Kareem Pinnock and Sage-Marie Gayle the pride of Davis Primary

However, for 12-year-old Kareem Pinnock booking at spot at Old Harbour High School was a dream come true, as he loves and respects the learning environment there and can hardly wait to enter its halls come September, and add to the fact that the institution is mere metres away from his home.

“It’s close so if there is an emergency, I can easily get home safe,” he reasoned with regards to his first choice.

Pinnock, who emerged as the top PEP scorer overall at Davis Primary and Infant School, is pleased at his recent achievement, though he was a bit uncertain due to the challenging nature of the exams.

“It was challenging but good as I like a challenge. It is not that I had any set hours worked out to study. Rather I like to find out what I will be tested on and focus on those topics,” he said after receiving a placement score of 344.9 which equates to a 95.8% average.

Besides academics, young Pinnock is great with his hands and his knack for building things has inspired him to consider a future career in engineering. When not tinkering and creating stuff, he declares that he does not exactly sits still for long.

“I play video games, some educational, some not but I also love to run up and down the house,” he tells Old Harbour News.

His role model he stated is the most important female in his life – his mother. He added: “Mommy works very hard to take care of us so I want to be like her and be hard working when I grow up.”

Kareem’s mother Kadian Cascell is a high school teacher who more than the average parent knows exactly what it takes for a child to stay dedicated and focused especially when it is so easy to be distracted or not to maintain a healthy balance between books and having a social life.

Brimming with pride Cascell said: “He has always been able to study on his own from grade one. He has been the top student even from he was in infant school.” 

She was thrilled, she said, when she got the news that he was the top boy at his school.

“I was overjoyed as I felt he had done well though he didn’t seem as confident in grade six as he was in grade five but he did it. He balances well and is very strict about completing assignments. Even if the teacher posts something at night, he completes it before he goes to bed,” added the educator.

Cascell then shared a story about when Pinnock was younger and how he begged to stay home during a period when school was out and everyone else was out having fun, just to be able to study and complete a task he deemed necessary.

When it comes to his tinkering with stuff around the house she is amazed at his ability to pull things apart and put them back together perfectly.

“I do see him in the engineering field years from now,” she believes.

Kareem, who turned twelve on July 10, has always fostered an independent spirit and out-of-the-box thinking, hence his choice for high school did not really surprise his mother as she said Old Harbour High has a rich academic legacy plus his siblings attended the school with excellent results.

“He will go there and shine,” she said. “With his passion for learning, he will do well and will bloom anywhere he is planted.”

Davis Primary’s top girl is 11-year-old Sage-Marie Gayle who is a confident child with a love for science. The announcement of her scores did not come as a shocker as she stated that she worked hard for those grades and was proud of her accomplishments.

“My family and friends were all excited and happy when they heard but I kind of expected it,” she told Old Harbour News in an interview. Gayle, who heads off to Glenmuir High come September lives in Planters Hall and is eagerly anticipating the transition and all the discoveries that comes along with such experience. 

With a placement mark of 332.4 or 92.3%, she added: “I chose Glenmuir because I heard great things about it and I hear that they challenge your mindset and I enjoy a good challenge,” she added.

The Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations were the first major challenge that she navigated by simply doing what her teacher Mr. Nicholas Dillon taught her to do throughout all of grade six.

Recalling one of many conversations with the respected and popular teacher, she tells Old Harbour News: “He said ‘remember what you were taught. Do not rush and do things quickly. Take a breath and explain how you got your answer and always show how you came to your conclusion.’” With that advice, Gayle was able to soar, though she confesses that she does not like to study.

“But I love science as it involves lots of reading and understanding which comes easily for me,” she said.

Other things that come easy are her hobbies which include reading, hanging out with her friends and dancing. As to her career choice, young Gayle has settled on becoming a pediatrician as she sees it as a great way to help children.

She credits her mother as being her role model, saying there is no better example of tenacity and perseverance for her.

“I see how she struggles sometimes to provide for us but she always comes through and I want to be just as devoted to my own children and maybe other children as she is. I want to ensure that when I can, she will be well taken care of,” said the primary school graduate.

The bond between mother and daughter is evident as mother Latoya Hutchinson is always right there every step of the way to guide her child and ensure that there are no missteps along her path to greatness.

“Initially it was a bit challenging to get her to be consistent with the length and quality of studying and dedication required as sometimes she would say that she was finished and I would send her back as I know she could not be thorough in that short amount of time,” said the mother.

Hutchinson, who is a teacher at her alma mater St. Catherine High, said that when she got the news of Sage-Marie’s score, her eyes filled with tears because she knew that all of their hard work paid off.

“I hope she will excel and achieve all the things she desires and with me in her life and God as her guide, I believe she will do just that,” said the educator.