Gaining 503.34 marks out of a possible 504.24, Alisha Scheller of Success Elementary School, has emerged as the top-performing student in this year’s National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) examinations.
The results were released yesterday morning by the Ministry of Education at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.
Scheller, who is on vacation, was represented at the presentation by a relative. She will begin her high school journey at Queen’s College in September.
Meanwhile, Kaiya Daniels of Green Acres Primary secured the second position with 503.27 marks, and Lucas Spooner of Mae’s Under 12 came in third with 502.44 marks. In total, 197 students have earned places at Queen’s College.
The top ten students in the country are 1) Alisha Scheller, 2) Kaiya Daniels, 3) Lucas Spooner, 4) Skylar Ghopal. Three candidates shared the fifth position with 502.33 marks each: 5) Jayin Kissoon, 6) Khayleigh Ramautar, and 7) Yuan Shen. Adam Rahaman placed eighth, Sophia Miranda placed ninth, and Abigail Manohar took the tenth spot.
During the interview segment, each student had the opportunity to speak about what fuelled their success.
First up was Kaiya Daniels, who shared that it felt amazing to be among the top students and to place second. Daniels, who aspires to have a career in the science field, is also a young author. She mentioned that her preparation included long hours of studying and the use of resources such as the Guyana Learning Channel. Her mother, Melicia Agard, said that her daughter’s journey was not easy, but her dedication paid off. She emphasised that she stood as a guiding light and a support system for her child during that time.
Lucas Spooner, spoke about his journey. He expressed excitement about being the top pupil at his school and placing third in the country. He said he was quite confident about the exams, having put in a lot of hard work by waking up at 4:30 in the morning and going to bed at 9:00 pm. While he did not study excessively, he prepared by working on multiple-choice questions and Paper Twos. He shared that the transition from primary to secondary education does not feel much different, describing it as just a different school structure and environment. Spooner is aiming at a career in the sciences, such as paleontology or biology.
Skyler Ghopal, who placed fourth in the country and was also awarded for the best essay, said the feeling of being among the country’s top performers is surreal. “I am feeling ecstatic, like the feeling is not real. Like it is a dream.” Her mother told reporters that she started prepping Ghopal from Grade 5, making the transition to Grade 6 a lot smoother.
Khayleigh Ramautar, who placed fifth, credited her success to her church and family. Jayin Kissoon, who also shared the fifth spot, expressed his excitement at achieving good results and getting into the school he wanted. He shared some advice he received: “My friend once told me to prepare for the worst but expect the best.” His dad, Devindra Kissoon, said that he is super proud of his son, and that his mother, Asmita deserves the credit.
