Earl Moore (centre), president and chief executive officer of Guardian Life Ltd., has the attention of Kareem Marshall (left) and Jodecia Elliot, the Guardian Life 2007 GSAT scholarship recipients, during a luncheon atthe company's head office in St. Andrew in July. Thirty-six others received grants of $15,000 for excellent performance in their GSAT. Kareem will be attending Campion College while Jodecia will be attending Montego Bay High School. - photos by Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographer 
Tevin NG, of St. Peter Claver Primary School, was ecstatic when he found out that he was placed at Kingston College. The young doctor in the making told The Gleaner he was happy because he felt he worked hard and did his best. - Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographer
Earlier this year, several students across the island received their Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) results and The Gleaner told some of the stories of joy that followed.
As the new school term begins today, these students will be entering the whole new world of high school for the very first time.
Here we revisit, in brief, some of the stories of success that blossomed from the 2007 GSAT.
White
When Romario White of Duhaney Park Primary School, St. Andrew, found out that he copped the Scotiabank award for the top-performing boy in the island in the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), he was estactic.
"I felt overwhelmed. I jumped up and down," Romario said of his reaction when his mother broke the news to him earlier this year.
He attributed his success to his teacher and principal who, he said, encouraged him and provided him with the necessary skills that he needed for the examination.
"I also studied hard, but I didn't study the night before the exam because I needed to calm my mind before I went in," he said.
Janiel
Janiel McDonald was one of several excited and anxious students who received her results at St. Peter Claver Primary School on June 8. "When I found out that I will be going to Wolmer's, I was very happy. I think it is a good school and I am very excited about going there," she told The Gleaner.
Rose-Marie Blackwood McDonald, Janiel's mother, who was at the school to share the joyous moment with her daughter, said she was happy with Janiel's results.
Janiel, who wants to become an accountant, attributed her success to her parents and teachers, adding that her father has been very supportive of her and has been giving her words of encouragement.
Kayla
Kayla Taylor, formerly a student at Jessie Ripoll Primary School in Kingston, is deaf in one ear as a result of contracting meningitis, an infection of the meninges, the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, at birth. However, that did not prevent her from doing well in her GSAT. Bound for Wolmer's High School for Girls in September, Kayla told The Gleaner in June that she was delighted when she got the news that she was going to the school of her choice.
Chin
Rachel Chin of Queen's Preparatory School, St. Andrew, outperformed her peers in the 2007 Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), and earned the Scotiabank award for the highest performing girl in the island.
"I was so excited, I ran around the schoolyard," Rachel said of her reaction when she got the news of her performance.
The 11-year-old said she was, however, surprised that she copped the top award as she was just aiming for a regular scholarship.
Rachel said that without her teacher Marcia Jamieson and her parents Stacey and Peter Chin, she would not have performed so well in the examination.
"I also studied hard and did past papers at school and home," she told The Gleaner in June.
Rachel, who was scheduled to attend Campion College this month, enjoys travelling. As such, she said, she was eyeing a career in international law.
Future doctors
Cesar Buelto, 12, whose GSAT track record boasted 99 for mathematics, 96 for language arts, 97 for social studies and 10 for composition, is the highest in his school. Words are too mundane to even be used in painting a fitting picture of this youngster's intelligence.
"I wasn't surprised when I found out I would be attending Campion College," he said with an expression that showed both excitement and self-confidence. "I have always been told that hard work pays off and that's how I approached the exams."
Buelto has big dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon and, should he continue on the same academic note, this accomplishment remains but a stone's throw away. "I read Dr. Ben Carson's Gifted Hands and his account of separating Siamese twins. That experience sparked my interest in the field, so I want to emulate what he did and leave my mark in the world just as he did," he said.
Fellow schoolmate, Malik Neufville, also has intentions of pursuing a medical career. The talented youngster, an avid sportsman representing his school in basketball, football, hockey and cricket will be attending Wolmer's Boys' School. "I would have really liked to be attending the same school as my friend Cesar, but nonetheless I'm happy that I will be attending Wolmer's. I have made my parents very proud," he said. "In the future, I want to be a marine biologist." The youngster noted that his deep interest in underwater life, sparked by his enthusiasm for research documentaries on this topic, made him want to pursue such a career path.
Cecile Palmer, principal of the Holy Family Primary and Infant School, poses with her top GSAT students Cesar Buelto (left) and Malik Neufville. -Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
