10 national exams as an eleventh grade student and received A grades in Chemistry, Biology, Physics, History, Mathematics, English Language, Combined Science, Religious Studies and French. His lone B grade was in English Literature "I was surprised," said Shannon, 17 of his results. But he said he knew he had done well and had high hopes of receiving the overall best performance award. "But I was really surprised when I saw that I had gotten the top award in Mathematics as well," he said.
Shannon's accomplishments follow in the footsteps of former QC student Miguel Cartwright who was given the best overall performance in the 2010 BGCSE examinations in 2010, and Selandia Toote's best overall performance in the 2011 Bahamas Junior Certificate (BJC) examinations as well as the best overall performance in the BJC Mathematics exam and Family and Consumer Science examinations. He said knowing there were members of the Q.C. Comets family that had done exceptionally well on national exams in previous years was one of his motivating factors. "Hearing about all of my predecessors who had done so well I got inspired and wanted that to be me," he said. Inspiration from students that went before him, coupled with the fact that he has aspirations of one day becoming a cardio-thoracic surgeon was another motivating factor to do well.
"It pushes me to want to do the best in everything that I do," said Shannon. He said he had many sleepless nights as he sat up doing homework and studying and working on past examination papers to ensure his success. He said prioritizing and avoiding distractions were also key to his success. And that it all came together when he stood on that stage accepting his national awards, and then having the entire school surprise him upon his return to campus. "They all ran down parading with pom poms and drums and making a lot of noise because they were so happy -- not only for me, but for all the awards I had achieved," he said. "It made me feel wonderful, knowing that I hadn't only accomplished what I wanted to accomplish, but that I was able to bring respect to my family, my school, my teachers and peers," he said.
The foundation Shannon's foundation in academic excellence and study habits he said comes courtesy of his parents, Wendy and Peter Butler. He said as a primary school student his mother always encouraged him to do his homework, sitting down with him for hours, testing him in preparation for examinations. By the time he entered high school he said he was more than prepared and accustomed to studying. That has translated into a 3.86 cumulative grade point average (GPA). Last semester he earned a 4.33 GPA. And he lists his favorite subjects as Mathematic and the Sciences. In his final year at Q.C. he isn't taking it easy or resting on his laurels. Shannon is taking Advanced Placement Calculus, Psychology, English Language and Composition and French courses.
He's also taking four other SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) II subject courses in Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Literature. And he said he's still striving to do his best to get the highest scores possible to earn college credits that he can take with him to university and save money. The graduating senior has applied broadly to a number of universities and said the decision on where to study post high school will be determined by where he's accepted and the scholarships he's offered. The son of a mother who is a vice president of life operations at Colina Insurance Limited, and a father who is a systems analyst at CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank, said he is certain he will study to become a cardio-thoracic surgeon.
"When I entered the ninth grade and started taking health science, that turned my whole perspective about careers completely upside down. Before then, I hated the idea of becoming a doctor, but I started to learn more about the anatomy and the physiology of the human body. I became fascinated by it and decided that a career in medicine was what I wanted to do. And over the years I've been researching, and watching a lot of videos and talking to doctors, and going to the hospital," he said. Advice to peers While Shannon is definitely one of the country's smart kids, he still says he's just a regular teenager, who likes to hang out with friends when he can, go on the computer, watch television and read books, but he said he's a teenager who knows when it's time to get his work done.
"I would describe myself as someone who pursues excellence all the time in everything that I do as education is the key to success. And I have a love for learning," he said. In all of that, Shannon said he's also a humble person who does not like to brag about his grades or seek attention for them. But he does try to set the right example for his younger brother, Reese, a 13-year-old eighth grade student at Q.C. "I always encourage him [Reese] to do the best he can and try to help him whenever he needs assistance. I try to get him to think and to appreciate learning," he said. While Shannon is being lauded for his BGCSE examinations right now, he didn't do too badly in his BJC exams either.
He has eight junior national examinations -- six at A grades and two at B grades over a two-year period. He sat four exams as an eighth grade student and got three A grades and a B grade. He took another four exams in ninth grade and was graded at A in three and a B in one. The graduating senior is one of those young men most people would want their children to emulate. If Shannon could offer them advice he said he would tell them that they have to find what motivates them, to set realistic goals and work towards them so that they can make their goals reality.
And he said they should always ensure that they prioritize. "They should make schoolwork a priority in their life, and also never give up -- even in the face of failure. And instead of pursuing success, to pursue excellence." And he's happy to be held up as a beacon of hope among young men because it shows that not all young men are bad. "There are a lot of us doing positive things," he said. "And it's good to show that there are males who are still interested in doing well and doing respectable and decent things with our lives. For myself I would hope to go off to university and do well so that I would be able to get into medical school and become the surgeon that I want to be and bring those skills back to The Bahamas so that I can give back to my country," he said. Shannon's family is so proud of him that they are hosting a congratulatory dinner for him on Sunday to celebrate his accomplishments.
Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian
