St Catherine scholar to attend dream school in September
Whenever she passed the gates of St Catherine High School, Amelia Brown always told her mother “This is the school I want to attend.”
Now, an overjoyed Amelia has got her wish and worked hard to make her dream come true, as she will be donning the school’s sky-blue tunic in September, having aced her Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations. Amelia hails from the Kitson Town community and attended Kitson Town Primary School. She took PEP a year early, at grade five. Reading teacher at Kitson Town Primary, Mariana Francis, pointed out that Amelia has always been an overachiever. Francis recalled that when Amelia entered school at grade one, she found that she was reading above her grade level and recommended that she be moved to grade two before the end of the academic year.
“She [continued] to progress. I am very delighted that she did well,” she said, while also hailing Amelia’s mother, Mellissa Brown, for her strong involvement in her daughter’s education.
“She is one of those parents that most schools would love to have, in terms of showing interest in their children,” Francis said.
Amelia credits her success to God, hard work, and the dedication and support of her mother and teachers. She also expressed gratitude for the financial assistance provided by educator Euton Gordon, who provided a $100,000 bursary to assist students from the early-childhood to secondary levels, most of whom are from Kitson Town, where he grew up.
Gordon’s support will ease the financial pressure on Brown, who does some ancillary work at Kitson Town Primary but does not have a full-time job. Admitting that she faces financial challenges, Brown told JIS News that “I really appreciate... that someone has reached out to help when we need it the most. I feel good. I didn’t know such a thing could happen for her”. She lauded the teachers at the school, who have stood with her and her daughter through challenging times.
Gordon said that he started the bursary three years ago with $30,000, to assist students from the two primary schools that he attended – Guanaboa Vale and Kitson Town – who are placed at his alma mater, St Catherine High.