Young Student Wants to Become an Animator

Twelve-year-old Zidane Anderson is on his way to fulfilling his career dream of becoming an animator, with placement at the Glenmuir High School in Clarendon.

The former deputy head boy at Osborne Store Primary and Infant School, in the parish, has blazed a path of excellence and is now at his school of choice for the new academic year, which began on September 2.

While most adolescents would be over-the-moon that they were placed at their school of choice during the recent Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations, young Zidane shares with JIS News that he felt “neutral” when it was announced that he will be attending Glenmuir.

He further explains that although it was always his aspiration to attend that institution, he does not usually get excited about everything. “It’s where I always wanted to go,” he adds.

The reserved student, who spends his free time working on his animation and visual arts skills, explains that constant revision was crucial to his preparation for the PEP examinations as well as acing internal tests and quizzes at his school.

His readings, coupled with support from close family members and teachers at Osborne Store Primary all played a critical role in Zidane copping several coveted awards during his recent graduation ceremony.

These awards and certificates included top boy, top PEP student, certificate for discipline, academic first place, highest average in grade six, principal’s honour roll, highest score in PEP science, and the Mar Noble Wint Award.

His sister, Olivia, tells JIS News that her little brother remains focused on achieving his academic pursuits and heaped commendations on the teachers at Osborne Store Primary and Infant School for always motivating him.

Beaming with pride about the accomplishments of her little brother, Olivia vows to continue guiding him so he will perform well in his academic pursuits, so that he will realise his dream of becoming an animator, adding that he sketches and draws “pretty good”.

“I will ensure that he continues to do his homework… . You know, high school is different from primary school, but anything that I can help him with, I will ensure that I will help him with it; if anything is happening at school to ensure that he can talk to me or Mommy and just always being there for him. We are proud of him. He did pretty good in the PEP exams, from grade five coming up to grade six, he did excellently,” she says.

And while Zidane is uncertain about what to expect from high school, he is positive that his love for the visual arts will continue, as that area of interest is “quite fun”.

The aspiring animator encourages students to constantly familiarise themselves with and revise their notes. He adds that this study tip, which he uses often, works for him.

He shares that he will miss his teachers and classmates at his former school. “The teachers were nice to me,” he shares.

The PEP provides a profile of students’ academic abilities and their readiness for grade seven. It assesses their knowledge, placing significant focus on critical thinking and communication, among other skills.

It is designed to measure students’ attainment of the objectives outlined in the National Standards Curriculum and aims to provide a cumulative record of students’ performance over a three-year period by furnishing detailed information about their knowledge, skills and competences.

The cohort of students transitioning from primary to secondary school this year will have a full report comprising all the PEP components from grade four to six.

It is the first time since PEP’s inception in 2019 that students will have a full three-year profile, as COVID-19 restrictions prevented the administration of exams at the grade-three level in previous years, which impacted the preparation of a full profile.

The profile is a report of where the student is academically, including strengths and weaknesses, and readiness for grade seven.

This year’s profile will comprise scores obtained from the grade-four Performance Task administered in June 2022; the grade-five Performance Task in June 2023; and the 2024 grade-six components, including the Ability Test administered in February, the Performance Task in March, and the Curriculum-based Test in April.

A comparison of students’ performance in the 2024 PEP exam, with pre- and post- COVID-19 results, is showing overall improvement across all subject areas in the proficient and highly proficient categories.

A total of 34,927 students were registered to sit the 2024 grade-six PEP, with 391 absent from all the components registered.