12-y-o Nastassia Robinson makes history for Brown’s Hall Primary

Indeed, as this amazing young scholar explained it, right after she completed the required exams she came home and told her mother that she could go ahead and shop for the white uniform for the much sought after school along Constant Spring Road.

Such is the quiet confidence of the former Brown’s Hall Primary student who now holds the distinction of being the first and only student in the school’s history to ever pass for the prestigious Immaculate Conception High School after carding a placement score of 376.4 or 94% average in the annual national exam for primary school leavers . To say that her family, friends and school community are overjoyed would be an understatement as her recent accomplishment is the fulfillment of many of their hopes and dreams carried on the slender shoulders of a little girl who has not allowed her humble beginnings to define her future goals.

Though she filled the other possible slots for schools with names such as Campion College and Ardenne High, for Nastassia Kayanna Robinson, the all-girl Immaculate Conception High School was her first choice and basically the only school that she truly envisioned attending. Therefore, when she discovered that she not only got exactly what she wanted but will also be the first girl from her primary school to walk through its hallowed halls come September, she was ecstatic. Said Nastassia: “When I learned that I was the first from Brown’s Hall to pass for there, it makes me feel very proud and accomplished knowing that I was able to achieve so much. I feel like I left a legacy at Brown Hall Primary.”

Robinson who just recently turned 12 in July shared that she was looking forward to making new friends and to learn from her new teachers. When quizzed about the challenges of the PEP examinations, she was cool as a cucumber, stating that the national secondary school placement test posed no real challenge to her as she was well prepared. “To be completely honest I found it easy. The questions were simple so I knew that I have done well,” she said.

Over the past two years, a lot of students had to adapt to school being both face-to-face and online due to the global pandemic and she was no exception. While she found that online studies were not difficult for her, she definitely prefers learning within the confines of a traditional classroom. Additionally, when most students were busy doing intense preparations for their first major examination, young Robinson took it all in stride and never got nervous or stressed out over the magnitude of it all. She added: “To be honest I never really studied. My mom used to say to me ‘Nastassia, please put down the phone and pick up a book so that you are prepared for the PEP exams.’”

Citing the often mentally tough Mathematics as her favourite subject, Nastassia said that in her opinion if every subject was as easy and fun as mathematics she is sure that she would have no issues in high school. “Mathematics is the easiest subject really. I find the English Language to be much harder but some of my friends say it is the other way around,” said the now Brown’s Hall Primary past student.

Speaking of friends, the preteen shared that when most of them learned of her recent placement at Immaculate, they were just as thrilled as she was. “Most congratulated me on passing for my dream school and said that they knew I would do it as I was always an ‘immaculate’ student,” she said.

Others, however, had nothing nice to say but she learned to take it on the chin and not let their negativity steal her joy. “Some persons were negative and didn’t have anything good to say but I know better and just ignored them,” she informed.

Robinson has no intention of allowing any naysayer distract her from her future career goal of either being an entrepreneur or a lawyer. “I’m waiting until I’m older to make a final decision as to which I will eventually pursue,” she said.

Nastassia, who currently resides in the Pedro community which is a stone’s throw away from Macka Tree, is a gifted singer who loves to perform and especially loves to be on her phone but not for the reasons you would think. This young lady is not caught up in following social media trends but uses her phone mainly for educational purposes and to talk to her friends. “I use my phone a lot to Google words I don’t know and to Google answers to work that I need to understand better,” she said. 

All that she has done in her short time on earth, she credits to her family’s support, especially that of her mother. For Marsha Simpson, her daughter’s achievement has made her very proud of her only child. “I feel elated as it was the school of her first choice and is the school she always wanted to attend. My personal choice would have been Campion because I know she has the grades for that school but I’m thrilled that she got her heart’s desire,” Simpson said.

Though the family presently lives in northern Catherine, Simpson has plans to move back to the capital city to her previous residence in Cassava Piece to make Nastassia’s transition to secondary school life seamless, noting “the journey will be easier as it’s just a foot walk to school”. Simpson, who is a caterer by profession, shared that she would love to see her daughter become a lawyer someday “a dream from before I even had her”.

Others share similar hopes and dreams for the brainy young scholar. Mrs. Stacey Nelson, Nastassia’s former teacher at Brown’s Hall Primary could not contain her excitement at her student’s success which she stated was a result of Robinson being an individual who always knew what she wanted and equally as importantly, knew what was required to get it done. “We all knew it was in the cards for Nastassia as she is an extremely gifted and driven individual. She was quiet, industrious and she is a perfectionist who exceeds at everything she does. She is very focused and will not stop until she gets it right,” Nelson said.

Nelson, who has been teaching at the school for over seven years, shared that she was overjoyed upon learning about Robinson’s achievement. “I knew she was going to do very well as she was well supported by her parents who are very involved in her education and development. This is a huge win for all of us here at the school as we see her as family,” noted the educator. “For Browns Hall Primary it shows that hard work and dedication go a far way. Nastassia’s success has set a bar and I’m almost certain we will continue on this trend in our future.”