We are starting to get the grades in on the Treasure Beach Foundation scholarship students, and they are nothing short of spectacular.

The earliest grades have come in for our grade 7 students attending Black River High School. Both young ladies topped the charts!

Tamara Ricketts is first in her class there.

Bridget James was also first in her class at Black River.

Congratulations to these two talented and hard-working students. And thanks to all those who realize the value of education by contributing to our scholarship fund.

We will continue to post results as they are received.

Congratulations Bridget, you've done very well and I am proud of you. Keep it up. Thanks Karen and the foundation for your faithful contributions to their education.

Tamara and Bridget, FIRSTS! quite an accomplishment! Thanks to the Treasure Beach Foundation for helping to polish those beautiful brains! Good luck, girls--go far!

Congratulations to Tamara and Bridget. Well done.

We are very proud of you Bridget...great job!!
Love, Auntie Coralie & your cousin Clara

Briget,
congratulations on a well done job!!

Any more great grades in yet? I LOVE this kind of information about the students I help support.

I'll do my best to add names of other students tomorrow, but the report cards are just coming in so I may need to do this over the period of a few weeks.

Congratulations to you Bridget. I know your brother Rohan and I remember how wonderful he was in school. I think it's great you are following in his footsteps. Keep up the good work.

We have more excellent grades to report:

• Cydonie Charlton (grade 7 at Hampton) got an 82.5 average at Hampton her first term. This young lady may be a budding scientist because she received a 95 in mathematics and a 97 in physics.
• Samantha Dicker (grade 9 at Hampton) achieved an 82.3 average. This young lady scored a perfect 100 in geography!
• Stefano Hynes (grade 8 at Munro) received a 79.8 average his first term. He is also been named the form captain of his class. Plus, he is the top scorer for Munro College’s under 14 team.
• Mederana Williams (grade 10 at Hampton) continues to excel. She received a 79.9 average for her first term.

Please offer your congratulations to all these wonderful and hard-working students!!

Mederana, Stefano, Samantha, and Cydonie--
GREAT WORK! Your intelligence and hard work will make a better Jamaica and a better world. Thank you!

If memory serves, Jamaican schools use a wider grading scale that those in the US. Thus a 50% may be passing and a 79 is better than C+.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Jamaican high school grading is much more difficult than it is in the U.S. In addition. beginning with grade 9, the classes themselves become exceedingly difficult.

While we here in the U.S. are accustomed to an "A" being somewhere in the 93 or 95 to 100 range, Hampton (as an example) gives a "A" for grades between 85 and 95--and an "A-" for an 80 to 84. The most recent information I have indicates Hampton is the sixth best high school in the entire country of Jamaica; out of 163 high schools, this is quite an achievement.

So, yes, these students have truly demonstrated their expertise.

Congratulations Bridget and all the other students who have performed so well. Thanks to the teachers at Sandy Bank Primary, Black River High, Hampton and Munro. You have done well in preparing these students.

Ms Kennedy, please clarify this for me. Back in my days, High School only had 7 Grades: Grades 1 through 5 at which point we took the O'Level. If the students did well enough, they were invited back for Grade 6 and Upper 6 to take the A'Level. When you mention grades as high as Grade 10, am I right in thinking you're referencing the US system or did the Grades change in Ja.?

Please do not take this as critism but only as a genuine question from an olde timer. I admire your work, and would love to meet you in person some day.

Congratulations to all the students, and to their parents for getting them in the game.

congratulations Bridget. keep up the good work.

Oldie, you are correct. High schools in Jamaica have seven grades/years. Some of the schools refer to them by one through six--with six actually being two years: lower sixth and upper sixth. Others have started to refer to them with grade seven (meaning the year after grade six in primary school) being the first year of high school and going up from there. Depending upon the school a student attends, he might say he is in second form or in grade eight; they are both the same.

I have chosen to call the first year of high school grade seven instead of first form because it seems easier for many of our readers to understand.

