‘It was nothing to be nervous about’ - Park Mountain’s Jassonia Beadle is Jamaica’s top 2026 primary PEP student

WESTERN BUREAU:

Eleven-year-old Jassonia Beadle, head girl of Park Mountain Primary and Infant School in St Elizabeth, is Jamaica’s top performer in the 2026 Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examination, having attained the highest national score among primary school students — 394.2 out of a possible 400 points.

Beadle, who hails from the Longwood district in St Elizabeth and aspires to become a doctor or nurse, achieved the feat despite her school being damaged by Hurricane Melissa last October, which caused scheduling setbacks.

“I feel excited and really proud of myself. I was feeling happy when my result was announced, although I did not expect it to happen,” said Jassonia, who will attend Hampton School in Malvern, St Elizabeth, in September.

“Preparing for the exam, I watched practice videos, and I reviewed my notes and past papers. I also had help from my family and my classmates,” added Jassonia.

“I was a bit nervous when I entered the exam, but then I realised it was nothing to be nervous about. I would advise other students to be calm and always try to do your best, even when you feel nervous or scared.”

Her grade-six class teacher, Diane Dennis, told The Gleaner that Jassonia’s excellent performance was the result of a strong foundation laid from as early as grade four.

“She did excellently on her grade four test, and again on her grade five test, and those teachers worked before she reached grade six to make sure she could get the almost-perfect placement score,” said Dennis. “At grade six, she was on point, and she was always maintaining either 100 per cent or high 90s, but nothing below that.”

Carlene Williams-Heath, principal of Park Mountain Primary, said Jassonia’s personal commitment to excellence contributed to her outstanding examination results, despite the school suffering infrastructure damage during the passage of Hurricane Melissa last October. The institution is currently operating on a class rotation system to facilitate ongoing repairs.

“Jassonia Beadle is humble and quiet, but she is also a girl that is committed, and she knows what she wants,” said Williams-Heath. “I am just happy for her, and as she moves on to Hampton School, I have told her to be a trailblazer of excellence, and to just maintain and exceed expectations.

“We suffered under the hand of Hurricane Melissa, and as a team we just worked together and really strived to overcome the different hardships.”

Park Mountain Primary was one of more than 600 schools that sustained infrastructural damage during the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

During yesterday’s press conference, where this year’s PEP results were outlined, Education Minister Dr Dana Morrison Dixon revealed that students’ performance remained stable despite the impact of Hurricane Melissa. A total of 31,868 students sat the grade-six PEP examination.

christopher.thomas@gleanerjm.com