6 remarkable 5th Form students excel at CSEC & CAPE simultaneously

Six students have made history by being the largest group of students to successfully undertake sitting both the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) simultaneously while in Fifth Form.
Juvell Allan Iaisiah Atherly, Arya Devi Murli, Obama Anthony Prosper, Cassidy Singh and Shanee Josanna Kesney all from Queen’s College took on the unprecedented challenge at their school of pursuing CAPE while simultaneously preparing for their CSEC examinations.
Ricardo Ryan Thakur from the St Joesph’s High School did the same as only the third student in his school to engage in both exams simultaneously. Dominic Enoe and Suraj Charran both of St Joseph’s High did CSEC and CAPE simultaneously last year.
As far as available records indicate, this is the first time the feat has been accomplished at Queen’s College and the second known instance of a public school in Guyana allowing students to sit both examinations at this stage.
The achievement required an extraordinary level of commitment as CAPE is significantly denser in content than CSEC and the students were often required to manage overlapping timetables and balance independent study with their regular Fifth Form responsibilities.
All of these children also engage in other interests and pursuits while also preparing for the examinations.
Juvell Atherly is a pannist and a writer who just won the Guyana Prize for Literature for short stories for his story “Saltwater Does Not Forget.”
Arya Murli enjoys watching and playing cricket and the guitar and swimming. Shanee Kesney likes hiking and trying new things and Obama Prosper, is an avid cricket fan, a fitness enthusiast and is highly involved in his Church while Ricardo Thakur used to play the tabla and enjoys playing chess.
For Juvell, the decision was driven by a desire to challenge conventional ideas about how education should progress.
“I knew I wanted to do something never done before, to show students that education is not as linear as we may have been led to think,” Juvell said. “We’re all different, so I charge you to sit down and truly envision what you want for yourself and push for it.”
The students had already demonstrated their willingness to challenge the norm in Fourth Form. Juvell, Arya and Cassidy each completed three subjects in Grade 9, earning Grade Ones in each of their respective subjects while Obama, Shanee and Ricardo each completed two subjects and earned Grade Ones.
Their choice to do CAPE in Grade 11 and their exemplary accompanying results further underscored their determination to push past the expected and excel.
At CAPE, Juvell earned three Grade Ones in Digital Media Unit 1, Law Unit 2, and Physical Education and Sport Unit 1. Arya earned Grade One in Communication Studies Unit 1, Ricardo earned a Grade One in Pure Mathematics Unit 1 while Shanae and Cassidy earned Grade Twos in Physical Education and Sport Unit 1, and Obama earned a Grade Two in Law Unit 1.

CSEC performances impressive
Juvell earned 15 Grade Ones and one Grade Two; Shanee earned 9 Grade Ones and four Grade Twos; Arya earned 9 Grade Ones and two Grade Twos; Ricardo earned 9 Grade ones, Obama earned six Grade Ones, four Grade Twos and one Grade Three; while Cassidy earned six Grade Ones, 10 Grade Twos and one Grade Three.
For Arya, the experience provided an early introduction to the demands of CAPE and helped her discover an appreciation for a subject she particularly enjoyed.
“Comms was one of my favorite subjects out of the batch I wrote this year. I enjoyed it.” She said the experience gave her “a taste as to what CAPE as a programme is like and how different it is from CSEC. It also gave me a taste as to what CAPE as a program is like and how different it is from CSEC. It is definitely denser in content and it requires more and deeper thought and effort than CSEC.”
Arya said the experience taught her that students should not be afraid to “push past the established expectations and limits,” adding that she hopes their collective achievement demonstrates to schools across the country, teachers and parents that “students do not all have to be the same and different pursuits can be had and done by different children in different ways.”

She credits her school with allowing the group of students the privilege to sit the exams and her teacher Ms. Hannah Singh for making her experience with this CAPE subject “totally enjoyable and for contributing to her getting a Grade One.”