Primary School Grades 1-6
High/Secondary School Grades 7 - 11 (same as Forms 1-5)
Sixth Form Grade 12 (Lower Six)
Grade 13 (Upper Six)

I figured that that was your intent Ms Kennedy. Thanks to you, and Student, for setting me straight. Best regards, and keep up the great work.

Congrats to these wonderful students.

Blessings on these fine students. Blessings on Treasure Beach Foundation for providing them the opportunity to excel.

Such wonderful news about these students. They are attending fine schools and they are excelling in their classes. I am extremely proud of them.

Cograts to you wonderful students their parents teachers and all those who help to groom them.We are proud of you all.Keep up the good work.There are much work to be done.God bless you all.

We have yet another exceptional student's grades to report:

Shakera Smith, who is in her first year at Hampton School, received an 87.9 average.

CONGRATULATIONS !!

A BIG up to you Shakera.

Way to go students! And I want to add, congratulations to Karen Kennedy and my other fellow members of the Board of TBF. Your hard work is really paying off! You deserve an "A" as well!

Shakera, I have never met you but I am proud of what you have achieved especially since this is your first year of high school. I understand Hampton is quite a difficult school. I applaud you, young lady.

Celina,
Please explain what you mean when you say that Hampton is quite a difficult school.

I meant it is quite rigorous in terms of the coursework. Students have to take a lot of subjects. The competition among students is also quite evident. This is a school for the serious student.

More Hampton students' grades have arrived. We wish to offer hearty congratulations to:

* Anath Genus - She achieved a grade point average of 86.2!

* Cydonie Charlton - She received a grade point average of 82.2.

Both young ladies got an astounding 97 in physics, admittedly a very difficult subject.

Please join me in wishing them all the best in the current term.

GREAT GRADES. You must be proud. Your parents must be proud. We are proud of both Anath and Cydonie.

VERY proud of you, Anath. I know how much encouragement your mother gave you over the years. I know how hard you study and work. Everything is paying off for you. May you continue to shine in the light of God's blessings.

I have never had the pleasure of meeting any of the students in this string. As a supporter of the Scholarship Fund, I am feeling something like a mother's pride in each student knowing I helped in some small way.

Your dad's a good friend of mine Anath, so please let him know how good it makes me feel to see you doing so well in school. Congratulations.

Another wonderful report card has arrived. This time it was from Kemelia Lyons. I am delighted to say this young lady came in first in her class at STETHS with an 89.2 avarage. She also was selected to represent her school in a mathmatic competition. In addition, this young lady plays football for STETHS--so she is extremely well-rounded: academics and sports.

She deserves hearty congratulations for her outstanding performance.

Dave Lloyd was awarded top student in his form at Munro College for the month of May. This is Dave's fourth year as Treasure Beach Foundation scholarship student, and we are very proud of his ongoing accomplishments.

Please join us in congratulating Dave for his hard work and outstanding results.

Dave, as a contributor, I offer my sincere congratulations and want you to know I am most proud of you. Keep up the excellent work. This type of performance is what inspires me to donate to Treasure Beach Foundation.

This gave me a good feeling when I read it this morning. The best to these students for their continued academic excellence.

Great news! Congratulations, Dave ... and to all the students who are working so hard. You're all an inspiration!

Excellent!

We have received final grades for the 2009-10 school year and are delighted to announce that six of our scholarship students achieved A averages. (An "A" in Jamaica is 80+; the grade point average for an A is 3.7 to 4.0.)

• Shakera Smith was our top student, receiving an overall average of 91.5 at Hampton Academy.

• Anath Genus received an average of 90, also at Hampton Academy.

• Kemelia Lyons received an 88.4 at St. Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS).

• Kimberlee Taylor received an 82.6 at Hampton Academy.

• Bridget James received an 82 at Black River High School.

• Samantha Dicker received an 81 at Hampton Academy.

Our sincere congratulations go out to these fine students—and all our other scholarship students who did so well.

In addition to attending school—and doing their homework, each of these students commutes an average of two hours per day. Also, to continue to qualify for their scholarships, they tutor another student from outside their household for several hours a week.

That's brilliant news! Well done all of you!

