Ardenne High to Welcome Top PEP Boy
By: , August 26, 2024
Photo: Rudranath Fraser
State Minister in the Ministry of Education and Youth, Hon. Marsha Smith (centre), and President of Guardian Life Limited, Meghon Miller Brown (left), share a light moment with the 2024 top Primary Exit Profile (PEP) boy, Aiden Cummings, during Friday’s (August 23) Guardian Group Scholarship & Grant Awards Ceremony 2024, at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.The Full Story
Liberty Academy at the Priory has produced the 2024 Top Boy in the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examination.
He is 12-year-old Aiden Cummings, a student who was very intentional about his preparation for the exam that determined the institution at which he would receive a high-school education.
Aiden told JIS News that he is prepared to take on secondary studies at Ardenne High School in September.
“I did a lot of studying and I got help from my parents and my teachers at Liberty and my English tutor,” he said.
He told JIS News that social studies was his favourite subject to prepare for, because he loves learning about history and geography.
Young Aiden said the PEP science exam was the most challenging, but he did his very best.
He was very surprised when he found out that he was the island’s top-performing boy.
“We didn’t get the PEP results until later in the day. When we saw it, we weren’t expecting me to be top boy, because if it was, then it would’ve said that it was in the 100th percentile, but it didn’t say that, so I was really surprised,” he explained.
His mother, Keisha Young-Henry, beamed with pride as she listened to her son being interviewed.
“Preparation wise, I know he studied, but as a parent you always feel it’s not enough. So, all along I felt he could’ve been doing more. I was very surprised when we found out that he was the top boy. Totally unexpected. We knew he would’ve done well; we expected him to get his school of choice, but in terms of that achievement, it was unexpected,” Mrs. Young-Henry shared.
She recounted that besides “screaming and dancing and tearing down the house”, they celebrated Aiden’s achievement by going out for dinner.
“We are going on a small vacation at his request. Children nowadays don’t want small things again. He wants to go to a hotel, so we are off next week,” she said.
She hopes that Aiden will achieve his true potential and that he will not get sidetracked.
“I just want him to do his best at everything. I know he has it in him to do well, so I just pray that he is able to achieve everything that he can,” Mrs. Young-Henry said.