Trench Town Primary celebrates small GSAT victory

While many primary and preparatory school principals celebrate Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) placements at some of the top traditional high schools, the principal of Trench Town Primary is celebrating a small victory of her own.

Merline Sullivan says it has been a long time since the school received so many placements at traditional high schools. This year, the school had passes for St Andrew Technical High and Camperdown High, among other high schools in the Corporate Area.

Speaking with The Gleaner, four of the school's top GSAT performers all expressed joy at their placements, saying they were very impressed with their averages, which ranged from high 70s to mid-80s.

Nestled between the Trench Town High School and the community football field, the primary school is often affected by violence, but this year, it did not affect the quality of preparation for the examinations.

In fact, the principal said it was the difficulty of the questions that affected the students.

"In another, year we would have got more traditional passes based on the level of preparation we had this year for our grade six class."

Sullivan continued: "The support of our parents this year was extremely great and helped us in preparing our students for this step."

She also credited the students' dedication for the school's improved performance this year.

Head girl Aaliyah Biggs hailed her teacher, principal, and parents for their never-ending support and felt they showed their gratitude by doing well.

"I think we rewarded their efforts by making them proud with these passes," she said.

- Rosheika Grant