Bickersteth Primary awards academic excellence

(From left) Javae Williams and Dannielle Wanliss with their awards for the numeracy exam, stand beside Tasaeka Dunn and Ronaldo Grubb, who were rewarded for their outstanding performances in the literacy exam.

Bickersteth Primary and Infant School on Wednesday, February 29, held an evening of excellence in recognition of the successes of their Grade Four students at the institution.

‘Achieving Academic Success’ was the theme under which the function was hosted.

During the programme, Homer Davis, Councillor for the Cambridge Division, along with Board Chairman Gladston Wright, brought special greetings.

In his address, guest speaker Vincent Rose related the Bible story about Daniel when he was a youngster and said, “Christ loves the little children.” Among the many words of encouragement he brought to the students, he emphasized that, “As young people, you must trust in God.”

Coordinator of the event, Andrea Allen  lauded Patricia McIntosh, a returning resident to the area, whose donations, which included trophies, made the staging of the event possible.

 “Personally I feel really good about the successes of the students,” Allen said, outlining why the school decided to host the event. “We wanted to showcase the Grade Four students who did well, after sitting their literacy and numeracy exam.” She indicated that, “for other students who are not performing, when they see this, they will be motivated to work harder and do well.” 

Allen expressed that the school had seen a dramatic increase in their Grade Four student passes. This is confirmed by result of statistics provided by the Education Ministry. Allen explained, “In our first year, we only had 38 per cent mastery followed by an increase to 62 per cent the second year. This year, we are at 77 per cent mastery which is even higher than the national average.”

She is encouraging the current Grade Three students to do well, because she said, “If they don’t pass their Grade Four exam, then they won’t be able to do the GSAT exam.”