STUDENTS of Campion College won six out of seven scholarships offered by the Government to universities for 2011, underscoring the school’s status as one of Jamaica’s leading secondary institutions based on academic performance.

The outstanding students from Campion and the scholars won are:

* Kory Jaggon, Jamaica Scholarship (Male);

* Brittany Bromfield, Jamaica Scholarship (Female);

* Melissa Munroe, Jamaica Independence Open Scholarship (open to both genders);

* Stefan Serju, Jamaica Independence Scholarship (Male);

* Peta-Gaye Phillips, Jamaica Centenary Scholarship (Female); and

* Jessica Simpson, Jamaica Adult Suffrage Open Scholarship (open to both genders).

Herona Thompson of Immaculate Conception High School was awarded the Jamaica Independence (Female) Scholarship, thereby denying Campion a clean sweep of all seven Government scholarships this year.

According to information from the Ministry of Education’s website, students applied for the scholarships in March last year, and were required to submit copies of their exam passes to the ministry. The scholarships are open to students born in Jamaica or whose parents lived in the island for the past five years, if the student was not born here.

Applicants for the scholarships were also required to list extra-curricular activities and positions held while at school, as well as references.

Philbert Dhyll, assistant chief education officer in the Ministry of Education, told Career & Education that the scholarship covers all tuition for whatever programme of study the student is pursuing at university, along with a $60,000-maintenance grant and a book allowance of $15,000.

He said most of the recipients are pursuing studies at the University of West Indies, Mona, but a few have gone to the University of Technology.

However, some scholarship winners have turned down the scholarships, opting instead to study abroad — sometimes on more lucrative scholarships. Dhyll said students who choose to go abroad might be offered the equivalent scholarship money that would be paid if the student were pursuing studies here.

He said the students were required to maintain at least a B average to maintain their scholarship.

Campion consistently leads the country in passes in the critical Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) done in fifth form of high school, and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency in Education (CAPE), written in both years of sixth form.

But Campion’s critics often cite that the school has a huge advantage, as many of the highest-performing students are placed there as a result of their Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) scores.

Of 65 private sector and Government scholarship winners from the GSAT in 2011, 33 were placed at Campion.