‘I feel like a champion’ - 11-y-o bright spark celebrates City & Guilds success as he prepares for PEP, CSEC
Published:Tuesday | February 2, 2021 | 12:13 AMJudana Murphy/Gleaner Writer
Eleven-year-old Dreshaun Napier has demonstrated sheer brilliance by achieving a distinction in City & Guilds mathematics Level 2 – which is normally done in fourth form – on his first attempt.
The Kemet-Maasai Academy student admitted that when he was much younger, he found mathematics very challenging, but his father was persistent in pushing him to excel in the subject.
His mother, Russhana Reid, told The Gleaner that she came across an interview on CVM at Sunrise with Principal Kamau Mahakoe discussing the academic achievements of her son, Kuti.
Impressed by what she saw, the mother of then two-year-old Dreshaun went on a quest to find the Portmore-based private school.
WATCH: 11-y-o bright spark celebrates City and Guilds success
It took her two years to find the institution, and after three weeks of summer school, he was accepted, even though the usual enrolment age was five.
It was by mere chance that Dreshaun was registered to sit the exam that he eventually aced.
His teacher was assisting two grade eight students with their preparation, and without much thought, administered a practice test to all students.
Dreshaun scored 78 per cent, which was the highest grade among students.
The young student recalled that he was nervous about the exam he sat last October, particularly because he would be in a room with candidates who were much older.
“I was very proud of myself, and I felt like a champion,” he said, reflecting on when he heard his results.
Don’t give up
To those struggling with the subject, he said: “Do your best, put out the effort, and don’t give up.”
This year, he will tackle the Primary Exit Profile, along with mathematics, English A, and human and social biology at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) level.
He hopes to gain a place at Campion College or Ardenne High School.
Principal Mahakoe said the institution had its genesis 23 years ago as a home school for her children, and because of their achievements nationally and regionally, she began offering extra lessons.
“At four and five years, he was plotting linear graphs and learning how to plot quadratic graphs, which people do in fourth and fifth form,” she said of Dreshaun’s early years.
“I said to myself and, eventually, his mom, if he can get 78 with no preparation, he could certainly manage it. We signed him up for level two, but when we got the past papers for level three, he was getting the same 90s and 100s, so I’m almost positive that if we had signed him up for level three, he would’ve gotten a distinction just the same,” the principal revealed.
She noted that during preparation classes, he was also able to complete two full papers in one sitting.
Her school’s mandate is for students to leave grade six with at least three CSEC subjects.
“In grade one, we start introducing them to the basics of mathematics, human and social biology, and English language, in addition to their regular grade-level work,” she explained.
As part of the curriculum, students are engaged in a course called black achievers, exploring personalities who have achieved greatness, many of whom are children.
“They see that it is possible. They study about children who have gone to university at 10 and do GCE at six. We know what we are asking of them, and we know that in order to get them to that level, they must be motivated, and they must have nurturing and that constant voice in their head saying, ‘You can do it,” she shared.
Dreshaun’s mother pointed out that she has always allowed the principal to take the lead where his academics are concerned while she provides the requisite support.
“From the day of the exam, he brought some kind of comfort. He said, ‘Mommy, it’s just too easy for two hours,” the mother said, adding that he had used 45 minutes to complete the paper and slept for the remainder of the time.
“The results weren’t very straightforward, but then I ‘buck up’ the word ‘distinction’, and I screamed. I was at work and I lost it, totally ... . This school isn’t the ordinary. It’s passion, consistency, and motivation on a daily basis, and I think it really does something,” she reasoned.