THREE female students are this year’s recipient of TANG GSAT Math Scholarships after each scoring 100 per cent in mathematics in the recent high school placement examination — the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT).

The girls — Tivonia Daley, Kayanda Gooden Smith and Arecia Burgess — were each awarded a $50,000 scholarship to pursue studies at the Immaculate Conception High, Montego Bay High School, and Glenmuir High School, respectively, at an award ceremony Monday at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston.

Rosalee Gage-Grey, CEO of the Child Development Agency (CDA) and guest speaker at the ceremony, lauded the girls and encouraged them to continue to set goals and stick to them.

“You need to start to think about that thing that you want to do the most in the world. And whatever that thing is stick to it. When things are getting harder, let those things that you love be your motivation to push on and excel.

“Make self-discipline a habit [as] too often we are swayed by what our friends think . Self-discipline is not necessarily something you are born with, it something you can learn to do,” said Gage-Grey.

She also encouraged the parents to continue to participate in their children’s well-being as high school is not a feat easily mastered.

“Your child might be coming from a different environment than the persons they meet at school, and if they are not adequately prepared then they could have some issues. It is important, as we say at the CDA, that you know your child that if you’ve seen any adjustments, any at all, you must know what is happening and can ask,” said Gage-Grey.

TANG scholarship awardee, Arecia Burgess, said she was excited to receive the award, and encouraged future GSAT students who are scared of math to embrace the subject because it needed in any job.

“At first I was scared of math, but like any other subject I worked hard at it. One of the things that I try to do is help people to understand, because you feel good and and also learn because sometimes I do not remember how to do a math and when I help it is reinforced,” said Burgess.

Burgess also received high grades in science, 97 per cent; social studies 95 per cent; language arts, 99 per cent; and communication task, 12/12.

Tivonia Daley scored 100 per cent in science; 100 per cent in social studies; 99 per cent in language arts; and 11/12 in communication task. Kayandra Gooden-Smith scored 98 per cent in science; 98 per cent in social studies; 96 per cent in language arts; and 11/12 in communication task.

Shellian Thompson, brand manager of TANG, distributed by Facey Commodity Company Limited, said the beverage brand is committed to continue supporting the development of mathematics in Jamaica.

“Math is a feared subject and a lot of students have basically shied away from it, and [so] a lot of us have not really done well [in the subject]. So, it is a way to award students who have done exceptionally well, and hopefully get others to be interested in it and strive to do well at the subject,” said Thompson.

This is the sixth time TANG is giving the award.

The average GSAT scores in mathematics for the years 2014, 2015 and 2016 were 60, 56 and 58 per cent, respectively, according to performance reports done by the Education System Transformation Programme.

— Jovaney Ashman