Orange Walk’s Brightest in the P.S.E.
Tonight, we bring you more of the top twenty-five students in the Primary School Exams. A News Five team visited Orange Walk earlier today and met four of the top five students. Those students are from La Inmaculada Roman Catholic Primary School. This school has consistently produced top performers over the years, including last year’s Rolando Umana who tied for first place with another student. Today, Reporter Andrea Polanco spoke with the new crop of top performers in the north.
Andrea Polanco, Reporting
Five of the top performing students in the Primary School Examinations are from Orange Walk. Four of those top performers are students at La Inmaculada R.C School in Orange Walk Town. The school placed fourth overall as a top performing school with fifty or more students who sat the P.S.E. The results show that out of the one hundred and seven students who took the exam, ninety percent of them passed. Teacher Wilda Jones says that the accomplishments are shared across the board because it was a team effort.
Wilda Jones
Wilda Jones, Standard 6 Teacher
“We don’t usually just prepare them for the P.S.E. We try to prepare them for life, as such; we do morning classes, Saturday classes and our regular schedule. But it is something that we begin working from a lower level with them. It is also team work because we try to communicate among all levels and we work for all the students.”
Top finishers Ayana Campos tied for sixth overall with two other students getting three hundred and seventy-five points and Johan Nah placed tenth along with two others with three hundred and seventy one points out of four hundred possible points.
Ayana Campos
Ayana Campos, 6th Place, P.S.E. 2019
“I expected to be in the top twenty-five because of the hard work that my teachers gave us. So, I was really sure of it. I studied hard and came in very early for morning classes and with study time I just expected the best and it did happen. My parents really helped me to study hard and they gave me the encouragement and with just a positive attitude, I did it.”
Johan Nah, 10th Place, P.S.E. 2019
“I knew I was going to do good but not as expected of how I got the results back.”
Andrea Polanco
“When you took the exam, talk to me about what was going through your mind as you did those tests?”
Johan Nah
Johan Nah
“I was like, ‘God, please, I really want to come in the top.’ But I didn’t expect it to come true.”
Andrea Polanco
“What does this accomplishment mean to you – how are you feeling? How is your family feeling?”
Johan Nah
“My family is really excited. They say they are proud of me and even if I didn’t top the P.S.E. they would still be proud of me that at least I gave it a shot. It opens my eyes that I can do so much more than how I expected myself to do.”
Jones says these top students and their classmates displayed initiative and commitment to their academics over the past year. She says that they showed up to attend non-mandatory classes just so that they were prepared for the P.S.E.
Wilda Jones
“Students actually put an extra mile because they were here at seven-forty five every morning commencing from September way up until the last part of the exam in May. So, it wasn’t something that was mandatory but students took it upon their own; their own initiative. They want to work along with the school.”
Victoria Constanza placed eleventh along with three other students. She scored three hundred and seventy points. Following closely behind is Astrill Garcia who garnered three hundred and sixty-nine points tying with three other students for the twelfth spot on the list.
Victoria Constanza
Victoria Constanza, 11th Place, P.S.E. 2019
“I did a lot of practices and reviews of P.S.Es before us and I managed to get a picture of how it would be.”
Andrea Polanco
“How did you balance studying and time with friends?”
Victoria Constanza
“I kinda made like a schedule in my head and planned a few hours for studying and a few hours for fun.”
Astrill Garcia
Astrill Garcia, 12th Place, P.S.E. 2019
“I was jumping because I didn’t believe I was gonna come in twelfth place in the country. I was very surprised and everyone was congratulating me.”
Andrea Polanco
“What tips would you give to students to prepare themselves for the test next year?”
Astrill Garcia
“First, just listen to your teachers; study all your notes; ask for advice if you don’t know and just relax yourself and be calm and do your best.”
Although La Inmaculada RC School has been ranked as one of the top ten performing schools in the P.S.E. for over fifteen years, Jones says that they evaluate their progress every year so that they can do better.
Wilda Jones
“We are actually looking back because we know that one of the weak points that we have right now is Science. So, as a school we will be looking to see how we can improve Science. But at the same time it is only a team effort. At the different level we communicate with each other. We share our difficulties. As a Standard Six teacher, I will go back and tell the Standard Four teacher, ‘ you know what, this is what I see as weakness maybe you can go back and work on it,’ so that when they reach Standard Six it is much easier for us. It is team work and it is not only at one level. It is all levels and I think that is what makes our school an exceptional school. We don’t see each other as levels or divisions. We see each other as one school and we work as a team.”
Reporting for News Five, I’m Andrea Polanco.
Alexander Gutierrez is the fifth top performer in Orange Walk who also made the list. We stopped by the San Estevan R.C. Primary today to speak with their star student, but he was out on a school event.
