Despite setback, Deans had set her sights on success

ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD DAYNIA Deans suffered a major setback days before the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) but this did not dampen her quest to achieve excellence.

Principal of Nonsuch Primary School, Marlise Cowie Adiansingh, told The Gleaner that two days before the exam, Daynia lost the use of her glasses when it broke.

Adiansingh, who heaped praise on the student, pointed out that Daynia’s GSAT results make her the highest achiever in the history of the school. She scored 90 per cent in mathematics, 98 per cent in social studies, 97 per cent in science, 94 per cent in language arts, and 11 in communication task.

But for Daynia, who was pleased with her performance, losing her glasses at that time was probably the motivating factor behind her success.

“At first, I was a bit tense,” said Deans, noting that the “many weeks and months spent in preparing for GSAT were still fresh in my mind. The only thing on my mind was to do my best, as my principal instructed me to do just that. And although mathematics is my weakest subject area, I gave it my best shot. Come September, I will be attending Titchfield High, which is the school of my first choice.”

And, while the school is in a celebratory mood, the need for additional classrooms is evident, with one building housing the 65 student population.

Currently, classes are held in a church building, which, according to the principal, is quite chaotic at times for students and teachers, as the four classrooms are parted using only chart boards.

Additionally, the school is without a perimeter fence, which allows for the easy access of persons, walking through the schoolyard unannounced and unsupervised.