THIS is happy news. It is marvelous to see all these students doing so well.

Proud of them. Good luck in the coming year.

Wish this would have been in a separate string from the results from the beginning of the school year because I had trouble finding it. These students are nothing short of amazing, and this program is a great incentive and a source of pride for our community.

Some days I think my tax dollars do no good. I feel lots better when I see what my contributions have helped do.

great job keep up the good work and go for the goal shakera i know mom and dad must be very proud of yougood luck to you all

Congratulations to all these students. Please keep up the good work and endeavour to do the best that you can. Congratulations to the parents of these children. Obviously you have your childrens best interest and future at heart. To all the other students who have not done as well, PLEASE DO NOT be discouraged but make the achievements of these children be an inspiration to you to work just a little harder. I pray for continued blessings from God for the organization and all who donate to them.

Mrs Kennedy, could you say where you got that information from which indicates that Hampton is the sixth best school in Jamaica.

What is the average students have to keep up to keep the scholarship?

Congratz guys!

I am not trying to sound like a politician by saying "I'll get back to you on that," but I'm doing some research to be certain my information is up-to-date. That statistic was given to me about 18 months ago by a leading educator in Jamaica.

As soon as I get current information, I'll post it here.

Thank you for your patience.

To Bridget we are so proud of you, keep up the good work.

In order to keep up a scholarship, a student has to achieve an overall year-end grade of at least 70. This was recommended in a meeting I had with the principals of Black River, Hampton, Munro, and STETHS—and it was voted upon and approved by our BOD.

Based upon the criteria established, a student’s grades now determine the level of the scholarship they will receive for the following year.

The grades and scholarship levels are:

• 70.0 – 74.9: half scholarship
• 75.0 – 79.9: three-quarter scholarship
• 80.0 and above: full scholarship

There are some important things to keep in mind about the grades and scholarships:

• The Jamaican grading system is much more stringent than in other countries such as the US. An 80 in Jamaica is roughly equivalent to an A or A- in the US.
• The amount of the scholarship received can change from year to year. For instance, a student might start at a half scholarship and then earn a full scholarship the following year. Or, the student might be awarded a full scholarship one year and then drop to a three-quarter scholarship the next year.
• If a student achieves less than a 70, he or she receives no scholarship for the following year. However, any student suspended from the program is encouraged to re-apply if their grades improve.
• Our sincere desire is for each student to stay in the program for the entire seven years of high school, but they need to “prove themselves” each year.
• Treasure Beach Foundation scholarships are quite complete. They include uniforms, shoes, transportation, books, school supplies, activities fees, lab fees, insurance, and more.

So for them to keep a full schlarship they need to get an average over 80%?Will 2010-2011 students get scholarship?

tb, yes, to be awarded a full scholarship for the following year, the student must have a year-end grade of 80 or higher.

I am not clear what you mean with your second question. Could you please ask it again in slightly different words so I may provide an answer? Thank you.

The six top performing schools in Jamaica are from Kingston.

School ranking is normally done after the CXC and CAPE Exams.Normally in the 10, the first seven schools are in Kingston, then sometimes two of the schools in Manchester and one in Clarendon, you might find a school from another parish in the top 10, however schools in St.Elizabeth are found in the top 20.If one check the Gleaner's website go to the archive you should be able to find this information.Congratulations to all the students who are making an effort.

Will students doing the GSAT march get a scholarship?

Whats the big deal with what a school is rank my son went to Cornwall College, he took 8 subjects and pass all 8, 6 of them with 2's and 1's and im very proud of him. Look at how great all these children fron Treasure Beach are doing i am very proud of them, when you have our children from the Community that are doing as good as these kids are doing lets just be pround and not get into how high or low a school is rank.

Ebanks, i dont think anyone is making a big deal about what a school is ranked. I think it's about the correct information. I am sure everyone is pleased with the progress the students are making.Congratulations to your son.

Parent, i agree with you, no one is making a big deal about the ranking of schools. People are just trying to help. I am certain these people are interested to see how schools are doing, thats the basis on which most of us parents choose schools for our children.

