WHEN Demoni Ellis entered the exam room to sit Caribbean Secondary Examination Council (CSEC) English A on May 19 this year, her aim was to do her best. Little did she know that her best would have secured her the top place in Jamaica, let alone the Caribbean.

Ellis is one of three Glenmuir High School students, the others being Shauntelle Edwards and Shanaya Whittle, to rank among the top 10 in the Caribbean in the 2015 sitting of CSEC English A. Edwards, who got an additional award for best short story, placed third while Whittle came in it eighth.

“I still have not come to grips as yet with the news. I had to work hard but it would not have been possible without the assistance of my teachers,” Ellis told the Jamaica Observer on a visit to the school last week.

On the short story win, Edwards, who appeared equally modest, said she has been a good storyteller for as long as she can remember, but was not sure she had derived the perfect formula, ie, added the right amount of creativity to win the award.

“I didn’t expect to win,” she told Career & Education. “In fact, it was the furthest thing from my mind. So, when I heard I was in a state of shock.”

Both students agreed that the input of their teachers was critical to their success.

“Mr Samms and my other teachers, such as our head of department Miss Mair, ensured that we understood all the topics that we had to complete even if it meant completing activities outside of class and asking them to look at it. But it required a lot of practice,” Ellis said.

She explained that good teacher-student chemistry is characteristic of the Glenmuir experience.

“The fact that our teachers are there for us and we are allowed to ask them for assistance without fear of being rejected. We are allowed to approach them out of regular class time for them to give us feedback and advice, and I think that it is a plus for us,” she added.

Head of the English Department at the institution, Renee Mair, gave credence to Ellis’ argument that the students’ achievement is as a result of a collaborative effort.

“We are very grateful, we are very pleased but it definitely has been a collective effort in terms of the full gamut of teaching staff because even though the teachers at the upper school have the final leg of the relay, essentially it’s the strong foundation at the lower school that enables them to do so well,” Mair stated.

She said the teacher-student relationship, coupled with the quality of instruction, is a very integral part of the five-year path of continued excellence in English language that Glenmuir has been able to maintain.

Mair said one of the things she appreciates most about the institution is the fact that the success rates are a reflection of the quality instruction provided, which doesn’t create a reliance on extra lessons.

Edwards and Ellis said they have both been receiving an overwhelming level of recognition and encouragement from family, friends and even strangers who have been inspired by their achievements. The students said it has in turn motivated them as they get ready to tackle their Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations next year.