IT comes as no surprise that reading is a favourite pastime for both 11-year-old Gabriella Felix and 12-year-old Makayla Spencer, who were two of the most articulate students at the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) this year.

Gabriella, a pupil of the New Guyana School, who enjoys reading mystery novels, had the best narrative in the English Paper exams, while Makayla, who attended Success Elementary, had the best letter, in which she wrote to the Regional Education Officer listing three benefits where there was need for a learning resource centre in her community.

The two pupils were given the opportunity to read their work on October 15 at the ceremony where the 2021 NGSA results were announced. Both received glowing praise for their articulate writing, at that forum.

In a ‘sit-down’ with the Guyana Chronicle, the two talked about their love for writing, reading, and how they felt about their accomplishments.

Gabriella won best narrative for her story “An Unforgettable Experience”. In the story, she narrated the tale of being chased by a ferocious, black Pitbull.

“Fear lent wings to my legs as I heard a ferocious growl. My heart was palpitating and I was panting in exhaustion. I had never been so scared in my life. Just then, something snapped at my heels. I quickly glimpsed behind me, only to see a fierce, black Pitbull rapidly gaining on me,” was the opening line of her 254 word narrative.

The story goes on to talk about her climbing and falling out of a tree before making her way home just in time to avoid the animal.

Gabriella makes use of metaphors, similes and personification to bring her story to life, all literary devices she learnt to use fluently, thanks to the many books she has been reading over the years.

Holding a copy of a Hardy Boys mystery, the aspiring lawyer shared that her story was somewhat based on an experience she had with her own dog, but embellished the tale for dramatic effect.

“I was about eight years old and I went to feed my dog and she ran me and I ran away to get into the house. She was being playful but I was just so scared,” Gabriella shared.

Initially on the day of her English exam, she said she was a bit nervous about her writing abilities, but now learning that she had the best narrative has been a major confidence boost for the young lady who also likes to read Nancy Drew and Secret Seven novels.

“Most nights I would have to rustle the book away from her to get her to go to sleep. She reads a lot of these series, and I try to purchase a lot of books for her,” shared her mother, Martina Bacchus, who is also a lawyer herself.

Bacchus said she could not be happier for her daughter when she received the news of her accomplishment, and credits her love for reading as what allowed her to be so creative in her writing.

“Gabriella likes to play a lot but she reads too and I think that was a great help in her English. I’m a proud parent and I’m so happy that she did it,” Bacchus commented.

Aside from English, Gabriella also loves science and has her own Youtube channel where she has already begun posting videos with her various science projects. Though she wants to be a lawyer like her mom, she hopes that she can also find an area in the profession that also involves science.

THE BEST LETTER 
Makayla was absolutely overjoyed when she found out that she had done the best letter.

“I felt excited and elated, but I was really surprised,” she said.

The young lady is very happy with her performance as English Language is one of her favourite subjects, and she had hoped to do well, particularly given all of the reading and studying that she had put in.

She related that what she loves most about reading is how she can use her imagination to picture things around her, and she also loves how she can use the way she talks to express herself and resolve issues.

Aside from English, Science is also a favourite subject for Makayla, who also hopes for a career in the science field.

“Either an anesthesiologist or a cardiologist. I find science really fascinating and anesthesia is interesting when I think about it. With a cardiologist you have to study the heart and I really like to understand how the heart works,” she said.

In her letter for the NGSA English Paper Two, Makayla laid out solid reasons for the placement of a learning resource centre in her community, noting how the pandemic affected learners attending classes, which was causing learners to lag behind in their work at a time when virtual learning was necessary.

She shared that she had faced her share of difficulties having to study and prepare for her exams during the pandemic, which also inspired her letter choice.

“At first it was really hard. You are home and you have so much distractions. But my family really helped me with that a lot; they would keep me disciplined and encourage me to study,” she said.

Her family also shared in her excitement, noting that her performance in writing was very telling of the bold girl that Makayla usually is.

“Makayla is bold, daring sometimes; she’s very smart, very intelligent. Sometimes she wants her own way but comes with the package. She really likes to express herself, and she’s not the type to be comfortable being in the background,” said her dad, Marlon Spencer.