Good Shepherd pupil among top five

A pupil from the lone government primary school among the top five scores in this year’s 11-Plus examination is the toast of teachers, parents and principals.

Chanel Lewis of the Good Shepherd Primary in Fitts Village, St James earned an outstanding average of 245.53 A in the May 7 exam. The results were announced via video, with Lewis recalling the moment: “I was playing Uno with one of my classmates and the teacher had the video on when they said my name, Chanel. Before they could even get to Lewis, everyone was jumping up, hugging me, asking for autographs. I signed bottles, bags, phone cases . . . . I signed a lot of things. It didn’t feel real.”

She attributed her success to inspiration from teachers, parents, and classmates, as well as a personal drive for excellence. 

“I knew I had put my best on that paper. My teacher always told us, if we did our best, she would be happy. That’s all she wanted from us,” Lewis said.

Her class teacher, Nakita Mayers, expressed pride in Lewis’ achievement: “I was elated but I was not surprised. I knew that one of them would come out on top because I had quite a few who worked really well. Chanel has consistently been an excellent student.”

Good Shepherd Primary student T’rell Mayers scored 99 per cent in the Maths paper. (HB)

Mayers credited the supportive classroom environment at Good Shepherd Primary, where the theme this year is We are champions.

The school’s Principal, Olivia Hinds, highlighted the school’s commitment to excellence: “I have been encouraging my students and staff to work towards excellence. I’m extremely happy and proud that with our small number of 241 students, we were able to get at least one of our children in the top ten.”

Hinds noted that more of her pupils could have been named among the top BSSEE students based on their exam averages. She also mentioned that despite a general decrease in Mathematics scores this year, the majority of Good Shepherd students performed well in the subject, with another pupil, T’rell Mayers, scoring 99 per cent.

Lewis, who will attend Queen’s College next term, offered advice to fellow students: “Always remember to try your best, review your work, pay attention in class, listen, and take in the information.” (SM)