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Central High School defies the odds
Many persons may have written off the Central High School as one of the country’s premier secondary institutions.
But after this year’s CSEC results their thoughts would have to be rearranged.
Most would agree that the former alma mater of the first Executive President of Guyana, Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham and many other prominent citizens like former West Indies fast bowler, Colin Croft, had fallen behind over the past decades.
Central High’s top CSEC students pose for a group photo.
Parents were not too elated when their children obtained places there, since they would rather have them attended the Queen’s College and Bishop’s High School to name a few.
But the class of 2009 at the Central High School is surely setting tongues waging with their performance at this year’s O’level examinations.
This year the school obtained over 130 grade ones spanning all the subject areas compared with 70-odd in 2008.
Significantly, several students gained passes in 10 subjects (one obtained 11) and many others were successful in nine.
Sounds like a QC report sheet?
The sterling performances were obtained in the business and science streams with Colleen Poone topping the list with 11 passes, while the other top performer was Savita Singh who obtained seven grade one passes.
Others who gained passes in ten subjects are Akeisha Smith, Chevaun McAdam, Deshawna Richards, Terrence Parmessar, Hilary Benjamin-Byer, Yogvika Arjune and Ashauna Alphonso.
Those with nine subject passes are Jason Bishop, Kwofia Chu, Teresa Hamid, Timhol Williams and Julian Monize.
The students visited this newspaper last week and from all appearances they were eager to dispel any notion that their school was just one of the run-of-the-mill secondary schools.
They all agreed that despite the physical constraints of their school, the co-operative atmosphere and comraderie were the pillars for their success.
“We made our school as big as we wanted it,” said Ashauna Alphonso, one of the top students.
“We don’t have adequate computers and laboratories, but we would share whatever we have. If someone learns something outside of school, they would come and share it with the others,” Chevaun McAdam said.
Most of the students disclosed that they did not even know about Central High School when they sat the Common Entrance examinations five years ago.
They only learnt about it when they were awarded places there and they never regretted staying there.
Julian Monize had wanted to attend St. Stanislaus but for Ashauna Alphonso, attending Central High was a family tradition and she was excited to follow in the footsteps of her older relatives.
According to the students, despite the many distractions from being in the Central Georgetown district, they stuck to their tasks.
They pointed to one business place which is located very close to the school as something they had to get accustomed to.
Beating the other top secondary schools was always upper most in the minds of the Central High students and their achievement this year is testimony of that desire.
“We hear about them in the newspaper-St. Stanislaus, St. Joseph and so on and we don’t hear about Central. So I am glad that we are being featured in the Kaieteur News because of our performances. Central is a great school,” Terrence Parmessar.
“We have friends that push each other and it’s not just about competing against each other. We are happy for one another. We’re just close friends,” Yogvika Arjune told this newspaper.
Julian Monize, one of the top performers in the Science stream indicated that despite not being equipped with the facilities like the other top secondary institutions, sheer dedication of the teachers at Central High has paid off.
For instance, there was no Physics teacher although the students would have relished writing the subject and there was no space for the practical aspects of Agriculture Science.
“We could produce everything like Queen’s, Bishop’s and all the rest,” Monize declared.
Most of the students plan to further their studies and after a pep talk by the publisher of the Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall, they were all contemplating pursuing higher education at colleges overseas.
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