~ Suero, Laungani emerge top students ~
CUL DE SAC–St. Maarten Academy graduated 108 students Tuesday evening during a ceremony at the Belair Community Centre.
Emerging top of his class was Chetan Laungani, who wrote 13 subjects and attained Grade I passes in 11 subjects at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations in May/June 2016. He was among 82 to graduate from Academy’s CSEC programme, edging ahead of salutatorian Naomi Jankee and second-runner-up valedictorian Mohammed.
Of the 26 students who graduated from the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) programme, 22 earned an associate degree in either Natural Sciences, Entrepreneurship, Tourism, Information and Communication Technology, or Accounts.
The top CAPE class graduating student was Jayni Suero, who moved the audience to tears with an emotional valedictorian speech about overcoming many obstacles in her life to emerge top of her class. Suero, a former Academy Preparatory Secondary Vocational Education (PSVE) student, recounted writing a letter in 2013 to then-principal Shareed Hussain, pleading to be accepted into the academic section as she had not passed the placement examination.
“When I graduated from PSVE, I was looking towards doing the GED, but could not because I was only 16 years old and could not legally work just yet. I did the entrance exams for Academy along with my three best friends. I failed the exam, but my friends made it. I wanted to give up and do nothing. I ended up writing a poorly-written letter to Mr. Hussain … and he gave me the opportunity to prove that I could do the work,” Suero said.
Once given that opportunity, she worked hard for the next three years and after writing the CSEC examinations in 2016 passed 11 subjects with six grade ones, four of which were distinctions; four grade twos; and a C in Dutch. She also earned the top spots in Principles of Accounts and Economics from among 60-plus business candidates, earning her the number two spot among the CSEC graduates as well as the accolade “Best Business Student.”
Suero did not stop there. She gained acceptance into the school’s CAPE programme and worked even harder during the last two years, despite missing the first term of her second year. Just after devastating Hurricane Irma, Suero underwent major surgery and was on the verge of dropping out of school, but credited the head of the school’s Mathematics Department, teacher Alberick Arrendell, for encouraging her to finish.
She recalled Arrendell’s mantra that “wasting time is a terrible thing to do,” and after her surgery in October 2017, convinced her doctor in the Dominican Republic that she was ready to return and complete her studies. The driven young scholar recounted that on her return to the island, the school had lost a teacher for three of her courses, but she did research and self-study to make up for the entire term that she had missed.
“We all had a choice to be negative and accept that we could fail, but the fact that we are here showed that we stayed positive. Every bad situation has something positive … that could influence you and give you some hope,” she told her peers.
Suero, who once again won the Best Business Student award, now holds an Associate of Arts in Business Studies degree, specialising in Accounts. She proudly acknowledged the sacrifices made by her immigrant mother, who came to St. Maarten and worked many years on the island, but still does not fully understand English.
“But she provides whatever she can for me. This shows that parents have sacrificed their days so that we can have our today and tomorrow,” Suero told the audience to resounding applause. She urged the class of 2018 to use their today wisely and to stay positive while making the choices that will impact their tomorrows.
“Whatever we decide to do today can determine how our tomorrow will be and how the rest of our lives will look,” Suero added.
Graduating in absentia as salutatorian of the CAPE class with an Associate of Arts degree in Tourism was Diamonique Cocks, who was named the Best Humanities Student. Cocks was recognised for her outstanding performance in Entrepreneurship Unit 1, while Shauntae Marcellin, the second runner-up valedictorian, received the award for Outstanding Community Service.
The Best Science Student at CAPE was Rachelle Barrett, while the CAPE Leadership award went to Genora Jankee, who shared the night with little sister Naomi, the salutatorian of the CSEC class.
Many of the CAPE business graduates defied the odds, as Suero mentioned, when they were left without a teacher in three courses in January. Despite that, Entrepreneurship Unit 1 received a 100-per-cent pass rate at the May/June examinations. Sixteen students sat this subject under the guidance of Cameca Brown-Henry-Ranger who inherited the group three months before their final exam.
Management of Business Units 1 and 2 also faced similar challenges; however, under the guidance of one of the school’s Mathematics teachers, Denise Riley, the students performed a tremendous task by completing the syllabus and obtaining a 100 per cent pass rate in both units. The same was the story for Accounts, which saw the addition to the teaching staff of Adecia Rutherford three months before the final exam, and once again the students pulled through and secured a 60 per cent pass rate.
