Nation’s Top CXC Scholar receives US$500 cheque

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – IN commendation of her incredible success at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams, Xavienne-Roma Richardson was awarded the US Embassy-Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) National Award for Outstanding CSEC Performance yesterday (Feb. 3) at the Basseterre High School (BHS).

The award is a joint initiative between the US Embassy in Barbados and CXC, and consists of a cash prize of US$500 and a plaque.

Richardson, a past BHS student and current pupil of the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College, wrote her CSEC examinations in 2008 and achieved nine Grade One passes and one Grade Two. She was deemed the Federation’s Top CXC Scholar on the basis of those results.

In a brief ceremony at her alma mater, she was presented with her prizes by CXC Deputy Chairman Osmond Petty and the Embassy’s Consul General, Nicole Theriot.

Petty gave some insight into the conceptualisation of the awards, noting the US Embassy had approached them in June 2008 with the idea of further encouraging excellence and honour in education. 

“CXC had entered an era of a new strategic vision which included strategic partnerships with a variety of stakeholders aimed at adding value to the Council’s examinations. Therefore, CXC was receptive to the Embassy’s approach and we see the presentations of these awards as another proud chapter in CXC’s distinguished history,” Petty said.

Theriot revealed that similar awards would be presented to other islands around the region, including Antigua and Barbuda, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Grenada, Barbados and Dominica. She praised Richardson for her achievement and commended her teachers, school administrators and parents for their assistance in her pursuit of excellence.

The Consul General also disclosed that the US Embassy had donated several books about prominent African-American historical figures to BHS in honour of Black History Month. BHS Vice-Principal Carlene Henry-Morton thanked the Embassy for its generosity and said the books would be useful in re-establishing the school’s library.

Speaking directly to Richardson, Henry-Morton stated that the school was “very, very proud” of her and that she had given it “much recognition”.

Richardson thanked the US Embassy and CXC for the honour and identified cooking and law as two of the potential career paths she would like to pursue.