Queen’s College dominates CAPE in 2011

Aug 12, 2011 News

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Every single student who has ever had to write the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) will tell you that in comparison to the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), CAPE is enormously difficult. It is a student’s introduction to the life of higher study; it is a place where spoon-feeding stops and students must learn the art of motivating themselves. In short, it is a bridge between High School and University life.
The CAPE Examinations were sat this year by a mere 627 students which when taken in the context of the 62,000 CSEC candidates in 2010, speaks volumes. Yesterday afternoon, the Ministry of Education released results on the CAPE Examinations.

Youni Abdool
At the top of the list is Youni Abdool of Queen’s College who attained five grade ones and one grade two. The extremely hard worker told Kaieteur News that he always did well but never expected to top the country. He noted that he always tried his best in everything that he did so that successful results could always be achieved. Abdul cited his determination to get into the University of Guyana’s School of Medicine as his major motivating factor to do well. He recounted sleepless nights to get studies and School Based Assessments (SBA) done. Nevertheless, despite all the challenges, Abdul has made himself, family and country proud. He shared that he is very happy and pleased and as such, would like to thank his parents, friends, Sir Carryl and Ms. Jordan for their time, support, effort and encouragement.

Kelly Ann Persaud
Bringing a close second is young Kelly Ann Persaud whose record of excellence continues. This Queen’s College student copped the position of best performer at the CSEC examinations in 2010 after she earned 15 grade ones.  Kelly Ann is currently on a much deserved vacation in Virginia but she plans to return home to go on to her second year of CAPE.
She says that she studied hard for the exams, “I woke up at 5am on Mondays and 6am on Tuesdays and Fridays for lessons.” She said that one of the challenges in CAPE was that the internal assessments (CAPE’s version of SBAs) were a bit more rigorous than the CSEC ones. She noted that she had to start doing a lot more work on her own with much less assistance from teachers than at CSEC. The young lady intends to pursue studies in medicine and specialize in Neurosurgery, but before that she says that she needs to go on to the second unit of CAPE which is a two year programme after which she will be heading to a university although at this point she is unsure which one. She says that vital to her success was Jesus Christ and all of the support she received from her parents and her sister, both emotional and academic. She also singled out three of her teachers Ms. S. E. Jordan, Mr. Carryl and Mr. Hardyal ,as well as her friends.
Kelly Ann, like Youni Abdool, received five grade ones.

Deondrene Holford
Eighteen-year-old Deondrene Holford was extremely delighted after learning that she obtained four Grade Ones and one Grade Two. In fact, her stellar performance broke the QC sweep of the top spots at the CAPE exams. The former Bishops’ High School student is currently working at the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI). She stated that her religious life played a great role in her academics, motivating her to strive towards excelling in her studies.
“First of all I want to thank God. I had very good teachers and so many friends who encouraged me. I thank them all. My parents also pushed me a lot. I prayed every night, I read my bible before studies. I prayed a lot.” Kaieteur News was told that the teachers at Holford’s school never ceased in their roles. They would often give them “prep exams” and quizzes. When asked what her future steps are, the young woman responded “Right now I am working at GBTI but I want to pursue a degree in Corporate Law. I am not sure as yet if it will be at UG.”

Sophia King
Sophia King, an aspiring Chemical Engineer, is among an elite group of students to do exceptionally well at this year’s CAPE examination. The Queen’s College student gained four grade Ones, and one grade Two, despite sitting what she described as a ‘hard’ exam. King revealed that she will be studying in the United States of America and has commenced the process of applying to numerous colleges.
She recounted that leading up to the exam, her two friends, Anisah Muhammad and Rukia Hodge, helped tremendously.

Raphael Bascom
Despite being in a field that involves crunching numbers, Raphel Bascom prides himself with his success in Communications Studies. The young man wrote five subjects and secured four grade Ones and one grade Two. He explained that communication is essential in every aspect of life and it enables better interpretation, and as such will be a useful tool. Leading up to the exam weekends became his study time, while his week was spent attending school and extra lessons. He wants to become an Accountant, but before doing CAT or ACCA, Bascom will return to school and continue Unit Two for all of his subjects.

Stefan Farrier
Stefan Farrier, also of Queen’s College, has successfully completed five subjects. Farrier, who was not very excited when contacted, disclosed that his studies for exams started from the very first day of Lower Sixth form.The top performer stated that he encountered many sleepless nights to prepare for his victory. Farrier explained that there were times when he went 2 to 3 days without sleeping just to meet deadlines and produce excellent quality work.  The aspiring neurosurgeon will be going on to Upper Sixth form and complete the second units for the subjects that he has written this year.
Farrier is grateful for the patience that the teachers at QC have exercised leading up to the examination phase. He is also thankful to his family, friends, Ms. Shelly-Ann Harris, Bishop Guy Griffith and everyone else who were supportive along the journey.

Meanwhile the top performers in year two of the CAPE programme are Kia Persaud, Sheniza Haniff and Kibwey Peterkin.

Kia Persaud
Kia Persaud is Kelly Ann’s older sister and like her younger sibling she too topped CSEC the year that she wrote the exam. Kia has always been a hard worker and a very dedicated student to her education. She has attained grade ones in four subject areas-  Biology Unit 2, Chemistry Unit 2, Caribbean Studies Unit 1 and Pure Mathematics Unit 2; and a grade two in Physics Unit 2.  Persaud is popularly known to be an outstanding performer but she explained that she was in a state of shock when she saw her results online on the CXC website.
“Although my preparations involved studying and working past papers, I didn’t expect to do as well as I did; so I owe my success to the Lord Jesus Christ more than anything else,” Kia stated. The young woman who has just completed her Upper Sixth form at Queen’s College is currently awaiting acceptance at the University of West Indies for which she has been given a scholarship to continue natural science studies to one day become a professional doctor.
Persaud was the Caribbean’s top CSEC student in 2009 and featured among the top CAPE students in 2010 as well.

Sheniza Haniff
Sheniza Haniff, a student of Queen’s College, has successfully gained grade ones in four subject areas. When contacted, she told Kaieteur News that she is not sure when she will “get to reality” since it is indeed a surprise that she has been so outstanding. Haniff noted that she used study groups and extra lessons as her instrument to come out as one of the top CAPE students.
The 18-year-old will be attending the School of Medicine at the University of Guyana later this month and will be studying to become a doctor in the future. She is grateful to her parents, grandparents and other family members for their continued support throughout the examination phase. Rudolph Deoraj and Robert Carryl are among the many kind hearted teachers that she wishes to commend for their tireless time and effort.

Kibwey Peterkin

Kibwey Peterkin says that he did not prepare for the examinations the same way other students did.He says, “I believe that all work with no play makes Jack very dull. I study hard and I play hard. It makes no sense to just be studying, studying whole day, every day. I dedicate a lot of time to studying and I incorporate my play with my work.”
Kibwey says, “God is the person that I thank for my exceptional results this year. Without Him I would not have made it this far. The teachers who were there with us also contributed to the success. My parents, especially my mom, and my friends are also persons who are responsible for my success.”
In terms of his aspirations, he says that he will become a neurosurgeon, stating emphatically that that is a certainty and not a hope. His next steps have seen him submitting an application to the University of Guyana for admission into the MBBS programme.

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