Philipa Cummings
Nigel Adriana
Shuling Luo
David Beek
Mark McAlmont
~ 100 per cent school passes, 97 per cent college passes ~
CUL DE SAC–St. Maarten Academy students have returned stellar performances at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, with a record number of straight A profiles being achieved at the May-June 2019 sitting of the examination.
This year, a total of 79 candidates, the largest cohort in the country, sat a total of 20 subjects. They returned 100 per cent school passes and 97 per cent college passes.
The top five performers were Philipa Cummings, Nigel Adriana, Shuling Luo, David Beek and Mark McAlmont. They registered for a combined total of 53 subject entries and returned an astounding 34 subjects with straight A profiles amongst them.
Cummings, who wrote 13 subjects (12 at CSEC and one at Cambridge), secured Grade I passes in 10 CSEC subjects, 10 with straight A profiles. She copped Grade I passes in Additional Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Human and Social Biology, Information Technology, Integrated Science, Electronic Document Preparation and Management, Mathematics and Geography. She secured Grade II passes in French and English A. She was severely ill on the day of the English examination, but persevered. Cummings also copped a B grade in Cambridge Dutch.
Adriana, who wrote 12 subjects, one of which was Cambridge Dutch, obtained 10 Grade I passes of his 11 CSEC subjects – eight with straight A profiles. His Grade I passes were in Additional Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Human and Social Biology, Information Technology, Integrated Science, Mathematics, Physics, English A, Social Studies and Geography. He copped an A in Cambridge Dutch.
McAlmont, who also wrote 12 subjects (11 at CSEC and one at Cambridge), copped nine Grade I passes – five with straight A profiles – in the CSEC subjects he sat. He achieved Grade I passes in Economics, English A, Information Technology, Integrated Science, Mathematics, Principles of Accounts, Principles of Business, Social Studies and Human and Social Biology. He secured Grade II passes in Biology and Spanish, and a B in Cambridge Dutch.
Beek wrote Cambridge Dutch and nine CSEC subjects. He secured an A in Dutch and Grade I passes in all nine CSEC subjects, with eight of them showing straight A profiles. Beek copped Grade I passes in English A, Information Technology Integrated Science, Mathematics, Principles of Accounts, Principles of Business, Social Studies, Spanish and Additional Mathematics.
Luo, who wrote 11 subjects (10 at CSEC and one at Cambridge), copped eight Grade I passes – four with straight A profiles, in CSEC subjects Economics, English A, Geography, Information Technology, Integrated Science, Mathematics, Principles of Accounts and Principles of Business. Luo also earned Grade II passes in Spanish and Visual Arts, and an A in Cambridge Dutch.
There were 20 subject offerings at the CSEC level this year, and the vast majority of students wrote at least nine subjects, as well as Cambridge Dutch.
The school’s performance in Mathematics again eclipsed the regional average, returning a 72 per cent pass rate, in contrast with the 46 per cent average which was recorded regionally.
Geography, which was reintroduced into the curriculum three years ago, achieved 100 per cent school passes and a 91 per cent college pass rate under the guidance of Christel Brandy and Rodney Rey.
Music, Social Studies, Visual Arts and Electronic Document Preparation and Management (EDPM) secured 100 per cent college passes. Under the tutelage of Kester Small, EDPM achieved the most Grade I passes amongst the electives offered at St. Maarten Academy, with 21 (95 per cent) of the 22 candidates achieving Grade I passes – 12 with straight A profiles.
This year, the top performing department offering compulsory subjects to all candidates was the Department of Information Technology. Under the tutelage of Julian Mason and Vandana Kotai, students secured 96 per cent college passes with 15 Grade I, 34 Grade II and 27 Grade III.
The top performing Business subject was Principles of Business, which, under the guidance of teachers Sharon Richards and Cameca Brown Henry-Ranger, returned 100 per cent college passes with 48 per cent of the candidates gaining Grade I passes.
The top performing Social Sciences and Humanities subject, Social Studies taught by teachers Anansa Payne and Joy Browne-Skeete, recorded 100 per cent college passes. Physics, which was taught by Sujamol Pereppadan, was the top performing Natural Science subject with 92 per cent college passes. Integrated Science taught by Karen Roberts and Peggy Illis-Bell, was the top performing General Science subject, and achieved a 95 per cent pass rate.
Several other subject areas also returned outstanding results: English A (100 per cent school passes and 95 per cent college passes), Human and Social Biology (100 per cent school passes and 91 per cent college passes), Biology (100 per cent school passes and 90 per cent college passes), Chemistry (100 per cent school passes and 90 per cent college passes), English B (100 per cent college passes) and Economics (93 per cent school passes and 86 per cent college passes).
A record number of fourth formers challenged themselves during the 2019 CSEC examinations, and performed laudably. Eight out of the nine students secured Grade I passes, while one returned a Grade II pass. The subjects written were Spanish, Social Studies, EDPM and Music.
In 2019, there were 767 subject entries. A total of 177 (23 per cent) Grade I passes were recorded, a five per cent increase from 2018; 277 Grade II (36 per cent), a four per cent decrease from last year; 226 (29 per cent) Grade III, same as 2018; and 70 (nine per cent) Grade IV passes, down two per cent from last year.
Students scoring Grades I-III in five subjects are deemed to have met the matriculation requirements of most colleges and universities in the Caribbean and further afield. Grade I at the regional Caribbean Examinations Council CXC examination is the highest accolade.
Noteworthy this year was the increase in the quality of passes returned by students. In addition to the five per cent increase in the number of Grade I passes, 50 per cent of these were straight A profiles.
Speaking on the school’s outstanding performance in the 2019 examinations, Principal Tallulah Baly-Vanterpool said, “If there was ever a ‘poster child’ for resilience, it would be St. Maarten Academy, whose staff and students worked into the evenings under Hurricane Irma conditions for two academic years. This success is to the credit of our exceptional staff, students, parents and friends of the Academy.”
The Board of the Foundation for Academic and Vocational Education (FAVE), under which the school falls, also wishes to congratulate all students, their parents, teachers and the management team for another year of outstanding results, and remains committed to providing a quality education for all students entrusted to the school’s care.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/90296-academy-gets-record-number-of-distinctions-in-csec-exams
View comments
Hide comments