Challenge yourself
For Shanee, taking CAPE in Fifth Form was both challenging and rewarding.
“Being among the first students to take CAPE in Fifth Form has been a rewarding and memorable experience,” she said.
She said the experience taught her the importance of discipline, commitment and time management, while also encouraging her to believe more strongly in her own abilities.
“To those coming after us, I encourage you not to let the expectations or limitations set by others define what you can achieve,” Shanee said. “Challenge yourself, step outside your comfort zone, and push beyond the limits others may have placed on you.”
Obama similarly described the experience as an eye-opener, particularly in understanding the level of commitment required at higher levels of education.
He said he hopes the achievement will encourage younger students “to not limit themselves because they can do anything they put their minds to, as we did.”
While the six students shared the common goal of challenging themselves academically, each ultimately pursued a different CAPE pathway, highlighting the diversity of their interests. This represents not only the first-time children at Queen’s College did CAPE in fifth form but in some cases the first time the first time fifth formers studied in the same class with sixth formers in Law, Communication Studies, Digital Media and Physical Education and Sport.

“Your best is limitless”
For Juvell, however, the significance of the achievement extends beyond the results themselves.
Reflecting on his earlier experiences with CSEC, he recalled feeling “insufficiency, intimidation, comparison, and doubt” because of the perception that students were expected to follow a predetermined path.
His experience ultimately led him to challenge that idea.
“I wanted, with some others, to change the way that people view education in the Caribbean,” he said.
Juvell also cautioned against allowing examination results to define a young person’s entire future, noting that there are many students outside of this particular group who he believes will go on to excel in fields ranging from medicine and engineering to politics, humanitarian work, the arts and skilled trades.
“Your best is limitless,” he said.

Dedication & perseverance
Ricardo Thakur of St Joseph’s High School, who moved from Canada to Guyana in Grade Nine, said he initially felt somewhat out of place as he adjusted to a new education system and syllabus. “For me, doing both CSEC and CAPE in Fifth Form definitely took a lot of dedication and perseverance to achieve my desired grades. However, even when I did not fully understand a topic, I never let that discourage me. I would go home and watch multiple videos to try to understand the concepts better,” he said.
That determination ultimately led him to take on CAPE Pure Mathematics in Form Five.
Ricardo credits his teacher, Sir Hubern Collins, for believing in his ability to take on Pure Mathematics and for making the time to teach him the entire syllabus and believing in him.
His advice to other students is simple, “believe in yourself and be willing to do more. Do not let anyone discourage you from pursuing your aspirations and always go the extra mile. When you see the end results, you will know that all your extra hard work paid off.”

In-the-moment decision
Cassidy Singh said “CAPE was an in-the-moment decision”
For Cassidy Ann Singh, the decision to write CAPE came unexpectedly, after encouragement from her friend and fellow student, Juvell Atherly.
“Writing CAPE was an in-the-moment decision presented to me by my dear friend Juvell Atherly,” Cassidy said.
After accepting the opportunity, Cassidy knew she would have to give the examination the same level of commitment as her CSEC subjects, despite having limited time to prepare.
“Having said yes to the opportunity, I knew that regardless of the limited time I had left and the other CSEC subjects I had ahead of me, I had to put forth just as much effort and attention, especially considering that CAPE is much more demanding than CSEC,” she said.
Although the task initially appeared daunting, Cassidy said the experience ultimately proved rewarding.
“Although it seemed like a daunting task at first, I can confidently say that my CAPE experience was a good one,” she said.
She credited the support of her friends and Physical Education teacher for helping her through the process.
“None of it, however, would have been possible without my exceptionally smart and talented friends and my Physical Education teacher, who supported me throughout the process,” Cassidy said.
For other students considering a similar challenge, Cassidy stressed the importance of having a strong support system.
“To those who are looking towards setting more ambitious goals for themselves, I would encourage you to surround yourself with friends, family and teachers who will support your endeavours and lift you up when you feel overwhelmed, just as mine did for me.”

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