Some of the nation’s top performers were honoured yesterday for their outstanding achievements in last year’s national examinations.
The Ministry of Education held a ceremony at the Church of God Auditorium to recognise the students who excelled in their Bahamas Junior Certificate (BJC) and Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) Examinations.
Queen’s College student Shannon Butler and Forest Heights Academy student, Matthew Grammatico tied for best overall performance in the BGCSE.
Shannon, who was an 11th grade student when he sat the examination and received nine ‘A’s and one ‘B,’ said he is very happy with his results.
“I worked really hard for it and I was preparing for over a year. I was determined and hoping that I would do well and I got what I worked hard for,” he said.
The aspiring cardiothoracic surgeon, who is in the 12th grade, said he has already submitted college applications. He is awaiting the results.
Tyler Cartwright, of NGM Major High in Long Island, walked away as the top overall performer in the 2012 BJC examinations.
The future engineer credited his success to hard work and perseverance, values he said his parents and teachers instilled in him.
“I have to remain focused, continue to study and do all my homework so that at the end of the day I could reap the benefits,” he said.
Both scholars were given three checks from Royal Bank and the Ministry of Education, which totaled to over $1,000 dollars. They were also given laptops.
Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald said t it’s important that people highlight the positivity students do in The Bahamas and added that recognising their national examination accomplishments is just as important.
“The excellent part of today was that it was a recognition of the hard work that so many of our students have put into their studies. It is rewarding for me as Minister of Education, particularly the government schools as we had some excellent results,” he said.
In his address, Minister Fitzgerald urged the students to continue to strive for excellence. He said anything is possible.
“Our country provides equal access to social and economic success for all students, regardless of factors such as race, nationality or religion,” the minister said.
During the ceremony, students with the highest scores in each respective subject were honoured as well.
This year’s examinations will mark the 21st anniversary of the BGCSE exams.