Three mothers in the quiet community of Bath, St Thomas, are celebrating academic success after passing this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) English A examination under the tutelage of the principal of their children’s school.

Principal of Bath Primary School Devmarie Blake-Brown provided free lessons and support and also secured sponsorship to cover their examination fees.

All three women ultimately secured grades one, two and three and are expressing gratitude for the initiative, which they believe will serve as a springboard to greater academic and personal achievement.

Chanique Ewen, who earned a grade two, told JIS News that she immediately expressed interest when Blake-Brown posted details of the opportunity in the parents’ WhatsApp group.

“I did not have English and it was at the school and I live nearby… so that’s one of the reasons why I did it,” she explained.

Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) President Mickiesha Harris-Roberts, who earned a grade three and was pregnant at the time, said she did not initially put herself forward. However, at the insistence of Blake-Brown and her older daughter, she decided to “take the push”.

Similarly, Venice Hunter, who secured a grade one on her first sitting of a major examination, credits the school principal for encouraging her to attend classes and take the exam.

“When I saw it in the group, I texted her, and I said, ‘How much?’ and she said, ‘It’s free.’ I told her I was too old and she said ‘No, you’re going to do it’,” Hunter recalled.

The women told JIS News that classes were conducted before and after school and online. Week after week they completed past papers and other assignments, all while overcoming their own personal challenges.

Ewen found that managing her lessons alongside helping her two children with their homework was no easy feat.

Harris-Roberts said she, too, had challenges.

“At one point I told myself that I can’t manage because, at the time I was in my first trimester of pregnancy, and that trimester was very rough. I felt sick and, like, I did not have the strength. But my big daughter was around and she always encouraged me,” she explained.

Harris-Roberts said she stayed the course to set a positive example for her daughter, who was also preparing to sit the same examination as a grade 10 student.

“That push came from my daughter because me, being her parent and sitting down and willingly saying that I am going to just leave this, it’s like I was telling her that ‘You don’t have to push through with anything’,” Harris-Roberts said.

Reflecting on the examination, she joked, “I thought I would turn red and white! I ate so many mint balls because I was feeling so sick.”

Harris-Roberts added that the support of the other women proved to be a source of strength and encouragement, particularly as they sat the examination together at Seaforth High School in the parish.

For Hunter, the initial moments of the examination were nerve-racking, but her anxiety quickly subsided when she realised that much of the content had been covered in past papers and class work.

Her impressive grade one result in the subject was a source of excitement and pride when the examination results were released earlier this month.

“I was very excited and I felt happy. I have something to put on paper now,” she said.

The three mothers who passed the 2026 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) English A examination, after being tutored by principal of Bath Primary School in St Thomas Devmarie Blake-Brown, are (from left) Venice Hunter, Chanique Ewen and Mickiesha Harris-Roberts. (Photo: JIS)

Harris-Roberts said she was moved to tears when her daughter checked the results and told her she had passed the examination, adding that she plans to pursue social studies next.

She strongly believes that learning is a lifelong journey and that individuals should never stop striving to improve themselves through education.

“Growing up, I got only one chance in high school and I encountered financial strains. I didn’t have anybody to send me back when I came out of high school with two subjects… so I settled with what I had,” she shared.

Reflecting on the experience, Harris-Roberts said she learned that education has no age limit.

“Not because you have two, three kids going to school — the financial strain is going to be there, yes — but in the same way you make sacrifices for your kids to get an education, why not do it for yourself as well,” she argued.

The women heaped praise on Principal Blake-Brown, describing her as the motivator and a driving force behind their success.

“We pushed through and we did well and we made her proud. We are glad we did,” Hunter said.

Ewen told JIS News that Blake-Brown has made a significant impact in the community since her arrival at the school, adding that they are grateful for everything she has done for them.

An educator for more than 20 years, Blake-Brown is no stranger to remarkable academic success stories.

In 2024, she made headlines after tutoring her own son to a grade two in CSEC English A at just 11 years old.

Now in her first stint as principal, Blake-Brown said community engagement is high on her agenda.

“When I came to this community I realised that it was important to actually get the parents involved in the process of learning. You’re able to understand what their capabilities are and to transmit that to their children so that the success was not confined to students but also [extended to] the parents,” she said.

To facilitate the women’s participation in the examination, fellow educator and Morant Bay High School Vice-Principal Marsha Ford-Bryan provided sponsorship, while Blake-Brown personally covered a portion of the costs.

Drawing on her years of experience teaching adults, Blake-Brown said it was not difficult to teach the women and to help them realise that they could succeed if they applied themselves and remained committed to their goals.

She said that when she saw the women’s results, she was overwhelmed.

“I remember when Mickiesha sent me a message… that tears were in her eyes. It speaks to the fact that you never know how impactful you can be in somebody’s life unless you make that effort to make that connection with them,” the principal said.

Blake-Brown shared that she is considering expanding the initiative to include other interested residents of the community, in addition to parents of students at the school. She added that she would also like to introduce reading classes for ancillary staff.

“The school rests on the shoulder of the community. I believe that it’s a very, very important thing for the community and the school to share a partnership. That’s one of my mantras… that whatever I’m doing, the community must be a part of it so that we all move this school together,” the principal declared.

— JIS