18 Students Recognised for Academic Achievement

Eighteen students from non-traditional high schools have been recognised for their academic achievements by the National Child Month Committee (NCMC).

During the organisation’s annual Academic Achievement Awards ceremony on October 20 at the Caenwood Centre Auditorium in Kingston, the students received gift baskets, plaques, cash awards and bank accounts for excelling in the 2023 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams.

Seventeen-year-old Tivoli Gardens High School lower sixth form student, Kasha Thomas, who passed nine subjects, was named the top-performing student.

She received a laptop in addition to other prizes.

Also specially recognised were 15-year-old Ashawnie Higgins from the Salvation Army School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, who attained five CSEC subjects, and Kenya Uffar of May Day High School in Manchester, who passed seven subjects, despite dealing with several health issues, including sickle cell disease.

State Minister in the Ministry of Education and Youth, Hon. Marsha Smith, who brought greetings, congratulated the students for their excellent performances despite various challenges.

“You have persevered and displayed an excellent spirit while demonstrating how to use obstacles as stepping stones along the path to achievement,” she noted.

Ms. Smith used the opportunity to remind the students that there are several resource agencies under the Ministry where they can access support.

These include the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC), Special Education Unit, Children’s Affair Policy Division, and the Youth and Adolescent Policy Division.

“We must work collaboratively at all times to ensure that the young people of this country are at the forefront of policies and programmes that we want to implement,” Ms. Smith said.

Keynote speaker, Vice-Principal at Swallowfield Primary and Junior High School in Kingston, Terral Christian, commended the NCMC for organising the annual programme to recognise students from non-traditional institutions and highlight the positives at Jamaican schools.

“This moment can be the start of the game changer. This moment should serve as an opportunity to change the narrative, because there are so many negatives that are being portrayed in our schools,” he said.

To qualify for the Academic Achievement Award, students must attend a non-traditional high school, attain five or more subjects at the CSEC level and have overcome great odds to achieve outstanding results.

They should also be involved in community service, in keeping with the spirit of volunteerism.

Also receiving awards were Dihno Fraser from Godfrey Stewart High in Westmoreland; Zyanna Scott, Anchovy High, St. James; Stacy-Ann Brown and Britainay Farquharson, Lacovia High and Maggoty High, respectively, in St. Elizabeth; Rihanna Chambers, Porus High in Manchester; Tiara Blackwood and Solecia Edwards from Edwin Allen High and Denbigh High, respectively, in Clarendon; Kevi-Ann Grant, Dunoon Technical High in Kingston; Jada-Lee Talbert from Donald Quarrie High, St. Andrew; Alex Simmonds, Buff Bay High, Portland; Taville D. Beckford and Shantelle Williams from Oracabessa High and Annotto Bay High, respectively, in St. Mary; and Shania Norman from Muschette High in Trelawny.

Sponsors of the NCMC 2023 Youth Academic Achievement Awards ceremony were GraceKennedy, National Baking Company Foundation and JN Foundation.

The final activity for the NCMC 2023 calendar is the annual Youth Forum, which is scheduled for November 3 at the Caenwood Auditorium.