Saturday, March 6, 2010

                             Shantal Pellington, one of the honorees for academic achievement

                             being presented with her award by Michael Caballero, a representative

                             of The Excelsior Foundation for Excellence

Shantal Pellington, Curtis Lewis and Tommy Gooden, three students who recently distinguished themselves in academics were saluted by the Excelsior Foundation for Excellence during Jamaica Day observance at the school on Friday, February 26, 2010.

The three were deemed by the Foundation to have met its stringent criteria for academic achievement. In recognition of their stellar academic performances, the students were presented with trophies, plaques and some J$20,000.00 in book vouchers courtesy of the New York-based group.

Shantal Pellington was awarded after being adjudged to have written the best short story in the Caribbean during the recent Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) English Exams; while Curtis Lewis and Tommy Gooden were saluted for building a computer system in record time at the recent Teens for Technology Conference. The presentation of the awards was met with wild applause by the assembled student body.

Speaking on behalf of the school, Vice Principal, Rev. Michael Lewis thanked the Foundation for its generosity and implored the students to continue to aim for excellence. He warned the students that eyes were upon them and urged them to always strive for distinction in their schoolwork so that they too could be publicly acknowledged for their academic performance.

The function which doubled as a medal ceremony for performances on the recently held Sports Day, also witnessed trophies and medals being awarded to a number of students athletes for outstanding performance.

Michael Caballero, who had travelled to Jamaica with the medals on behalf of the Excelsior Foundation for Excellence, participated in the presentation and addressed the students. Additional medals were also furnished by other members of the Excelsior family.

According to its convener, Leonard Mason, the mission of the fledgling Excelsior Foundation for Excellence is to help restore Excelsior to its accustomed position as a much sought-after flagship of academic excellence.

By the public recognition of achievement, he said, the group hopes to help foster an appreciation for excellence in achievement and to assist in once again making its alma mater a crown jewel in the Jamaican educational arena.