Boy and girl get President’s Medals

TWO hundred students have been awarded national scholarships, with the two President’s Medal going to a boy from south and a girl from the north. The boy, Dennis Ramdass of Naparima College, received the President’s Medal for Mathematics/Science and Environmental Science. The girl, Marissa Leung, won the President’s Medal for all other subject areas, making it a first for Providence Girls’ Catholic school. Both students have received open scholarships in Mathematics and Business respectively, and are already at foreign universities. There were 21 open scholarships. Three each in Business, Language, Modern Studies, Mathematics, Science, Environmental and Drama. Of those students, eight were ranked among the top ten in the world by Cambridge.

They included Sacha Fortune of St George’s College, Port-of-Spain, Sindy Singh of Holy Faith Convent, Penal, Avisha Panchu of Lakshmi Girls’ High School, Dennis Ramdass, Nirvan Singh and Devon Kyle Indar of Presentation College, Chaguanas, Adele Fortune of St Joseph’s Convent, Port-of-Spain and Anushka Ramjag and Melinda Nancoo of St Augustine Girls’ High School (SAGHS). The girls from SAGHS, together with school-mate Sarah Ramjit, made a clean sweep in the Environment category. Forty two additional scholarships were also awarded in the same categories as the open scholarships, plus seven students based on the world rank order. Tonya Rowley of Bishop Anstey High School, daughter of Housing Minister Dr Keith Rowley, was among those students. One hundred and thirty-seven further additional scholarships were also awarded.

St Joseph’s Convent in Port-of-Spain got the most scholarships with a total of 27, followed by Naparima Girls’ College in San Fernando with 26. Presentation College in Chaguanas got 19 as did Lakshmi Girls’ High School and Bishop Anstey High School, and SAGHS got 12. Couva Government Secondary got seven scholarships, including two in the additional scholarship category. Getting one scholarship were Northeastern College student Krishendath Ramlochan (additional Modern Studies), Upper Level Educational Institute’s Giselle Landeau  (Business), Trinity College’s Walede Coppin (Drama) blind boy wonder Mikkel Trestrail of Corpus Christi College (World Rank Order), and Iere High School student Amrika Doolarchan.  The release from the Ministry of Education said the scholarships were awarded based on the 2004 A’ level results on the basis of the recommendations made by the University of Cambridge local examinations syndicate.