The celebration Tuesday night was also to recognise CSEC candidates, whose examination results were touted to be the best in years despite the challenges many of them faced after Hurricane Irma. Many students were left homeless or roofless after the monster storm, but they all told stories of endurance. Not only were they displaced, having to share one building with PSVE, but the number of class hours was reduced to accommodate the shift in schedule from morning classes to evening sessions.
The students also had to manage without a laboratory for science experiments, but they persevered with the encouragement of their teachers, who themselves had their own challenging circumstances.
It was this determination that saw Laungani earning 11 grade ones, seven with straight ‘A’ profiles. He secured these top passes in Additional Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Electronic Document Preparation and Management, English A, Human and Social Biology, Information Technology, Mathematics, Physics, Social Studies, and Spanish. He received an A in Cambridge Dutch and a Grade II in CAPE Communication Studies.
He was also one of five graduates who received the Parent Teachers Foundation (PTF) Prize for excellence, for being on the school’s Honour Roll all five years while at Academy. This means that Laungani, along with Naomi Jankee, Jianling Nie, Mohammed, and Kemilla Carty never received a failing grade from the time they entered the school in 2013 to their fifth form year.
School principal Baly-Vanterpool lauded the Class of 2018 for achieving 100 per cent school passes and 98 per cent college passes. Students who attain Grades I-IV in at least six subjects are considered to have met the requirements to graduate with a high school diploma, while those scoring Grades I-III in the same number of subjects are deemed to have met the matriculation requirements into most colleges and universities in the Caribbean and further afield.
Baly-Vanterpool singled out the Department of Mathematics for special mention, as the school continues to excel in that subject, above the regional averages. She thanked her management team, the Foundation for Academic and Vocational Education (FAVE) board, and the teachers for seeing the students through the tough year.
For the first time this year, Academy offered the subject Electronic Document Preparation and Management (EDPM) and eight of the 10 candidates received Grade 1, while two students received Grade 2. Physical Education and Sport was also offered for the first time this year, and both candidates (Naomi Jankee and Sidney Williams) attained Grade 1 with straight ‘A’ profiles.
According to Baly-Vanterpool, a number of students performed well in more than 11 subjects at one sitting. She was especially proud of the 13 CSEC candidates who did the CAPE Communication Studies during their fifth form year and achieved 100 per cent passes. She singled out Tania Narine and Naomi Jankee, who ranked numbers one and two respectively among all the candidates, including those at CAPE, to write the subject at the May/June examinations. Both students received Grade 1.
Baly-Vanterpool told the graduates, “You must carry yourself with confidence, knowing that you have received a solid foundation at the Academy that will allow you to be successful wherever life takes you. Your future is bright. The world is waiting for you, your destiny has been charted. Your future begins right here, right now.”
Speaking on the theme “Your future is determined by what you do today, not tomorrow,” alumna Ruth Ward delivered an animated and captivating feature address using the plot of the movie “The Black Panther” to encourage the graduates on their next journey.
“Whatever you plan for your life, make sure that it is something that you want to do, and that the small daily decisions you are going to make, align with the plot for your life. The truth is, we cannot accomplish anything of great significance alone. We get to decide who we choose to walk with us for the next moment, the next season, and for the rest of our lifetime. We need mentors too, to direct us to fulfil our vision and an agent to examine the track record of our lives and to challenge our growth in the next chapter,” said Ward.
She encouraged them to choose whom to take on their life’s journey, as those people will determine how far they go in life. Ward challenged the Class of 2018 to embrace being the first and to show others that they, too, can be great leaders.
“You get to decide what kind of future you will have based on the decisions you make today. … Decide wisely and make an amazing future,” she told the graduates.
This year, the ‘Most Outstanding Business Student’ award for CSEC went to Carty, while Naomi Jankee won the Most Outstanding Science Student and Most Athletic Female Student awards. Geraldo Charles was named the Most Outstanding Athletic Male Student, while the Principal’s Prize for Outstanding Academic Performance was shared by Zacquel Phipps, Narine, and Vishwadeo Persaud. Phipps, the school’s only Theatre Arts student this year, also received an award for outstanding contribution to the school. The Leadership prize went to Narine.
Of the 23 subjects St. Maarten Academy offers at the CSEC level, all students must write at least eight compulsory subjects, as well as Cambridge Dutch, while CAPE students are required to complete at least eight courses to attain an associate degree at that level.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/83922-academy-graduates108-amidst-challenging-year
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