CSEC/CAPE Achievers Honoured

Over 200 students who excelled in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate [CSEC] and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations [CAPE] in 2008, were Friday(March 6) presented with awards of excellence at a ceremony at St. George’s College, downtown Kingston.
The awardees are drawn from 47 schools at the CSEC level, and 28 schools at the CAPE level, and are considered top performers within the particular subject areas within the island.
Speaking at the National CXC awards ceremony, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Audrey Sewell, noted that the achievements of the awardees reflected years of commitment, discipline and hard work.
“These achievements would not be possible without the commitment, discipline, and hard work of parents, teachers, and principals, who have provided the support necessary for you all to thrive,” she said.
She encouraged the awardees to continue believing in themselves, while excelling in their works. She said that all things were possible with hard work and dedication.
Ms. Sewell urged parents, teachers and principals to believe in the capacity of each child, while encouraging them, from a young age, to believe in themselves while adopting good values.
She commended the awardees for overcoming the challenges which they faced, adding that they demonstrate that challenges can be overcome if expectations are raised and commitments to excellence are made.
President of Jamaica Association of Principals of Secondary Schools [JAPSS], Nadine Molloy, congratulated the achievers on their successes. She implored the students to continue working harder. “We are depending upon you, along with other young persons who have excelled in other areas of their school life, to continue along a path that will stir our beautiful land and its resilient people into a brighter future,” she said.
“Never let anyone make you feel that you are the oddity by not subscribing to less substantial understanding of popularity,” he warned.
She commended the teachers, parents and the principals who all played integral roles in the awardees’ successes, urging them to continue playing critical roles within the lives of the future generation.
Replying on behalf of the awardees, Manchester High School student, Sheri-Ann Peckham, who received the award for best overall performance in the CSEC with 12-ones, noted that it had been a long labour for all of them, but now they have reaped the excellence for which they worked.
She hoped that the achievements of the awardees would be an inspiration to other students.
Lori-Ann Vaz from Wolmers Girls’ School in Kingston and Jeremy Hall from Glenmuir High School in Clarendon, placed second and third, respectively.
Campion College received awards for the top school for both the CSEC and CAPE examinations.