Khadejah Blanchette cops top spot in Test of Standards
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – We had a 15-minute interview and that was the first time I met her but she left a lasting impression. She is but 12-years-old and she has already expressed interest in neurosurgery as a possible career path.
But for now, she stands as the student who for the Test of Standards 2011 examinations, gained herself the highest score among the hundreds of students in St. Kitts and Nevis who sat the examinations.
Meet Khadejah Blanchette, an unassuming 12-year-old who recently concluded her primary-level education at the Seventh Day Adventist School and who on Monday, September 5, 2011, joined the Washington Archibald High School (WAHS) family in form 1A1.
Graduating as valedictorian of the Seventh Day Adventist Sixth Grade 2011 class, Blanchette expressed to SKNVibes the emotions she experienced when she learnt of her accomplishments.
Each child sitting Test of Standards Examinations is examined in four subject areas: Mathematics, English, Science and Social Studies. According to Blanchette, she had some difficulty with English but still managed to cop top position. She scored 100 percent in Social Studies, 93 in Science, 91 in Mathematics and 75 in English.
“English was a bit hard for me but the others were easy. I feel surprised but not that surprised. I was confident in myself so I am not that surprised with my performance. It is sort of normal for me. But it is still not sort of normal. When my father found out, he told me that the Principal called him and told him that I was the first in the Federation.”
The high-school student says she prepared extensively for the examinations and received much assistance from her immediate family and her teachers.
“Both of my Grade teachers prepared my class and I also got help from my parents, Keithly and Charmaine Blanchette, my brother, Keicharm and my aunty, Sonia Hector… she helped me with Mathematics. It was a family effort. I share my success with my family because they really helped me. Maybe I would have been the first without their help but I would not have gotten the amount of marks that I got.”
Her favourite subject is Science and although it is not etched in stone, Blanchette told this media house that for now, her mind is set on neurology as a career path.
“My favourite subject is science. I am not that sure of what I want to be when I grow up but I am thinking of being a neurosurgeon which is a surgeon that works in the central nervous system. I got interested because in Science, I learnt about the central nervous system and our teacher explained to us what goes on in that system and I always wanted to be a medical doctor so I chose that.”
Excited about tackling her new level of education, Blanchette has indicated that she will employ the same strategy she used for the past seven years of her schooling noting that, “I will just have to work harder because it’s a higher level.”
As young as she is, she readily acknowledged that she could not have accomplished what she had without the help of God, to whom she first gave thanks.
“I give thanks to God for giving me the skill of knowledge and I want to thank my parents and my entire family, for encouraging me to do my best and being the best that I can be. My teachers helped me a lot to prepare for these exams and I want to thank them as well.”
Keithly Blanchette, Khadejah’s father and teacher at Seventh Day Adventist School, said he has observed his child since she began her schooling and realised that she is one who has been blessed with a large measure of internal motivation. He said she has never been one who has had to be prompted to tackle her school work and was one who always strove for excellence.
Mr. Blanchette’s words took me immediately to those of the great Greek Philosopher, Aristotle, who said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.”
Obviously proud of his little girl’s achievement, Blanchette says he and his family would continue supporting her through the length and breadth of her education and while they place no pressure on her to achieve, they expect great things from her.
Recently, Khadejah was rewarded for her performance and was presented with the Melvin Edwards Excellence Awards by the St. Kitts Co-operative Credit Union Ltd.
She was asked for her favourite quote and with ease, she recalled and recited it…after all, the last seven years of her education were built upon it and it is the motto of her primary school, “Nihil Nisi Optimum” which means, “Nothing but the best”.
