ST. MARGARET’s Primary School has created quite a name for itself at the recent sitting of the National Grade Six Assessment examinations (NGSA).

From a class of 43 students who wrote the examination, six ranked among the nation’s 100 top performing students; seven were awarded places at the prestigious Queen’s College; 15 got placements at other senior secondary schools, such as Bishops’ High, St. Roses High, St. Stanislaus College and St. Joseph’s High; and the remainder were awarded places at Grade ‘A’ schools.

Those awarded places at Queen’s College are: Reanna Mc Curchin (who placed among the nation’s top ten students), Zuri Singh, Andrew Chinatambi, Rhea Ramotar, Nechemiyah Levans, Lugard Mohan and Mesha Sealy. The professions they aspire to pursue include lawyer, medical doctor, police commander, journalist, military commander, and veterinary doctor.

Under the tutelage of class teacher Mrs Kathryn Persico-Newton, a 47-year-old graduate teacher who has taught at that school ever since she was 18, the students applied themselves diligently throughout the academic year leading up to the exams, and did their parents and school proud.

PRIDE AND JOY
Beaming with deserving pride and joy at the school’s results this year, Mrs Persico-Newton, who began tutoring children for the Common Entrance Exams in 2003, stated, “This school has a legacy of excellence.”
She recalled that, in 2005,St. Margaret’s had topped the country, securing more than 20 Queen’s College placements under tutor Ms Gem Moriah.
, but this is the best she (Persico) has achieved so far.
She outlined that, at St. Margaret’s, the children preparing for the NGSA are placed in the examination class as soon as those of the previous batch would have completed writing their examination. The intention is to not have them wait until September.

“And that is because you want to give them a full year of preparation,” she explained.

Commenting on their performance in classroom as they prepared for the examination, Mrs Persico-Newton recalled that the students did very well, and were particularly strong in Mathematics and English. “But at the examination they excelled in everything, and scored in the nineties,” she declared with a sense of justified pride and satisfaction.

DETERMINING PLACEMENT

From time to time, and at different schools, parents complain that their children score high marks and are not given placements in a school commensurate with their capability and their marks scored. Mrs Persico-Newton referred this newspaper to the Ministry of Education for an explanation of this situation. Albeit, she said what one needs to take into consideration is that, even though a particular child may be very ‘bright’, on the day of the exam, that child might not have performed as well as another, whom that child would outshine under normal circumstances.

Conversely, she said, the child might have been nervous at time of writing the examination, and so did not perform as per hopes or expectations. All these things should be taken into consideration, this sage teacher reasoned.

Mrs Persico-Newton said the highest overall mark in the examinations is 535, but what has been observed is that, invariably, the children would score high marks. “But because it is a placement examination, so many other children in the country were ahead of them, so that child might not have been placed in a senior secondary school; but they still have high marks and the potential,” she explained.

“So my point is that the secondary schools have to realise that they are getting good children, and they need to capitalise on this and push the children,” she reasoned.

She said, too, that it could turn out that the child takes up the place offered, and in the long run outshines all others in the CSEC class.

“Therefore, parents need to accept the results and, importantly, congratulate the child and give them all the support and encouragement to move on,” she urged.

The subjects covered in the examinations are English (focusing on composition, vocabulary, spelling, comprehension and grammar); mathematics; sciences and social studies (including map work).

WORK ATTITUDE
Asked what the work attitude of the children of St. Margaret’s was like while they prepared for the exam, Mrs Persico-Newton impulsively replied: “Oh, they were very businesslike. They had a drive to ‘do it’. There were times when I was at home and the phone would ring and I would hear the passion and enthusiasm in their voices, ‘Miss, we’re doing so, so, so’.”

While some private schools in Guyana specialise in their tutelage in Grades Five and Six, the NGSA tutor in a Government school is responsible for teaching all the subject areas, thus making the job more demanding. But with a passion for what she is doing and the desire to see her children excel, Mrs Persico-Newton gets about the task selflessly and resolutely.

AN EVENTUAL TWIST
Of interest, Ms. Persico-Newton recalled, is that on graduating from secondary school, (St. Roses and Queen’s College) her mother, Mrs Juliet Persico of the Exams Division, considering teaching to be a very prestigious job, proposed to her that she take up teaching; but she, in turn, was adamant that she would not. Her mother eventually won out, and so, at age 18, she joined the staff of St. Margaret’s as a pupil teacher.

To her horror, the headmistress placed her in charge of practically the worst class – children who could neither read nor write. “She said to me, ‘if you can manage to teach these children with my help, then you have the guts to be a teacher’.”

Mrs Persico-Newton took up the challenge, and, with the guidance of the HM, was able to make it. Ironically, in time she developed a passion for the job; and, in 2003, she was placed in charge of the Common Entrance class (now NGSA), where she eventually developed what could be likened unto a mother/child relationship with the students.

Having excelled, Mrs Persico-Newton, under the guidance of graduate Headmistress Ms. Georgeania Lewis, continues to be responsible for that class.

SYNERGIES
The children of St. Margaret’s, well rounded and well prepared for the examinations, invariably perform well. But asked what might have motivated this year’s stellar performance, Mrs Newton-Persico credits it in part to increased attentiveness and the zeal to soar to the top on the part of the students, as well as increased parent-involvement in the children’s welfare.

Additionally, the HM had introduced setting of tests in science and social studies based on what the students had done in Grades Four and Five, in addition to routine revision.

“Technically, I would say (that) preparation for these exams starts from the time the child enters the school, because some of the things that come up hinge on what the child would have done in Grade One, Grade Two…so it’s like a chain; it’s a cycle,” she said.

A system in place also prepares them to transition into the secondary school system. Mrs Persico-Newton pointed out that, in the third term, when the students go back to the Grade Four teacher, there is a structured transition programme which prepares them to adjust and cope when they would have entered secondary school.

And NGSA tutor Mrs Persico-Newton had a message for adults: “Parents should not be afraid to approach teachers for help in relation to the children’s work. Moreover, they should keep the children off too much television, Facebook and other social media”.

And what gave her the extra zest to keep up with the demands of the curriculum, while giving the children individual attention: “Throughout this past year, the response was heartening. More parents seemed to be genuinely interested and so there was an open line of communication between parents and teacher and constant interaction. Then there was whipped up enthusiasm on the part of the children and their behavior better. This was good, because sometimes you find that it is the behavior that affects their performance,” the evidently gratified NGSA-Whizz recounted.

Mrs Persico, whose 21-year-old daughter is currently reading for a BSc degree in Law at the University of Guyana, is herself a graduate of the University of Guyana. But first she did a three-year training stint at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE), from where she graduated as Best Student in English Options and Best Student in Social Studies. She entered University of Guyana in 1999, and majored in Education. She completed both the Certificate in Education and the Degree in Education with distinction in 2003.

Having completed her studies, Mrs Persico-Newton faithfully returned to St. Margaret’s, where she continues to mould the students for transitioning to secondary education, while performing the duties of grade Supervisor for the top floor. .

Mrs. Persico-Newton’s parting message to the students, as they prepare to move on to other schools: “Remember to keep focused. Remember the sacrifices that your parents made and will continue to make. Stay away from negative things. And whatever your aspirations, what ever professional path you wish to pursue, start focusing on it now.”

By Shirley Thomas