Kimona Barnes rewarded for burning the midnight oil

WESTERN BUREAU:

For Kimona Barnes, her decision to burn the proverbial midnight oil in preparation for the 2020 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations has paid off handsomely as it has earned her the annual Seymour Panton Award, which goes to the most successful student at Rusea’s High School in Hanover.

“It was a good feeling to get the award, honestly, because from seventh grade, going to the prize-giving, there was always this one big trophy there, and I was always like ‘I want that to be me, I want to be receiving that trophy’,” said the reflective 17-year-old Barnes, the valedictorian for Rusea’s High School’s Class of 2020.

The prestigious award, which is named in honour of outstanding alumnus, Seymour Panton, a well-respected judge and retired Court of Appeal president, is held in high esteem at the Lucea-based school as a symbol of academic excellence.

Barnes made it very difficult for the other students who might have been eyeing the award as her perfect record, which saw her sitting eight CSEC examination papers – biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, advanced mathematics, English A, geography, and agricultural science – and walking away with grade one passes, clearly set her apart.

However, it should be noted that successes did not come easily for Barnes, who hails from the Ginger Hill community in Dias, Hanover. According to her, she had to put in several hours of work each day while navigating the challenges of having no face-to-face schooling due to the Government’s COVID-19 restrictions.

STUDIED PAST PAPERS

“There was this group of friends I had, and we had study classes every day. We studied the past papers and explained stuff to each other, and it was an all-day thing because we studied from morning, took breaks, and then studied again straight back to midnight,” said Kimona, who will be remaining at Rusea’s in her transition to sixth form.

“The only challenge was to get data plans and to deal with the distractions in the household. Even though we were not allowed to have face-to-face classes, teachers still went out and did Zoom classes and they tried to make it work, so it was okay,” said Kimona, who is aspiring to become a pharmacist.

Sadie Barnes, Kimona’s grandmother, recounted how her granddaughter would spend so much time studying that she would have to persuade her to take time to rest. “Kimona was so dedicated to her work, and she did not waste any time with it. Sometimes I had to ask her to give the books a little break and get a little rest, and sometimes all through the night I had to beg her to rest,” said Barnes. “From the beginning of her school life, she has had that potential, wanting to reach the highest heights and that nobody is supposed to pass her. She just wants to go higher and higher.”