S.J.C. produces top scorers in CAPE, CSEC…
It’s that time of the year when students from secondary and tertiary level schools are recognized for their performance in the Caribbean Advance Proficiency and Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examinations. And this year the national top scorers hail from St John’s. The Belize CXC National Committee today held the National Award Ceremonies at the Bliss Centre for the Performing Arts and some two hundred and fifty students from high schools and sixth forms countrywide were present. Two hundred and fourteen students received Certificates of Excellence for the CSEC Examinations, thirty-two for CAPE’s Individual Subject Awards and four for CSEC’s Subject Group Awards. Two students were honoured for scoring top marks in their respective studies; both from St. John’s College High School and Junior College. Ian Malcolm Lizarraga and Christopher Charles Chang were the most outstanding candidates for CAPE and CSEC respectively. Chang was available to receive his award, but Lizarraga is already pursuing a first degree in Physics so his mother accepted the award.
Patrick Faber, Minister of Education
“This is an opportunity for me to personally recognise and honour those students who excelled and to thank all those persons who helped them to excel over their educational careers so that they could achieve such success in the CSEC and CAPE examinations.”
Nuri Lizarraga, Mother of Ian Lizarraga, Most Outstanding Candidate, CAPE
“We feel very excited, very happy, very proud. There is really no secret or magic formula and what we try to do, we try to raise our children with the same values and the same morals that our parents instilled in us. You have to be consistent and you have to give them your support and encourage them and always tell them to go for their dreams. And nowadays there’s no stopping you, so you just have to persevere and you have to reach for your goals and go for it.”
Christopher Charles Chang, Most Outstanding Candidate, CSEC
“This honour is not achieved on my own but it’s a reflection of all the support, love, understanding, and dedication of my mom and dad, my maternal and paternal grandparents, brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, teachers and friends; in effect, my village. As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child.”
“It’s all about time management and you need to know how to balance having fun but at the same time doing your school work. I found that by doing stuff like sports, I felt more relaxed and I didn’t worry so much about school. Then when I came time to get down to work, I did what I needed to do. This is but a stepping stone for a brighter future. Let’s continue forward into the horizon with this fervor and we will see the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. But let’s not forget to thank those who have brought us this far and be appreciative and grateful for all that we have.”
The second highest mark for CSEC was achieved by Jordan Ethan Medina also of St. John’s College. Chang plans to continue his studies in the medical field.
