Hailey Derrick tops GSNA

The St Nicholas Primary School has produced the top Grade Six National Assessment student with a score of 378 marks out of 400 and a  100 per cent pass in Mathematics. That student is eleven year old  Hailey Derrick of  Cedar Valley.
Derrick, who enjoys swimming, playing the Ukulele and baking, said although preparation ahead of the assessment was long, it was not overwhelming.
“It took a lot of time and dedication and a good attitude. I went in there with an open mind thinking that I could have done it,” Derrick said in an OBSERVER media interview yesterday.
Derrick said aside from studying, a great deal of her time was spent swimming, which also helped her to maintain a certain degree of focus.
The future Architect, who will be continuing her education at the St Anthony’s Secondary school also credited her family for her recent success. This includes her mother, father and brother Brandon JS Derrick who was named top student in 2014.
She is advising her peers to “always have an open mind and go into the exam room with a desire to do their best”.
Her  elated father, Darren Derrick, said he is extremely pleased with the results from his daughter, whom he described as the most “organised and dedicated person he has ever met”.
He added, “I think the results spoke well to that organisation that she has in her life…. I consider myself  blessed by the results. Hailey worked very hard for it.”
The proud father also encouraged parents to ensure that they play a crucial role in the lives of their children especially in the areas of academics.
Following closely behind Derrick with 370 marks was Anaya Belle who hails from the Minoah Magnet Academy School.
Elated and relieved are the words the eleven-year-old used to describe her recent accomplishment.
“At first I was nervous, but now I feel so relieved that all my hard work has paid off,” Belle said.
The Baptist Academy School secured the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th places on the top 100 list which was released yesterday by the Ministry of Education.
Zion Williams from the Baptist Academy placed 3rd after amassing a score of 368 out of 400 marks.
The aspiring Paediatrician said yesterday, “It was challenging because my teacher gave us a lot of past papers and it took me a while to study and I stayed up all night working on School-Based Assessments (SBA’s), but it paid off”, Williams said.
Her fellow classmate, Destine Gardner came in 4th place with a score of 366.
An ecstatic Gardner, who said she studied for the entire year, was jumping for joy.
Amiah Isaac and Rayne Grant also from the Baptist Academy school placed 5th and 6th respectively with scores of 365 and 364.
Jadacia Adams of the Sunnyside Tutorial school sat comfortably at 7th on the island with 360, while Victoria Bowens of Baptist Academy placed  8th with a score of 359.
Meantime, among public schools in Antigua & Barbuda, Shyla Apparicio of Freetown Primary has been named top student, securing 9th place overall with a score of 357.
Apparicio, 11, a lover of Mathematics and Science, said it was a wonderful feeling when she was contacted by the principal of the school.
“It was tough, but afterwards I felt relieved that the exams were over”, Apparicio said.
Apparicio’s mother, Sonya Athill was also “over the moon” beaming with pride.
The top male student hailed from the Baptist Academy.
Christophe Marcellus, who is positioned at 11th, gained 356 marks out of 400.
Marcellus told our newsroom that his nerves got the better of him in the exam room. However, he was determined to do his best.
“I studied hard and got someone to test me, and that was basically what I did,” Marcellus said.
Asked what was the key to his success the 12 year old boy, simply replied, “God and the support from my family and teachers”.
The results and secondary school placements for Grade Six students were distributed yesterday following a meeting held with officials from the Measurement and Evaluation Unit and public and private school principals.
A total of 1,321 students underwent the assessment which was held on 31st May and 1st June 2017.
Click here to view the results.