Davis Primary top girl Nichaelia Whyte punches ticket to Glenmuir High

Not only did she just pass for the prestigious high school in Clarendon, but she also came out on top at Davis Primary with the highest placement score – 386.5 which equates to an average of 96.6%.

“I was very shocked. I couldn’t believe it at first. I was checking over and over to check if it was the real report,” said Nichaelia in an interview with Old Harbour News. “I couldn’t believe because Glenmuir is so hard to get into. I believe that I could get a good grade but I was still a little nervous if I would get into Glenmuir.”

She always wants to go to Glenmuir, said mom Norva Whyte.   

“She really worked hard,” said the mom-of-two. “She’s a dedicated little one. She puts her head to it. It’s not a shocker, it’s not a surprise but I do feel good for her achievement.”

There wasn’t anything extraordinary about Nichaelia’s journey to this point given her level of consistency coming up each grade. But the family had to contend with its own struggles like every normal household does.

Mrs Whyte recounted how they had to initially depend on their neighbour’s WiFi service when school went virtual at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I said no, no, no, I had to use some other money to get the internet up for my children to be comfortable,” she said laughing, as she reflected back on that particular moment in time.

“I would go the extra mile for them to have what they need to have, so that they do what they need to do,” she added.

She describes her daughter as “a quiet little girl” who “will be on the computer most times doing something progressive”.

“She will be in the house and once she has her laptop that’s it,” she said of her little princess. “She’s so focus and dedicated to books.”

That level of desire to do well in her school work is driven by a marker laid down by Nichaelia’s older sibling Nathaniel Whyte, who is a past head boy of Davis Primary before matriculating to St Jago High where he continues to excel academically.

Nichaelia says she uses Nathaniel’s success as her own barometer which has stirred up a friendly rivalry between them to achieve bragging rights inside the family home that “I scored higher than him”.

“I tell them that whatever they do, their only responsibility is to make themselves available. I will provide what needs to be provided for them to achieve,” said Whyte, a certified nurse aid.

Nichaelia says she’s really excited about “going to a very prestige school” that will take her closer to her dream of being a pilot. She credits all her teachers at Davis Primary for instilling in her that “cooperating with others is key” to success.

Glenmuir is known to produce some outstanding Jamaicans and with an already motivated Nichaelia Whyte now part of their newest cohort, there’s no better place for her to ascend to new heights.

“I never fly in a plane and would love to fly in a plane if it’s even one time at least,” she said. “I’m really excited to go to Glenmuir.”

Her mother acknowledged the supporting role played by their father before adding “I must say we didn’t come this far without God.”