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Two rising stars of Devonshire Castle
The two standouts – Angelita Chattergoon (left) and Tyhecia Moore – pose with their hardware
By Dennis Nichols
The rustic village of Devonshire Castle on the Essequibo Coast in Region Two is one of the less prominent hamlets in Guyana. Not too long ago it gained unwelcome publicity due to allegations of criminal activities perpetrated on vulnerable women there.
Today however, the village is basking in the success of two of its youngest residents, Angelita Chattergoon and Tyhecia Moore who turned in outstanding performances at this year’s National Grade Six Assessment examination. Angelita’s 545 marks and Tyhecia’s 520 won them spots at top secondary schools in the country. They also found themselves well placed among the region’s top ten finishers.
They share much in common. Apart from their academic success, both are 11 years old, pleasantly candid, and very good friends. They are both prefects attending Hampton Court Primary School which is actually located in Devonshire Castle.
Kaieteur News had a chance to speak briefly with these young ladies, their Grade Six teacher, and the headmaster, last Friday after the school’s 18th Graduation and Prize Giving Exercise.
After they had received dozens of trophies and prizes (including a bicycle for Angelita) they were understandably excited, but composed enough to speak about their achievements and their goals. There were more similarities. Both had study schedules set up by their parents, which included burning the midnight oil, often in the wee hours of the morning. Both emphasized their Christian upbringing, and each expressed her desire to become a lawyer.
They were grateful for the efforts and encouragement received from their parents and the school’s teachers, particularly their sixth grade teacher ‘Sir’ Prameshwar Deonarine. The latter in turn attributed the students’ successes to the efforts of all the teachers and the institution’s headmaster, Latchman Chateram.
Deonarine said it was a remarkable achievement for the school, noting that the expectation of good results was there, but he had not anticipated such an excellent performance. Chateram noted that there was a marked increase in the percentage passes for Category A schools, which include top institutions in Georgetown – from 45% to 72 %.
The girls’ academic achievements were suitably balanced by their humility. Reflecting on a bit of advice given during the charge to the graduates earlier about ‘being yourself’ Angelita acknowledged that, “We should not pretend to be anyone we aren’t just trying to impress somebody; we should always act as we do at school”.
Tyhecia, in acknowledging the charge to be ‘good ambassadors of Hampton Court Primary School’ added, “We should look out for others and help others. When you see they are failing, you help them, contribute to whatever is going on in school and always be positive.”
The two top performers observed that since a lot of good news doesn’t come out of Devonshire Castle, they are pleased to be playing their part in putting the village ‘on the map’. Angelita said she felt this way especially after neighbours and villagers congratulated her on her achievement, while Tyhecia observed that she always felt that the children of the village had potential, although she admits that some of them don’t use it.
And their advice to the younger crop coming out from Grade Five later this year; “Be brave, be bold, never be afraid of the examination, but be confident in yourselves. And always have faith in God; He will never let you down.”
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