Top ten pupils rejoice as news breaks of scores

Jumping and screaming was the order of the day among the top 10 near-perfect performers in this year’s Common Entrance Examination.

When Barbados TODAY caught up with Ashley Mayers who occupies the fifth spot in this year’s leaderboard she described the moment as surreal for her.

“When I heard the announcement, I screamed and I was jumping up and running around all around my house… I wanted to go QC [Queen’s College] because it’s like really close to my house and it’s one of the top schools in Barbados and my best friend is there,” she said.

Mayers who attended Trinity Academy said she did a lot to prepare for the examination. She said: “For the months coming down to common entrance it was mostly just doing online school and past papers after past papers, cutting down on the amount of electronics that I used to use.”

 

Her mother Michelle said: “We were really excited, all we really wanted was Queen’s College, that is something she has wanted since she was three years old, she always called it her school when we drove past there.”

She said that for her daughter to have placed fifth was just icing on the cake. “It was not expected we were listening to the announcements getting ready to go by the school and then we heard the name called,” she said.

But she acknowledged that even though Ashley is really disciplined she also knew she missed her friends and when the date kept moving, she could see her daughter getting really fed up with just doing this over and over again.

“I saw her resolve wavering and said Lord please keep this girl focused and she stayed focused, she is the type of child that knows what she wants and goes for it.”

Just a stone’s throw away from Ashley Mayers, both Ishmile Alleyne and his mother were shocked when his name was called among the top ten.

A shy Alleyne who hails from St Winifred’s told Barbados TODAY: “I did not expect to get top ten In the island… QC was my top choice because it’s the best school in Barbados.”

Mother Gaitri Mahabir said she was also in shock but not surprised given the rigorous routine they followed.

“ I knew he had the ability to be in the top ten he is very studious and does have a specific routine after school where he would make sure he covers whatever he did not understand during the day and he would practice that for the week or depends on whatever topic they are on we would revise that topic so I knew he had it in him,” she said.

She praised St Winifred’s for doing an excellent job on the online school. “They did not miss a beat, school and lunch breaks were structured,” she said. “The same routine they followed in school they were able to get that down packed before the exam and during the pandemic… The teachers were excellent at doing that.”

In congratulating her son she made sure to advise him that this only the beginning.

(KB)