‘Double Six’

At an institution where more than 90 per cent of the students enter grade seven unable to read, Justin Henry is hoping that his performance in this year’s sitting of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams will be an inspiration to his Denham Town High School peers.

The 18-year-old from Rose Town in downtown Kingston was successful in all six subject areas, earning him esteem as the school’s top performer, and the admiration of his schoolmates who have gleefully nicknamed him ‘Double Six’.

He was also the only student at the west Kingston-based institution to receive a passing grade in mathematics and English.

For Henry, this achievement is the accumulation of his persistence fuelled by a desire to rise above his circumstances of living in a violence-prone community.

The aspiring soldier told The Gleaner that this achievement has motivated him to continue to work hard.

“I know I can do more, and get more. It’s a great accomplishment, but I don’t feel as if I have accomplished a lot yet,” he said.

‘ALMOST GAVE UP’

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Henry, who was attending Oberlin High School in west rural St Andrew, spent a year out of the education system as he did not have the required devices to attend the virtual classes.

Although that period was very discouraging and he “almost gave up” on his schooling, the teen said he was determined to hold on to hope.

“Knowing the person that I am, I know that this COVID situation wasn’t going to last forever, so I tried as best as possible to go around to persons in the same class as me to see what they were doing,” Henry told The Gleaner.

He also attended maths and English classes that were held three times per week at a community centre in his area.

Henry’s mother, Arthurine Evans, with the help of a social worker, eventually transferred him to Denham Town High School where he enrolled in grade 10, and was able to continue his studies formally, and achieve success in his CSEC exams.

He obtained grade IIIs in Mathematics, Principles of Business, and Social Studies; a grade II in English; and grade I in Physical Education.

“The teachers were willingly helping students regardless of how intelligent you are or any reason you don’t want to learn or if they see any potential in you,” he said of the teaching staff at Denham Town High.

Evans said she is quite proud of her youngest child who has set himself apart from the others.

The 53-year-old mom works as a janitor and detailed instances where she could not even find lunch money to give him. But she said her son never complained, and she always ensured that she had a meal prepared for him when he came home from school.

Henry jokingly said he was practising “intermittent fasting” during that time, and explained that the sacrifices he witnessed his mother making inspired him to give his best effort.

‘MANIFESTATION OF WHAT IS POSSIBLE’

For school administrators, Henry’s performance is a “manifestation of what is possible” and a motivation for students, as the institution, located in the inner city of West Kingston, works purposefully to improve its performance in external examinations.

“The students come from the same community, they have the same challenges, and seeing him rise to the challenge and achieving success in all the subjects he sat, that is motivating for them and many of the children. They don’t often see themselves as being valuable and so they have low expectations of themselves,” Principal Evette Richards Thompson told The Gleaner.

She shared that this year, 66 students from Denham Town High registered to do 10 CSEC subjects. The school achieved a 59 per cent overall pass rate in CSEC examinations, compared with the 27 per cent it attained last year.

Because of the low literacy levels of students entering the institution, she said a lot of them will end up doing other external exams, such as City and Guilds, and receive National Council on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (NCTVET) certification.

This year, 53 per cent of the students were successful in the City and Guilds mathematics exams compared to 50 per cent last year. Additionally, 44 per cent achieved passing grades in English this year, compared with 34 per cent last year.

Encouraged by the steady improvement in performance, Principal Richards Thompson praised the efforts of teachers, and the school’s thrust to be more data-driven in its approach.

She noted, too, that the school is also recovering from the learning loss it experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We know that the children can do it, no matter the challenges, no matter the level that they started if they apply themselves. We know that they can achieve what Justin did and even more,” the principal declared.

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com