Petersfield Primary and Infant School in Westmoreland is celebrating a strong showing in this year’s Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations, even as it continues to recover from the effects of Hurricane Melissa, which severely damaged the institution and has disrupted teaching and learning for months.
The school’s top-performing girl, Kaliyah Hall, attained a score of 374.1 out of 400, while top-performing boy, Anjardo Munroe, earned 350.8. Both students scored 94 in the Ability Test.
Several other students achieved scores above the 300 mark, with nearly all securing placement at one of their preferred secondary schools. Five students gained entry to Manning’s School, including the top-performing boy and girl, while others were placed at institutions such as Belmont Academy, St. Hilda’s Diocesan High School, Petersfield High School and Godfrey Stewart High School.
Principal, Dr. Susan Rattray-Hammond, told JIS News that the results reflect the determination of students, the commitment of teachers and the support provided by parents throughout a particularly difficult academic year.
“We are quite pleased with the performance of our students because, as everyone knows, Petersfield being in Westmoreland and the western part of the region that was hardest hit with the passing of Hurricane Melissa, our students had a number of challenges,” she said.
The principal noted that many students continue to face difficulties in their home environments, including limited access to electricity and internet connectivity.
“Some of them are still without electricity at home, some of them are still without internet connectivity, but I must commend the parents because they made it work. They did their part, they gave their support and we can celebrate our students’ performance and success in the exam,” Dr. Rattray-Hammond said.
She also applauded members of staff who implemented additional interventions to help students remain academically engaged.
“I commend my staff for the hard work that they put in, the extra lessons, the Saturday classes, the additional resources that they sourced for the students, shared on the Google Classroom, and shared in WhatsApp groups,” she said.
Dr. Rattray-Hammond outlined that the school community continues to grapple with the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, which left both families and the institution facing significant hardships.
“[Hurricane] Melissa came and left us in total devastation. The school was significantly damaged, we lost a lot of our resources, and while we suffered damage at school, we all suffered damage at home,” she said.
“A number of our children were homeless; a number of our staff were homeless. Some of us still have tarpaulins on our roofs and we still have that at school,” the Principal added.
She outlined that the recovery process required constant adjustments, with teaching schedules often being dictated by weather conditions and the limitations of temporary learning spaces.
“So, I’m saying that our children, the odds that they overcame to succeed is enormous,” Dr. Rattray-Hammond emphasised.
The educator argued that the results demonstrate the resilience of the students and the collective effort of parents, teachers and community partners who worked together to ensure that learning continued despite the challenges.