One of the biggest thing right now in Treasure Beach is the ranking of school, when the child pass for certain school, some parents run around to get the child in a school they are certainly not qualified for.

I have done much research on the subject of secondary school rankings in Jamaica. Based upon everything I could find, the following is the ranking of the top secondary schools in Jamaica. These rankings are agreed upon by two leading educators in Jamaica, Dr. Dennis Minott and Mr. Howard Campbell.

• Immaculate Conception (Kingston)
• Campion College (Kingston)
• Wolmer's Girls (Kingston)
• Bishop Gibson (Mandeville)
• St. Andrew High (Kingston)
• Hampton School (Malvern, St. Elizabeth)
• Munro College (St. Elizabeth)

I am well aware that others may have different rankings for the high schools, and I am not pretending to be an expert in Jamaican education. If any readers disagree with these rankings, I am not in a position to argue with them.

I can say I have had extensive meetings with the principals of the high schools which most of our scholarship students attend (Black River, Hampton, Munro, and STETHS). I have also visited each of the schools on several occasions. As a parent, I would feel confident that my child would be able to receive an excellent education at any of these schools.

If this is true, the parents are not doing these children a favor because these children won't keep up with the rest of the class
that means the children that are qualified for this
school, have to log behind for some one that should have never been in that school in the first place.
I heard this have been going on for years, shame on these parents for doing this to there children.
why don't we let our children stay in the school
they have pass for, they will be able to
do the work they are qualify to do.A lot of the teachers are stress out with students that are in there class and can't do the work,it also let teachers look like they are not doing there job, when it is the parents making it hard for the teachers to do they jobs. SHAME ON YOU PARENTS

True words Ranks, and when the school's performance start going down, teachers get the blame.

Mrs Kennedy, where can one find this ranking, 0nce a ranking is done it is published.

Well i am glad to see Munro is back 0n the top 10 chart. Munro has always been one of the top boys' school. I was not so pleased in some of the ranking. when was this ranking published.

While the ranking may be right, certainly it cannot be based, even just marginally, on the agreement of 2 highly acclaimed educationalists. What about the tried and acceptable mathematical method of statistical analysis? I am curious as to what qualifies the rankings as this is the first I've seen this thread and have not read all the posts.I am somewhat disappointed as to schools listed ahead of my alma mater but that's life, things change. This is an interesting thread.

Yes, parents believe they are doing their child good when they get the child in a school the child is not qualified for, but its all about their (the parents) lack of confidence and low self-esteem.

I agree with you Concern. Let your child / children know that whichever school they are placed they can excel as long as they put their shoulder to the wheel and work hard. Many persons I know, including myself have gone to non-traditional high schools and are doing well. Parents need to encourage their children and help develop their self esteem.

Hampton ahead of Munro, Mrs Kennedy who did this ranking, when was it done and where can i find it.

Mrs. Kennedy allready said she had done the reserach the best she could and was in no position to argue about what she found and she also said the names from where she got the information. No responds is necessary from her.

Mrs Kennedy, I have seen the ranking you are talking about, yes Dr Minott had done his own ranking in 2003 and it was disputed by Mr Howard Campbell who is a Lecturer at University of Technology and by the ministry of Education and others that do the ranking, and corrected by Mr Campbell and others, Mr Campbell said only ten (10) out of the 148 school that was rank by Dr Minott was correct.What I would like to ask what happen to seven years of ranking, did you check to see 2004 to 2010 ranking. I would advice you to do so,this is not about the school it is about the children that are going to other school and feel that some of these school are better than there when it is not so, year back it mite have been so but not today.

enough, people are just asking where they can find the information, i dont see where anyone is arguing. Oh my God, we cant ask a question anymore.

enough, Mrs Kennedy did not say where the ranking came from or who did it, she said the ranking was agreed upon by these two men. As Mrs Kennedy stated there may be different ranking, there is ofcourse, the most recent rankings are totally different. Lets not concentrate too much on ranking, but concentrate on what the students are actually doing.