WITH smiles as bright as their Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) performances, the star students were hard to miss as the Jamaica Observer vehicle pulled up to the grounds of Ensom City Primary School in Spanish Town, on Wednesday.

The students – Shantay Williams, Samantha Ellis, Vanessa Harris, head boy Jordan-Brian Sterling, and Roberto Morgan – made history for their school, each student scoring averages no less than 99 per cent in the recent sitting of the GSAT exams.

Principal Pauline Banton regarded their performance as a fitting parting gift, as she will be going on pre-retirement leave at the end of the school year, after 41 years in the profession, 35 of which she spent at Ensom City. Five of those have been at the helm.

“I could not have desired better,” she said, smiling. “It is an excellent performance.”

Williams, who scored a perfect 100 and will be attending Campion College in September, said her achievement was the result of hard work.

“I felt great because I know that I worked hard for it, so I knew that I must achieve it,” she said.

Describing their preparation for the high school entrance exam, the students noted certain sacrifices they had to make.

“I had to study. I had to cut out some of the TV that I used to watch. I had to make sacrifices to make sure that I got the ideal score,” said Ellis, who scored an average of 99.8 per cent and who will be attending Glenmuir High School.

The students, who are on different shifts, were taught by Greg Rhule and Audrey Lewis. They attended mandatory extra classes, which went either from 9:00 am to 12 noon, or 12 noon to 3:00 in the afternoon, depending on the shift. They also attended weekend classes.

The students said that their teachers were very diligent in helping them to prepare.

“If we don’t understand something, Miss Lewis would make sure to go over it with us until we understand,” said Ellis. They also noted Rhule’s use of past papers.

All the students found language arts the most difficult of the papers, while mathematics and science were regarded as the easiest. Interestingly, all but one of them want to become doctors.

In terms of extra-curricular activities, the students were members of the mathematics club, which lead them to participate in the University of the West Indies’ Mathematics Olympics competition.

For his part, Rhule said it was difficult to get the students up to par, but in the end, they surpassed expectations.

“It was difficult because many came from grade five very complacent. Many struggled at first,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Williams said she would advise the incoming grade six students to work hard, her performance being proof that a perfect score is not impossible.