WHILE many students admit that they fear mathematics, it is the love of Danielle Tucker’s life.

“I love mathematics!” she exclaims. “The only subject I like is maths, but I have to do well in the rest of them.”

Little wonder then, that the 15-year-old third former earned a distinction in the 2015 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate mathematics exam, with ‘A’ in all profiles. She also sat English Language, but got grade 2.

“I feel good and excited,” the Ferncourt High School student told the Jamaica Observer in an interview recently.

“I’m good at maths so I expected to do well, but when I got a one I was surprised,” she gushed.

Her parents are as proud as peacocks.

“I’m more than excited. I feel good. I’m a proud mother,” Margaret Tucker said, adding that Danielle’s father was in similar celebratory mood.

“Him excited; he show it more than me,” Mrs Tucker said of her husband.

The elder Tucker pointed out that Danielle, her first child, has been excelling from her days at Claremont All-Age School, from where she excelled at the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) and was placed at Fern Court High School. She scored 97 per cent in the mathematics component of the test and was awarded the Rev’d Lenworth Sterling trophy for outstanding achievement in GSAT mathematics.

Rev’d Sterling, principal of Ferncourt High, partnered with Claremont All-Age to make the annual award in a bid to motivate students to do well at mathematics, an area which many find challenging.

The outstanding student has also been going to the Math Olympiad at the University of the West Indies since grade seven.

Mrs Tucker said her daughter has not only been excelling at mathematics, but has been doing exceptionally well in all subject areas. She not only topped her class while in grades seven and eight, she also emerged at the top of each grade.

“She is a girl who always works well,” the mother said.

She is particularly pleased that her daughter was able to excel in spite of the challenges she faced during the time she was preparing to sit the examinations. While walking to school one day last November, the teen was hit by a car from behind. That accident forced her to stay away from school for about one month. Prior to that the teen caught the Chik-V and was forced to stay home.

“I missed out on normal classes and evening classes. When I was at home, I couldn’t really do anything so when I came back to school I was pressured,” she said, explaining that for the first time, she placed third in her class.

“From grade seven, I always get over 80 per cent average and after the accident, it was 80 flat,” she said, admitting it left her disappointed.

“From grade seven she always coming first and this time she came third so she cried. But she did well,” her mother said, she was still proud of her and continued to motivate her.

Mrs Tucker, who said as a student she didn’t do as well as her daughter is now doing, told Career & Education that another reason she is proud of Danielle is that she excels even without her help in school, and so she shares her own personal stories to motivate her to do well. She said she was also proud of her daughter because she has done well although she is unable to assist her at home.

“Although mi can’t help her, mi sit down with her and when she feel sleepy I run two joke,” the elder Tucker said. “I tell her all kind of stories to motivate her.”

“Mommy always pushes me; she always say mi can do this and mi can do that… I don’t know how I would do it without Mommy,” the teenager added.

Her grandmother is also part of Danielle’s support system.

The mother said the numerous trophies Danielle has at home prove that the support is critical for the child, who not only excels at academics, but who has been involved in extra-curricular activities as well. She won the Miss Claremont All-Age pageant while she was a student at the institution, and later went on to win Mini Miss South East St Ann. Danielle is a member of the Principal’s Distinction Club, and an active member of Claremont Seventh-day Adventist church, where she is a part of the Pathfinder Club. She is also good at visual arts and “is a great artist”, according to her mother

“Right now mi a plan fi build something on the wall to keep them,” the proud mother said of the trophies.

Danielle wants to become an accountant and plans to pursue her studies at the University of the West Indies.

“Her teachers always love her. She is good-behaving, quiet and soft-spoken,” said her mother.

Principal Sterling was also happy about Danielle’s accomplishment.

“We are very elated. When I started this award three years ago I wasn’t anticipating that any of them would have been doing maths at grade nine,” he said.

He explained that the award at Claremont All-Age school was to motivate students to do well at mathematics so that when they get to the CSEC level, the foundation for excellence would have already been laid.

“I was expecting her to do well, but I didn’t expect these profiles,” he said.

Rev’d Sterling said there are plans for a group of outstanding past students to visit Claremont All-Age in a bid to continue to motivate students to do well. Tucker is expected to be part of the group.

The principal said 2015 has been an outstanding year in mathematics for the school which saw a 22 per cent increase in the number of students who passed the subject. This included students in grades nine and 10.

Sterling said the improvement can be attributed to the work of the teachers, who were guided by mathematics coach from the Ministry of Education, Romaine Thomas. He is expected to continue with Ferncourt this school year.