A beaming Lincoln James, principal of the Howard Cooke Primary School, hugs GSAT scholarship awardees Kimberly Webb (left) and Brittney Gordon. Webb and Gordon are the head girl and deputy head girl, respectively, at the Montego Bay institution. -Photo by Daniesha Dawes

Daniesha Dawes, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

THE HOWARD Cooke Primary School in Montego Bay has topped the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), grabbing two of the four government scholarships.

Eleven-year-old, head girl Kimberly Webb, is the recipient of the George William Gordon scholarship. Her deputy, Brittney Gordon, also 11, was awarded the JAG Smith scholarship,

The scholarships have a yearly value of $180,000 each.

"I feel happy, and also relieved as a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, and my mother's shoulders. I feel proud of myself, and again, happy," said Brittney, who will attend Montego Bay High in September.

Kimberly, who is heading to Mount Alvernia High, commented that none of her success would have happened without the help of her teachers.

"Preparing for GSAT, I was very disorganised, but my teachers helped me a lot. Homework had to be done, projects were a must and, as my father always said, he doesn't accept mediocrity," she told The Gleaner.

Kimberly's GSAT scores read 94 in mathematics, science 96, social studies 99, language arts 99, and 100 in commu-nication task. She got an average mark of 97.4.

Brittney averaged 97.8, with 98 in mathematics, 98 in language arts, 100 for communication task, science 96, and 97 in social studies.

She stated that she scheduled a timetable and, on specific dates, she would study certain subjects. She was also able "to teach herself aloud in the evenings" with a chalkboard that her mother gave her.

Their teachers believe that, with their attitude towards schoolwork, the girls were able to be successful in the examinations.

Kimberly and Brittney are looking forward to participating in extra-curricular activities at their respective schools. Kimberly wants to be a part of the speech club, while Brittney is aiming for membership in clubs such as 4H and Environmental, as well as being involved in speech and dance.