Petrina Francis, Staff Reporter

FORREST

The Gleaner's 2002 Spelling Bee Champion, Alicia Forrest, excelled again when she copped seven ones and two credits (twos) in the 2006 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.

"I was pretty surprised when I got my results. I was taken aback because I didn't expect it but I was pretty grateful," the Ardenne High School graduate told The Gleaner.

Alicia attributes her success to her parents Angela and Orville Forrest who she said gave her space so she could get on with her studies.

She also noted that Rev. Glen Archer, who coached her during the spelling bee competition taught her to manage her time efficiently, which helped her to be organised while studying for CSEC.

A lawyer in the making, Alicia will be pursuing Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) Mathematics, Physics and Spanish at Ardenne High School sixth form.

The 16-year-old enjoys interacting with friends and listening to music.

Pregnancy rate

A writer for The Gleaner's Youthlink, Alicia said she is concerned about the high teenage pregnancy rate and the school drop out rate of young men.

Alicia got ones for mathematics, English language, French, Spanish, information technology, principles of business and electrical and electronic technology. She gained twos for chemistry and physics.